Faith and Faithfulness (3). Good and faithful or wicked and lazy?

Faith and Faithfulness (3). Good and faithful or wicked and lazy?

According to Jesus having faith in him leads to being a good and faithful servant.  Those who work diligently in God’s Kingdom until the Master returns for them, will hear his words: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  However, it is also true that those who do nothing with the wealth of the Good News about Jesus Christ, freely given to them, will hear:  You wicked, lazy servant! Throw this worthless servant into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The work of God – also called the kingdom of heaven – is like a man going on a journey (Matthew 25: 14 – 30) who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.  To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.  Then he went on his journey. 

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put the money given to him to work and gained five bags more.   So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’   His master replied, ‘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!’

The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’  His master replied, ‘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!’

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’  His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more and they will have abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Are we good and faithful servants, multiplying what we received on the grounds of the cross and victory of our Master?