Parable of the Talents, #1 (Matthew 25:14-29)

Driving home: No. The Lord says, Be ready. But he says, Readiness is not dreaminess and an irresponsible rejection of present responsibilities.

Martin shares a personal anecdote about missing a word in a hymn and anticipating correction from the congregation, illustrating his openness to 'innocent ribbing' and setting a lighthearted tone before delving into serious scripture.

Well, now I and you know why it's in the section on the evening hymns. In going through the thing, I missed that word tonight, and was even seeing how we could pick out a different word and make it rhyme with the last line. But now I feel satisfied there was a good reason to put it in the section of the evening hymns, and before 20 people told me that at the door when the message is over, I thought I would acknowledge it. My verbal gaffes generally meet me less than five minutes after the close of a service, and I appreciate the fact that you find me.

0:34 - 1:15 Read in full sermon

The point: Preachers have a solemn responsibility constantly to traffic in giving an answer to the two questions, what does the Bible say and so what? That is, to open up accurately the text of scripture and to apply responsibly th…

He uses the recent historical event of September 11, 2001, as an example of a 'defining moment' in national history, then contrasts it with God's 'defining moments' in redemptive history, elevating the theological significance of Christ's return.

Amen. Indeed. This is a marriage we argue that the minister hasPower this morning we plead for your dear namesake. Amen. September 11, 2001 is one of those dates which has already been described as a defining moment in the history of the United States if not in the wider theater of world history. In the outworking of his gracious plan of redemption, God has ordered the drag Certain events which are truly defining moments, not in the history of this nation, another nation, or all of the nations, but defining moments in the history of redemption. That is God's work in rescuing sinners and bringi...

10:28 - 11:17 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins the exposition of Matthew 25:14-15, detailing the wealthy master's long journey and his entrustment of 'goods' (money) to his servants. Martin clarifies the meaning of…

Martin explains that the master's actions in the parable (entrusting money to slaves or using money changers) were common and understood practices in first-century Middle Eastern culture, making the parable immediately relatable to its original hearers.

And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. And it's true to the order of God. The life of that period. For when a wealthy man was leaving his home for a while, two courses were open for him to the arrangement or for the arrangement of his affairs. Either he might make his confidential slaves, his agents, committing to them the tilling of his land, giving to them his money to be used by them in trade, or he might take advantage of the money changing and money lending system which had been introduced by the Phoenicians. and which was at that time in full operation thro...

27:32 - 28:13 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins the exposition of Matthew 25:14-15, detailing the wealthy master's long journey and his entrustment of 'goods' (money) to his servants. Martin clarifies the meaning of…

He contrasts first-century communication (no email, instant banking) with 20th-century conveniences to help the audience understand why a wealthy man would entrust large sums to servants for trading during a long journey, highlighting the master's sagacity.

In other words, our Lord is describing something that would have immediately resonated in the understanding of his hearers that here was a wealthy man doing something that wealthy men were known to do when they were taking long journeys into far countries. They didn't have email, they didn't have instant access to their accounts at the local bank. Take yourself out of the 20th century communication milieu and put yourself back into that first century. And this is a sagacious and wise businessman, and he decides to have his money be working for him through the hands and minds and ingenuity of t...

28:14 - 28:55 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins the exposition of Matthew 25:14-15, detailing the wealthy master's long journey and his entrustment of 'goods' (money) to his servants. Martin clarifies the meaning of…

To convey the immense value of a 'talent,' Martin calculates its worth in terms of a common laborer's daily wage (denarius), showing that one talent represented almost 16.5 years of work, emphasizing the 'big bucks' entrusted to the servants.

According to Matthew 20 and verse 2, the denarius was sufficient compensation for a common laborer's work for one day. You remember the master goes out into the marketplace, he finds people idle, and he says, look, go out into my field, I'll pay you. They agree for one denarius for a day's work. There is relatively good evidence to point to the fact that a talent was worth 6,000 denarii.

