I was
reading the story of the 10 talents the other day. It was a story Jesus told. A
master of 3 servants gave them each some talents. He told them to use them
while he went away. When he came back, the first two servants had used their
talents to make more. The master praised them. The third man, however, had
buried his talent in the ground. He held it out to the master, but the called
him lazy, took the one talent and gave it to the man with 10. The master said
the third servant would be thrown out.
Whenever I
read about this story in a book or commentary, the authors say the talents
represent our abilities and well, talents. In the story the talent is a sum of
money. Quite a large sum.
I was meditating
on this story and I think the talents represent faith. The man who buried his
talent is lost in the end. We are saved through faith and not works, lest any
man should boast, the Bible says; any good we do cannot save us.
I think the
story points this out in the excuse the man had for why he decided to dig a
hole in the ground and throw the money in there. He said, “Master, I knew you
were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you
didn’t cultivate.”
“I knew you
were a harsh man.” Is God harsh? Does he
hover over us waiting for us to mess up so he can keep us out of heaven? No. He
is not like that. He is hovering to see how many he can get into heaven. (Right
here I could quote hundreds of Bible verses on God’s love, but I hope you will
look them up yourself.)
The man
said, “I know you reap where you did not sow.” What kind of farmer would expect
his crop to grow if he sowed nothing in the field? Hmm, a crazy farmer, that’s for
sure. This man seemed to be saying God asked the impossible from people. Is
that true? No. God says we can do all things through Christ, who gives us
strength. Jesus said, “Nothing will be impossible for you.” And, “My yoke is
easy and my burden is light.”
This man did
not know who God was. And his basic problem is he didn’t try to find out. He
put his head in a hole in the ground. He didn’t want to hear the gospel and he
didn’t try to seek God. He didn’t ask for God’s strength or for Jesus’
righteousness to cover him.
The Bible
says we will find God when we seek him with all our hearts. Jesus said eternal
life means knowing him and his Father in heaven. Jesus also said he will say to
many at the judgement, “I never knew you.”
There is a
reason it is vital to know God; He is the way, the truth and the life. Our
picture of God will determine how we act and how we treat others. If we see God
as harsh, we may think it is fine for us to be harsh. But if we see God as
someone who forgives us 70 x 7 times a day, then we will forgive also.
The best
reason to know God is to understand the plan of salvation. We were lost, but
through Jesus’ death, we are found. We can never be perfect and sinless; Jesus
was perfect and sinless. As a man, he took our place; he stood in the breech
between us and God. God’s law says the penalty for sin is death. He could not
change his law, but he could die in our place and satisfy the justice his law
demands. We are covered by Jesus’ life and death. We cannot be righteous and earn our salvation through our talents and abilities. Jesus is, “The Lord, our
righteousness.”
