Jesus Talks Money: Stewardship
The money, possessions, and resources that we have are not our own. God entrusts us with his blessings and desires us to do something with them. Wisely and conscientiously steward what God gives you. (Matthew 25:14-30)
Transcript
A WRONG READING OF THE PASSAGE
While studying this week, I ran across an interpretation of this passage I’d never heard before. Some argue that this parable is a social critique of the rich and powerful, who use economic leverage to abuse the poor. The landowner is the villain who exploits his servants for his own profit, and the third servant, who buries his bag of gold, is the hero by refusing to participate in such an unjust economic system that profits a few at the expense of many.
While I believe that we should condemn any economic system designed to exploit the poor and benefit the rich, this parable doesn’t do that. In fact, this is a terrible interpretation of this passage.
How do I know? There are a few hints within the passage itself, but those could be debated. But what couldn’t be debated is the larger context of the passage. The surrounding thirty-four verses make it impossible to interpret this parable through a social justice lens.
THE PASSAGE IN CONTEXT
Instead, this passage is about faithfulness as we wait for Christ’s return.
How do we know this?Because this passage is the third of four parables that are all very similar and even share some of the same language and story elements:
The Parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
The Parable of the Bags of Gold
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats
All four parables underscore the importance of being prepared and watchful for Christ's return.
All four contrast pictures of faithful people versus unfaithful people.
And all four describe judgment and consequences for the unfaithful.
So, it would be ridiculous to think that Jesus would rally against economic injustice in the middle of all this. And that is why context is so important in understanding the Bible.
What can we learn from this? Context is your best tool against wrong interpretations of Scripture. So, the next time you hear a Bible teaching on YouTube that you’re not sure about, read the context of the passage—the whole chapter and then some.
And remember the advice I gave you last week: Don’t make a passage answer questions it’s not intended to answer.
DEFINING STEWARDSHIP
So, what is this passage intending to say? We already know it’s generally about faithfulness as we wait for Christ’s return. [4] This parable expands on this theme by focusing on faithful stewardship.
But what is stewardship? It’s a word that’s thrown around churches a lot, but it’s not used much outside the Christian community. And yet, we all live out stewardship in our lives.
Stewardship is how you take care of things that are your responsible for but aren’t really yours.
Do you rent your house or apartment? You’re a steward of that home. You don’t actually own it, but if you trash it, you’re in trouble. The same goes for leasing a car.
Do you have kids? You are the primary steward of their well-being, even though you don’t own them.
Ever borrow a hoodie from a friend? You’re a steward of that hoodie until you return it.
Do you live on planet Earth? (Hopefully, you say yes.) We all have a responsibility to protect the environment and use natural resources sustainably.
All stewardship has three characteristics in common:
Assignment: You are given something that’s not yours—a house, car, hoodie.
Responsibility: You are responsible for its care and well-being—you have to raise your kids well; we have to take care of our planet.
Accountability: You will be responsible for how well you took care of it—you have to give the leased care back; your kids are gonna be adults one day.
These are true for things that come from banks or friends, and it’s true for things that come from God.
KEY THEMES FROM THE PASSAGE
And that brings us to our passage. This parable, about faithful stewardship, as we wait for Christ’s return, is divided into these same three categories: assignment, responsibility, and accountability.
Assignment
The parable begins with a man going on a journey who entrusts his money to his servants. Each servant is given a different number of bags of gold, according to his ability. That was their assignment—take care of his money while he’s gone.
BTW, each one of these bags of gold was called a talent, approximately 75 pounds and worth somewhere around $200,000. The three servants were given 1, 2, and 5 bags of gold, in other words, $200k, $400k, and $1 million. This was not chump change.
Responsibility
The man left for a long time, and the servants were responsible for the money. The servants who received two and five bags of gold put the money to work and doubled it. But the servant who received one bag buried it for safekeeping. With him, there was no gain, just preservation.
Accountability
And then the man eventually came back and asked for an accounting of his money. To the servants who doubled his money, he said the same thing.
“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!’ (v. 21, 23)
But the servant who buried his bag gave it back to him and admitted that he didn’t do anything with it because he was afraid of the master. So, the man took the gold from him and threw him out of the house to suffer.
Summary
You’ve been given an assignment. You have a responsibility. And there will be accountability.
The parable is summarized at the end with the passage:
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.
What do we learn from this? In God's economy, faithfulness produces abundance, but inaction leads to loss.
Our economy tells you that:
Hard work produces abundance.
Education produces abundance.
Focusing on your career produces abundance.
But in God’s economy, faithful stewardship produces abundance.
Faithful stewardship of resources results in not only an abundance of return but also an abundance of reward—more opportunities, influence, and even joy.
In contrast, inaction driven by fear results in loss—the loss of what you have, the loss of what you could have, and even the loss of joy.
In God's economy, faithfulness produces abundance, and inaction leads to loss.
APPLICATION
Like most parables, this one has a single, clear application point: While we wait for Jesus’ return, God entrusts each of us with a different combination of “bags of gold”—money, possessions, skills, strengths, spiritual gifts, knowledge, family, and he expects us to not only use them for his kingdom but to multiply them so we are all building more of God’s kingdom here on earth.
In other words, if you got it, use it, grow it, share it.
Imagine if you took that approach to everything you have.
Your house and your possessions – If you got it, use it, grow it, share it.
Your time and your hobbies – If you got it, use it, grow it, share it.
And yes, even your money – If you got it, use it, grow it, share it.
That’s a life where, at the end, Jesus will turn to you and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
CLOSING INSPIRATION
Since this is a series on money, I want to close with a quote from famed 1700s theologian Matthew Henry, quoting another theologian Lord Francis Bacon.
“Money is like manure, so my Lord Bacon used to say— good for nothing in the heap, but it must be spread. Yet it is an evil which we have often seen under the sun—treasure heaped together, which does good to nobody; and so it is in spiritual gifts; many have them, and make no use of them for the end for which they were given them.
Those that have estates, and do not lay them out in works of piety and charity; that have power and interest, and do not with it promote religion in the places where they live; ministers that have capacities and opportunities of doing good, but do not stir up the gift that is in them, are those slothful servants that seek their own things more than Christ’s.”
What are you going to do with all that God has entrusted to you?
REFLECTION – THREE PRAYERS
Identify your unique gifts and resources. Recognize how it all belongs to God and we are just taking care of it for a time.
Prayer: God, help me see everything I have as belonging to you and entrusted to me. [List things you have in your life and thank God that he has entrusted them to you.]
Reflect on how you are using your gifts. Are you multiplying them for God's glory or burying them out of fear or laziness?
Prayer: God, give me the courage to be a faithful steward of all you’ve entrusted to me. Reveal one thing that I currently have buried that you want me to multiply.
Consider the future fact that one day you will be accountable to God for what you've done with what He has given you.
Prayer: God, I want to live in a way that pleases you. Show me one thing I can do this week to which you will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"