32:40 - 33:12 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He begins the exposition of Matthew 25:14-15, detailing the wealthy master's long journey and his entrustment of 'goods' (money) to his servants. Martin clarifies the meaning of…

He advises against converting the talent's value to modern currency due to fluctuations, instead urging listeners to think in terms of 'buying power' (e.g., how many laborers a denarius could hire), to grasp the true significance of the entrusted sums.

bucks. He was loaded. He could go around with rolls of $100 bills in all of his pockets and stick some behind his ears. And that's critical in understanding the parable. Without having to dogmatize as to the precise current value of a talent, we do know from the consensus of historical studies and responsible exposition that this was a lot of money. This was big bucks entrusted even to the one who only got one talent. And the problem you see with many of the commentators, they converted that into the present currency, either English pounds or American dollars, and that fluctuates. So you must ...

34:00 - 34:52 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin describes the immediate actions of the first two servants, who diligently traded and doubled their master's money, demonstrating their faithfulness. In contrast, the third…

Martin uses a hypothetical scenario of giving a servant $50 and getting $100 back to illustrate the impressive 100% return achieved by the first two servants, making their diligence tangible.

master's money. And before too long, he has brought back a hundred percent increase. Now, wouldn't you like to have a servant like that? Give him 50 bucks. And in a couple of months, he comes back with 50 more. And you give that back. And well, this, this is what this man did. Second one, verse 18, but he that reached, I'm sorry, enlightened.

35:57 - 36:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin describes the immediate actions of the first two servants, who diligently traded and doubled their master's money, demonstrating their faithfulness. In contrast, the third…

He references the parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13) to explain that burying money was a common method for securing valuables in a society without modern banking, clarifying the third servant's action, though not his motive for gain.

Like men are verse 17 also that received the two gained other two. He did exactly what the other fellow did. He goes out with his two talents, his not so big bag of coins, and he trades and he invests. And before long, he has doubled as well, a hundred percent increase. Now, the third fellow, verse 18, that he that received the one went away and digged in the earth and hid his Lord's money. He did something. There are a couple of verbs here. He went away. He digged and he hid. The only work he did was to dig a hole and put his bag of money in the hole and cover it up. Obviously would do it in ...

36:22 - 37:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: After a 'long time,' the master returns to settle accounts. Martin vividly portrays the reckoning, focusing on the master's enthusiastic commendation ('Well done, good and…

Martin refers to Mark's frequent use of 'historical present tenses' to explain why the verbs 'comes and makes reckoning' are in the present tense in the original Greek, encouraging the audience to use their imagination and feel the immediacy of the event.

He just intimates. It's not a day, not a week. It's a long time. It is a long stretch of days and perhaps months. The Lord of those servants comes and makes reckoning, with them. That term makes reckoning is the same Greek construction as we found in Matthew 18, when the master wants to settle accounts. It's the kind of commercial terminology you would use if you were asking someone to come in and go over your books and settle your accounts. Someone dies and we say that so-and-so settled his accounts. Well, this is what the master does, the Lord of the manor does upon his return. He makes a re...

38:08 - 39:19 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: After a 'long time,' the master returns to settle accounts. Martin vividly portrays the reckoning, focusing on the master's enthusiastic commendation ('Well done, good and…

He paints a vivid picture of the three servants approaching the master for reckoning: one staggering under huge bags, another with smaller but still heavy bags, and the third 'shuffling in' with an empty hand, lingering in the shadows, to help the audience visualize the scene and the differing attitudes.

One of them's bald, the other one's got a bushy hair ahead, and the other one's got a beard coming down to his knees. It doesn't matter how you picture them. They are distinct three individuals. Now, the master has returned. He is returning, and he is sending out notice. We're going to have a reckoning, a settling of the accounts. Picture the three men then coming in. One of them with two huge bags of coins staggering under the waiter, and he plucks them down on the ground. The second guy comes in, a bit smaller bags, but pretty well-ladied, one in each hand. He plucks them down. The third cha...

