Matthew 25:26

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.

     The parable of the talents is one that is used often and with good cause. The story has many lessons that we can learn from it. In it we see that a master has entrusted various servants with various amounts of money while he is gone. The servant with one talent takes his and he hides it. When the master returns, he pulls it from the hiding spot, showing it to the Lord and expecting a reward. In his explanation of why he did not earn more like his two compatriots, he said that he knew that his master was harsh and that he reaped where he did not so.

     What happens next is truly ironic. The master uses the slaves own words for why he deserves judgment. The slave knew what type of man his master was and what his master required. Yet he did not follow what he knew. Instead he just decided that he was going to hide it. The problem for the slave is that when he came up before the master and offered this defense, he actually trapped himself. He no longer had an excuse. He already admitted knowing what the master desired.

     For those who have already obeyed the gospel, we too know what our Master desires. He has not made His will a secret to us. Instead He has given us His word so that we might be able to obey. Knowing that should cause us to be on guard. On the day of judgment, we too will be without excuse. We will not be able to say that we did not know His word. Knowing this we must strive to obey all that He commanded so that He will say to us, “Well done.”

“But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.