Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:14-30 NIV “Again, it (the kingdom of heaven) will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his masterʼs money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 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.’ “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 masterʼs happiness!’ “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.’ “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 masterʼs happiness!’ “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. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “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? 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. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 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. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Matthew mentions weeping and gnashing of teeth nine times in his gospel. The phrase sounds peculiar. It's is a biblical phrase that made it's way into English literature through popular use back when biblical literacy was at an all time high in the 19th century. The phrase is an expression of intense anguish, anxiety, suffering and even hostility toward an enemy or opponent. Weeping and gnashing of teeth is what will be the sad experience of those who do not belong to the kingdom of heaven. As one verse puts it, But they will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 8:12 NIV Exclusion from God's presence is death, a painful one at that. Some believe that hell is a place of perpetual torment, but the biblical concept is more akin to a place of destruction. The trash dump outside the city of Jerusalem in the first century was in the Valley of Hinnom. The Greek word Gehenna, from the Hebrew Gehinnom, is a small valley in Jerusalem and the Jewish and Christian analogue of hell. The terms are derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom. Jesus uses the term gehenna to describe a place where the fire never goes out and the worm never dies. The organic waste piled up in the valley is devoured by fly larva and anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria thrive in a low to no oxygen environment and produce methane gas when they digest organic matter. Pockets of methane gas burn perpetually in the trash valley. The flies swarm and maggots eat their fill. This powerful image describes the condition of being cast out of the holy city like human trash. Inside the city God's people dwell in His presence and under God's blessings. There is peace and prosperity, security and solace. But outside the city of God is weeping and gnashing of teeth, intense suffering in the human trash dump. Woe unto the ones who reject the Christ and His invitation to the wedding feast celebrating Christ's union with the church. They will be cast out into the utter darkness to suffer wrath. At what level we are to take the descriptions of hell literally in the bible is a matter of debate. The basic message, however, cannot be denied. To be cast out is a terrible proposition. Jesus came and died and rose again for all of us so that we might be reconciled with God and each other. Jesus tells of a master who entrusts bags of gold to his servants according to their ability. One received 5 bags, another 2 bags, and the last only one bag. The first two doubled the amount through investments and gladly reported so, but the last servant was afraid of his master, and at some level resented the fact that the master expected to reap what he himself didn't sow. So instead of investing, he hid the money in the ground. Notice the motives. In the first two servants I sense a joyful service which reflects how they feel about their master. They are happy to serve him and want him to do well. They wish to please their master and so they invest wisely and double his money. They gladly turn over the profits with celebration. The master in kind entrusts them with more, because they'd been trustworthy with what he had given them. But fear and resentment drives the other servant. How would you describe your relationship with God? Are you eager to please God with your life by using all that He has given you? Or are you more like the last servant who is afraid and doesn't trust his master? God has entrusted to you your natural talents, your spiritual gifts through your faith in Christ, and everything you own. All your relationships are a gift from God. Christians realize they are stewards of what God has entrusted to them. God will call us to account for how we've chosen to use what's been entrusted to us. If we are good stewards of our health we may be entrusted with long life and more time on earth to serve the Lord faithfully. But if we abuse the gift of our bodies, we're going to eventually lose. The Parable of the Talents, as is traditionally called, (for a talent is a year's wages) is both warning and instruction. The warning is for those who would choose poor stewardship, perhaps out of a distorted view of God, one that causes mistrust and fear. But the instruction is for those who love the Lord and desire to please Him. Your faithful service will be rewarded when you hear Him say, 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 masterʼs happiness!’