39:39 - 40:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: His Lord said unto him, Bravo, outstanding, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things. I'll set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Martin explains that the Greek 'EU' (well done) is like saying 'Bravo!' or 'Outstanding!' to convey the master's enthusiastic and terse commendation, making the emotional impact of the master's words more palpable.

The two words, well done, are an attempt to translate one little Greek word that's two letters, EU, if you transliterate it. And rather than saying, well done, it's like the Lord of that servant sees the two bags and sees that he has doubled the money entrusted to us. And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry?

43:30 - 43:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: His Lord said unto him, Bravo, outstanding, good and faithful slave. You have been faithful over a few things. I'll set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

He shares an anecdote about a preacher friend who responds with 'Bravo' or 'Outstanding' when asked about a ministry, further illustrating the terse, exclamatory nature of the master's 'Well done.'

And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry? And he says, Bravo. I have a preacher friend of mine, and I ask him, how was such and such a ministry?

43:55 - 43:55 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The other two, good, faithful. This one, evil and lazy. You see the contrast? Marked contrast.

Martin explains the Greek word for 'hard man' (sclerotic) by referencing 'arterial sclerosis' (hardening of the arteries), vividly conveying the servant's accusation of the master's callous and unyielding character.

And in his speech he accuses his Lord of being a hard man a sclerotic man arterial sclerosis hardening of the arteries. That's the word in the Greek.

54:27 - 54:41 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The other two, good, faithful. This one, evil and lazy. You see the contrast? Marked contrast.

He elaborates on the wicked servant's accusation ('reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter') by describing the master as an 'unscrupulous, hard-driving, indifferent, callous capitalist,' making the servant's slander more concrete.

I knew you to be a hard man. And furthermore I knew that you reaped where you did not sow and gathered where you did not scatter what in the world is he saying this is what he's saying you're the kind of man that either you personally or your other slaves they do not reap only in fields where they have expended labor to put the seed in the soil. But you reap on the field sown by others and furthermore you gather where you have not scattered once the wheat was gathered in they had to winnow it and they take a winnowing fork and throw it up into the air and the wind would blow away the chaff and...

54:44 - 55:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The other two, good, faithful. This one, evil and lazy. You see the contrast? Marked contrast.

Martin describes the wicked servant's speech as 'wicked blame shifting,' likening it to an 'accusing conscience' that tries to deflect responsibility, making the servant's moral failing clear.

You reap where you never sowed you gather where you never scattered and furthermore because of what you are and what you do I was brought to the paralysis of fear I was afraid and went away hid your talent in the earth many sheep you see reaches down picks up his bag and plunks it in front of the master and he says to the master. And know your can't you see any. Standing there witnessing this and the whole context indicates that we're all together so that the end god can christ can take sorry the master can take the bag of that server to had the warning it to the one who had to hide and produc...

55:48 - 57:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The other two, good, faithful. This one, evil and lazy. You see the contrast? Marked contrast.

He quotes Proverbs 26:5, 'Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceits,' to explain the master's rhetorical strategy in responding to the wicked servant's accusations, showing the master's wisdom.

And then the master does what Proverbs 26.5 says we must do sometimes. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceits. Jesus puts into the mouth of the master a beautiful example of someone doing exactly that.

59:33 - 59:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Weigh the ultimate end: 'Joy of thy Lord' versus 'Gnashing of teeth.' There is no middle category.

Martin uses Moses' choice to suffer with God's people rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11) as an example of someone who weighed ultimate ends, contrasting the 'finery of the Egyptian palace' with the 'yawning mouth of hell' and the 'city which hath foundations,' to motivate listeners to make a similar eternal choice.

Says of Moses that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. Rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. For he had respect. Unto the recompense.

67:09 - 67:21 Read in full sermon