Nearing the end of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, we find a man giving some pretty pitiful excuses for his slothfulness. This man really had no one but himself to blame for his failure, but he chose, instead, to try to blame the man he was supposed to serve.
First, he attacked his master’s character by saying, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed” (Matthew 25:24). Then, he questioned his master’s compassion when he said, “And I was afraid” (Matthew 25:25a). What did he fear; did he fear he would lose what little he had been given, and be punished for it? The master knew he could manage this “small” amount (v. 15). Perhaps, he feared looking like a failure compared to the others. It was no secret that this man had less ability than the other two (Matthew 25:15). By doing nothing he had an excuse for his failure; he didn’t even try. What if he had tried and only had gained half of a talent more (Matthew 25:27)? The final excuse, I think, is the most insulting, and really showed that he held his master in contempt. He attacked his master’s control. “Look, there you have what is yours” (Matthew 25:25b). It is as if he said, “I owe you no more than what you gave me. We’re even.” On the contrary, the master had lost one thing that was supposed to be his. The servant had taken it, and he was not giving it back.
There are many who use these same excuses against God now, and will attempt to use them on the Judgment Day. Some plan to call into question God’s character by saying, “You did not give me enough evidence.” Others, perhaps even some Christians, question God’s compassion. “Would a loving God really send someone to Hell?” Too many fear men more than they fear God (Matthew 10:28), and part of that fear is being viewed as a failure compared to others. Finally, many question God’s control by mentally dividing the things they have and saying, “This is God’s, but this is mine.” We should realize that everything we have belongs to God. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine” (Psalm 50:10-11). As Christians, we are the Lord’s, and we owe him our service (Deuteronomy 10:12). If we say to God, “You have what is Yours” (the 1 to 4 hours per week we attend church services, for instance), “but the rest is mine,” He has lost the same thing the master in the parable had lost: His servant.
