LAZYNESS = WICKEDNESS
'14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
( Matthew 25:14-30)
I have written a few times about the parable of the talents and today I will not make a long expose on the parable. As you meditate on today’s teaching, I would like you to specifically focus on verses 26 to 30.
Just read what the Master says about the ‘lazy servant’ : ‘You wicked and slothful servant’
Notice that the Master calls the servant ‘wicked and slothful’. Yet, that servant did not commit an action that would come across as ‘anti-social’. He did not commit theft, adultery or any anti-social action.
However, notice that Jesus places the words ‘slothful and wicked’ in the same line.
While reading the parable, please take note of the following:
The servant was part of the house. He was not a stranger. This means that the servant represents Christians.
The outer darkness represents Hell. It does not represent a mild room as many would think. The lazy servant was cast out due his slothfulness.
Slothfulness in the Kingdom
In the parable, Slothfulness refers to the lazy attitude that a Christian has towards the mission God gave him/her.
So, how can such a lazy person be considered as a wicked person?
When a Christian acts lazy towards their purpose, he/she deprives other people from benefiting from their purpose.
Example: brother A is called by God to be an engineer. However, the brother becomes slothful and never becomes an engineer. As a result of his laziness, many people fail to benefit from the engineering talent of brother A.
I believe that one of the reasons why the world is on fire is simply because many Christians are sleeping on their God given gifts. Such laziness equates to wickedness.
And the wicked will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Today, I implore you: ‘if you have been sleeping on your God given and mission, then wake up and start working on it. The Lord is coming soon.