Today we’re concluding our series about biblical financial wisdom. Yes, we’ve talked about things like our spending, our saving, and our giving. But as Maron said two weeks ago, when it comes to our money those actions are just the tip of an iceberg. That’s what we can see.
But there is a lot more going on below the water level. And that’s what we’ve talked about in this series. Matters of the heart that lead to the stuff above.
The four key concepts which define biblical financial wisdom below the waterline.
Stewardship, Contentment, Faith, and Wisdom
Our main passage is a parable - a story - told by Jesus. It’s in Matthew 25:15, Page _______.
This parable, sometimes called the “parable of the talents” demonstrates what wisdom with our resources looks like.
So, let’s read this parable, and then we’ll talk about it.
Matthew 25:14-15
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
Real quickly: these “bags of silver”… In the Greek, it’s the word tálanton or “talent.” A talent was an enormous amount of money. We’re talking like 75 pounds of silver.
It would have taken a day laborer back then 10,000 days of work - half a lifetime - to earn that much money. So don’t think medieval coin pouches here. Think two bags of water softener salt but full of precious metal.
Matthew 25:16-30
“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Alright, what does this parable mean?
Well, let’s start with something that may seem obvious, but it’s worth pointing out because it’s kind of the point: the money these servants are investing (or burying in the ground) is not their money.
It’s their master’s money. They are just the stewards.
This idea of stewardship is where we started this whole series. With the idea that God owns it all.
In this parable, the bags of silver belong to the master. In our lives, everything we have, including our money, belongs to God. The question Scripture wants us to be asking is not “how much do I have?” But “What am I doing with what God has entrusted to me?”
Am I being a wise steward?
Ok. So, what does wisdom look like in this parable?
Well, to Jesus, wisdom looks like these servants doing with these bags of silver what the master would want them to do.
And what does he want them to do? To invest it. To make it grow. Because that’s what you do with your wealth.
Which is why, when he comes back from his trip, he’s so thrilled with the two servants who did just that.
Matthew 25:21
Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!
The servants who multiplied their master’s money were good stewards - wise stewards - of what he had entrusted to them. They did with his money what he would have wanted them to do.
But the third servant? He was not wise. Why? Because he wasn’t thinking about the master’s desires at all. He was thinking about himself.
Sure, he didn’t want to lose his master’s money, but it wasn’t because he cared about the master’s resources. It was because he wanted to save his own skin.
The point of this parable is that we must be wise stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
INVESTING
It’s a pretty simple idea, and it’s easy to see how that could apply to money. But here’s a little twist. This parable is not actually about money at all.
The talents in this story - these bags of silver - are symbolic of the gifts God gives to every one of us: the unique mix of capabilities, strengths, passions, spiritual gifts, and experiences that makes you a one-of-a-kind child of God.
We talk about it at Grace all the time. You were designed by the Creator for a purpose. Designed, as Liam Neeson would say, with “a very particular set of skills.” Or as the Apostle Paul said,
Ephesians 2:10
We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
That’s what the parable of the talents is all about. Doing good things with the gifts – the talents – that God has entrusted to you.
Like a massive bag of silver (or 5 bags!), he’s giving them to you. “Here. You know what to do.”
You are a steward, and it takes wisdom to use these gifts well. So let me ask you this: What are you doing with the things God has entrusted to you?
Are you using your life to do the things God cares about? Like healing the broken places of the world and making it look more like God’s kingdom?
When the master returns, will you be able to say, “Here’s what you entrusted to me… look how much I did with it!” Because guess what? If you are a wise steward, he’s going to give you more gifts to invest.
Matthew 25:29
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
Woah. You see, this parable is an invitation to think about our posture towards God.
What am I doing with the life and gifts and uniqueness he’s given me? Am I being wise or foolish? Investing these gifts in healing the world or burying them in the ground?
Do I care what the master desires for my life? Or am I only doing the bare minimum to avoid disappointing him?
What is my posture toward God?
OK IT IS ABOUT MONEY
Now, I said this parable was not about money. Because it’s not. The bags of silver in this story are symbolic of all the gifts God gives us.
However, as we’ve been saying throughout this whole series, one of the gifts God gives us to use is the money we have. So in a roundabout way, this parable is about money too.
Remember my metaphor from week 1? We are like house-sitters. We’re given responsibility over someone else’s home while they’re away and it’s our job to take care of it well.
God has entrusted his wealth to us for a reason - just like our abilities and passions and spiritual gifts. He wants us to do with his money the things he cares about. To steward these gifts well.
Let’s ask the question again: What is your posture toward this responsibility?
Or to put it another way, the master is coming back from his trip soon. What is the state of the wealth he’s given you to look after?
WISDOM
Now, if most of us were honest, we’d probably say, “oof… I’m not sure it’s so good right now. I’m not sure God would be so pleased with the state of his money in my care.”
For any number of reasons. Maybe you’re struggling with online shopping too much. Consumerism. Or maybe you can’t think of the last time you were truly generous with anything.
Maybe you don’t have a dime saved up for the future, so living with contentment or abundance feels like a pipe-dream. Or maybe like so many you are just trapped in debt and it feels like a whirlpool you can’t get out of.
Regardless of the reason, when it comes to our stewardship most of us have room to grow.So what do we do about this?
Well, this is where wisdom comes into the picture. We need to be wise with our money. I’m sorry, God’s money.
