Matthew 25: 14 - 30 - The Parable of the Bags of Gold [NIV]

 

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Comments

  1. GreholverBlogJanuary 18, 2023 at 6:29 PM

    1/17/2023 Matthew 25 (the dangers of dabbling in Jesus)

    Dabbling in Jesus can send one to hell. Jesus tells three stories in Matthew chapter 25 that should give us pause: how serious are we about our relationship with Him? Five Virgins awaiting a wedding feast were prepared for his return; five weren’t and became strangers shut outside in the cold. Two servants were diligent about the resources Jesus gifted to them; one shrugged it off and got cast aside to suffer in the darkness. Believers who truly cared about the world’s dispossessed souls got to heaven; indifferent followers discovered they were phonies destined for Hell because they were unable to recognize Jesus among them.

    Identifying with Jesus is serious business and those who just dabble in a Jesus or church culture are warned to take another look at themselves and at the King of Kings. We all have one life to live here on earth. As much as we may want to hang on to it as long as possible, it will be brief in light of eternity. This lifetime – indeed, this world and universe – is a passing epoch in the infinite Kingdom of God. God is deadly serious about our redemption from our selfishness and sin, enough so that he became one of us in order to die an unimaginably horrible death to save us. We cannot afford to think our lives and happiness are more important than our relationship with Him both now and in eternity. We have been warned.

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