Digging Spiritual Holes
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Straight to the Cross
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Digging Spiritual Holes
By Byron Nichols
In Matthew 25:14-30 we read the parable of the
talents. You will remember that Jesus told of a
certain master giving three servants different
amounts of money, the amounts varying in relation
to the ability of each one. One was given five
talents (or portions of money), another was given
two, and the third received one. If you will
recall, each of the first two servants wisely
handled the master's money, even to the extent of
doubling it.
But then, there was that fellow who had been given
the one talent. His handling of his master's money
resulted in no increase whatsoever. Notice the
master's rebuke: "You wicked and slothful (lazy)
servant." The master later refers to this one as
"the unprofitable servant" (verse 30).
Question: What was it that the servant had done
that was so bad? Answer: Nothing — absolutely
nothing. That was the problem. Instead of trying
to make a profit for his master, he just went out
and dug a hole in the ground and buried the
master's money.
The master trusted them all; he placed his
confidence in them. He was giving them an
opportunity to prove themselves worthy of his
faith in them. He didn't stay there and look over
their shoulders to see if they were handling the
situation just like he would do it. Instead, he
went away and gave them the opportunity to make
their own decisions.
Before leaving, the master let the servants know
clearly what he expected of them. There was no
lack of instruction or communication. Each one
could know just as well as the others exactly what
the master wanted him to do. All that was
necessary was to pay attention to what the master
said before he left.
It is also noteworthy in verse 19 that it was only
after "a long time" that the master returned and
asked for an accounting by each servant. He gave
them ample time to do what was expected of them.
They were allotted sufficient time to start out
wrong and end up right — they had plenty of time
to make some mistakes and still correct their
course of action and present an acceptable profit
to the master upon his return.
I believe the fact that the master was gone for "a
long time" is a definite indication that he did
not expect or require significant results
immediately. It seems that he understood that
things require an adequate amount of time in order
to be accomplished.
Even a rather casual reading of this parable shows
that these servants were not in competition with
each other. The master had not made a contest out
of the situation. It was not a matter of who was
more capable than the others, but rather it was a
matter of who was faithful in following
instructions and trying to do the will of the
master. The servant who received two talents of
money received the same praise and commendation as
the one who had received five. They deserved equal
recognition — they had both done the same thing,
that is, they both did the best they knew how to
do with what they had.
The master did not require fantastic results.
Verse 27 shows that he would have been satisfied
if the servant who was entrusted with the one
talent had just put the money in the bank and
earned the interest on it. That wouldn't be much
of a return now, and it would not have been too
much then either, but it would have at least been
an improvement over digging a hole in the dirt and
depositing the money there.
In verse 24 we read the report to the master by
the servant who buried the money. He said, "I knew
you to be a hard man." Obviously, this was only an
excuse, not a fact. There is nothing in the text
to indicate that the master was hard or demanding,
except for the fact that he did demand obedience.
There is no evidence of harshness or unfairness on
his part.
Jesus wants us all to see that He is portrayed by
the master in the story, and that we, as His
followers, are the servants. Let's be sure to
carefully read the parable with this in mind.
We can all be successful servants, stewards. Our
Master is not a hard taskmaster, but He has made
it clear that "digging a hole" and burying our
spiritual talents will not be acceptable. He
definitely is demanding that every servant of His
be busy using his/her talents in an effort to
increase the size of the Master's estate. May all
of us rejoice in our role as His servants and do
our very best to faithfully use what He has
entrusted to us, and not bury it in fear of
failure. He wants us to succeed, and He has
promised to help us be successful.
Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol
16, pgs. 5-6.
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