Remember the iceberg? Wisdom is part of what lies below the water line.
In the parable it was wisdom that the third servant lacked. I mean he had a plan. He knew what he was doing. He was afraid the master would be mad at him for losing the money, so he buried it. Safe and sound.
Maybe that sounds smart to some of us, but it wasn’t wise.
Wisdom, which the other two servants had, would have led this third servant to understand what the master truly wanted with his money while he was gone. He wanted his resources to multiply. That’s why he entrusted them to his servants. He could have buried his own money if that’s all he cared about.
So let me ask you this: How wise are you about the resources God has entrusted to you? Do you know what he wants you to do with it? True financial wisdom involves knowing what our master desires.
Oh and by the way, I know it may be easy to think I’m just talking about giving everything away. But here’s the deal: you can only really do that once. And then you’re completely dependent on other people and have nothing else to give. Do you really think that’s what God desires of you?
I could make a case that in 2024 biblical financial wisdom involves compound interest, debt consolidation, and a diversified portfolio of retirement accounts. That’s how you can be generous for a lifetime. But it takes wisdom to know where the balance lies.
Now, if it sounded like I was speaking Ancient Greek just then, or if you feel like you struggle to find a wise balance between spending and saving and giving, we can help with that.
Financial Health Workshop
Saturday, November 2 from 9:00am to 11:30am
Cost: $5
Registration required: gracechurch.us/makingchange
God Owns it All 6-week Bible Study
Sundays during 9:15am service
November 10-December 22 (skips December 1)
Cost: $10.50
Registration required: gracechurch.us/makingchange
Do the workshop. Do the study. Learn what your master has in mind for the resources he’s given you. Then you can begin to use them wisely.
THE WISDOM OF OTHERS
Of course, wisdom doesn’t end in just knowing what God desires. It also takes wisdom to do something about it. Look at this. In verse 15, it says the master
Matthew 25:15
He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities.
Each one of them had a different skillset. Maybe the first two servants had done this before. They each had different ability levels.
And so maybe you’re thinking, “well then what are we being so hard on the third servant? He didn’t know what he was doing!”
Well, first of all, don’t forget the master did think he was capable enough to give him 75 pounds of silver… But also, if he was feeling insecure, the third servant could have asked the other two what to do!
He did not have to go it alone. And I bet if he had asked the first servant about his brilliant plan to dig a hole, he would have been like, “Oh, no. At least put it in the bank. Or I could show you what I’ve learned…”
The point is, just like how you can learn from those who have come before about your life purpose and calling, you do not need to figure out what you’re doing with money on your own.
True financial wisdom involves learning from the wisdom of others.
For example, if you are in dire financial straits right now, you don’t have to walk through it alone. We literally have qualified volunteers in our Care Center Co-op Program who can help you set financial goals, consolidate your debt, and create a budget.
They are the first two servants who know what they’re doing and they want to help you!
Now maybe you’re not in crisis, but you could use some practical tips to be wiser with your money. Well, on the podcast this week (Between Sundays - gracechurch.us/podcast), I’m going to share some practical nuggets of financial wisdom that I’ve picked up from others over the years.
I still have a lot to learn, but these little nuggets have really helped me with my finances. Maybe they can help you too.
ABUNDANCE
So, true financial wisdom involves knowing what our master desires. It also involves learning from the wisdom of others.
Finally, true financial wisdom involves understanding that abundance follows faithfulness.
This is a very common theme in Scripture. God loves to give his servants good things. He loves to bless his stewards. To use that house-sitting analogy, God stocks the pantry for us.
And we see it in this story in what he says to the first two servants.
Matthew 25:21
Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!
Literally in the Greek he says, “enter into the joy/rejoicing of your master.”
“You’ve invested my money in the things I care about. You took my resources and you brought healing and life into this world. That’s exactly what I wanted you to do. Well done. Let’s party.”
Abundance follows faithfulness. This can be so important to remember if we feel our open palms clenching a little too tightly. Our master is not stingy. He rewards his stewards well.
Now I want to be clear about something because this has been badly misused and misunderstood in the Church over the years.
What I am not saying is that if you give a bit of money away God is somehow obligated to give you even more money in return. That’s the prosperity gospel and it’s a load of steaming garbage. Generosity is not some cheat code to getting super rich.
However, handling God’s resources with wisdom - doing the things with your money that he would want you to do (taking care of your family, saving for the future, giving generously to others) - is the way to enter into our master’s joy.
Sometimes when we invest our money into the life of a hurting friend, we don’t get that money back. But God fills us with a deep sense of contentment instead, and the relationship with that friend becomes life-giving.
Sometimes when we act with financial discipline and save up for the things we want instead of going into debt, we find ourselves growing in appreciation for the things we already have.
Sometimes when we are sacrificial in our generosity, we are overwhelmed with the sense of God’s presence and joy.
And yes, every now and then, when we are wise stewards, God blesses us with more financial resources. Not because he wants us all flying on private jets. But because we’ve proven ourselves trustworthy to do what he cares about with his money and he’s ready to entrust us with more.
Abundance follows faithfulness.
What’s our posture? Do we trust God enough to take the leap and see if that’s really true? It might just be the wisest thing we’ve ever done.
“Well done my good and faithful servant. Let’s celebrate together.”
—
The Apostle James once wrote,
James 1:5
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.
I say we do that right now.