As we kick off another year of resolutions and clean slate thinking on our dreams and desires, I wanted to share a verse with you that has been floating around in my head.
Matthew 25:19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used what He had given them.”
Not the most inspirational passage – I know.
This passage is near the beginning of a memorable parable that Jesus taught as He was getting closer and closer to Jerusalem and all that would then transpire (betrayal, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension). Most people think it’s just a lesson about money, and it is to some degree. However, I get lost in this particular verse because of the grand narrative of life and the kingdom of God that Jesus is talking about.
If you know the story, the master gifts 3 servants with talents (talent = amount of money) to use and invest for Him while He’s gone. It then says in verses 16-18, that the one who received 5 talents went out and put it to work and got back 5 more. The one who received 2 talents gained 2 more, but the man given only 1 talent went and hid his in the ground. Most people focus on the one who disobeyed and use this parable to make other people feel guilty.
However, that’s not what has had me pondering this passage for the last couple of months.
It’s these words that get me, “after a long time…”
You see, I think Jesus was talking about our entire lives, and the account we will give for the life we’ve been blessed (by Him) with. We quickly RUSH to the point of the story where the first two servants DOUBLED their investments and get congratulated by the MASTER (verses 21 & 21 “Let’s party together”).
I get lost thinking, “WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE?’ What happened during that period of “a long time…” the life that those persons lived? They obviously didn’t IMMEDIATELY double their investment. This wasn’t a “one and done” action or decision. It must have each taken their ENTIRE LIFE to see this come to fulfillment.