FAITHFULNESS
REWARDED
Introduction: Clarence Jordan was a man of unusual
abilities and commitment. He had two Ph.D.’s, one in agriculture and the other
in Greek and Hebrew. He was so gifted he could have chosen to do anything he
wanted. He decided to serve the poor. In the 1940s, he founded a farm in
Americus, Georgia, and called it Koinonia Farm. It was a community for poor
whites and poor blacks.
As
you might guess, the idea did not go over well in the Deep South of the 1940s. The
town people tried everything to stop Clarence. They tried boycotting him and
slashing the workers' tires when they came to town. Over and over, for fourteen
years, they attempted to stop him. Finally, in 1954, the Ku Klux Klan had
enough of Clarence Jordan, so they decided to get rid of him once and for all.
They came one night with guns and torches and set fire to every building on
Koinonia Farm but Clarence's home, which they riddled with bullets.
They
chased off all the families but one black family that refused to leave.
Clarence recognized the voices of the Klansmen, some of who were church people.
One Klansman was a local newspaper reporter. The next day, the reporter came
out to see what remained of the farm. The
rubble was smoldering, but he found Clarence in the field, plowing and
planting. "I heard the awful news," he called to Clarence,
"and I came out to do a story on the tragedy of your farm closing."
Clarence just kept on hoeing and planting. The reporter kept poking, trying to
get this quietly determined man to get angry. Instead of packing, Clarence was
planting.
Finally,
the reporter said in a haughty voice, "Well, Dr. Jordan, you got two of
them Ph.D.’s, and you've got fourteen years into this farm, and there's nothing
left of it at all. Just how successful do you think you've been?" Clarence
stopped plowing, turned toward the reporter with his penetrating blue eyes, and
said quietly but firmly, "About as successful as the cross. Sir, I don't
think you understand. What we are about is not success but faithfulness.
We're
staying. Good day." Beginning that day, Clarence and his companions
rebuilt Koinonia, and the farm is going strong today.[1] Clarence Jordan was
a strange phenomenon in the history of North American Christianity. Hewn from
the large Baptist denomination, known primarily for its conformity to culture,
Clarence stressed the anti-cultural, and Christ-transforming, aspects of the
gospel.
In
a world where a lot of people run after success, a well-educated Jordan was not
about achieving but all about being faithful. It is not the success that
God rewards but faithfulness in doing his will. To emphasize the fact that God
rewards loyalty, integrity, and punishes laziness, Jesus told his disciples a story.
Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a Master’s Business.
I. BEING ON
MASTER’S BUSINESS
In
this story, we read about a master who was going on a long trip. He called
three of his servants and gave them talents to be invested in business while he
is gone. To one, he gave five talents,
to another two and the third, one talent in proportion to their ability. What
is “Talent?” It is not a gift or skill, as we often think. “A talent weight was
an ancient unit for measuring value. How
massive was a Talent? “The talent was the heaviest or largest biblical unit of
measurement for weight, equal to about 75 pounds or 35 kilograms.”[2] In the NLT, it says, the master gave one “five
bags of silver,” or five talents. How much was five bags of silver worth?
According to New Nave's Topical Bible, one who possessed five talents of silver
was a multimillionaire by today's standards. Some calculate the worth of talent
to be equivalent to 20 years of wages for the everyday worker. Others estimate
more conservatively, valuing the talent somewhere between $1,000 to $30,000
today.[3]
In any case, a talent was worth a lot of money.
Knowing
the actual meaning, weight, and value of a “Talent” can help give us the context,
deeper understanding, and better perspective when studying the Scriptures. How
did the servants respond to these entrusted resources? The one who got the five
bags invested the money and gained five more. The servant with two bags also
went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received one bag of
silver dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
II TIME TO SETTLE
ACCOUNTS
A
long-time passed, the master returned from his trip and called the servants to
give an account. The one who received the five bags of silver came forward and
said, “Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and here I have
earned five more. Similarly, the one who received two bags of silver said,
“Master, you gave me two bags of silver, and I have earned to more. It is interesting to note the sad response of
the one who received one bag of silver.
He
began by blaming the master: “You are a harsh man.” In a manner that would have
shocked ancient audiences, the servant insults the master, essentially accusing
his master’s harsh character for his failure to increase his master’s
investment.
He
said, “I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look
here is your money back.” This servant did not understand the master’s heart.
On top of that, he had terrible attitudes and had to deal with carelessness,
fear, and laziness. What was the master’s response?
The
master was full of praise for the two servants' hard work and investment. He
said, Vs. 21-23 “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.”
To
the one who squandered the opportunity to invest, the master replied rather
harshly. He said, Vs. 26-27, “You wicked
and lazy servant. If you knew I harvested crops, I didn’t plan and gathered
crops where I did not cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank?
At
least I could have gotten some interest. Vs. 28-30, “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 in 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.”
This
parable is not just about good economics, a wise investment of money, and
profitable returns. What are the theological underpinnings of this parable?
This story has some deep End time connotations.
It explains how God rewards faithfulness and punishes laziness.
III. FAITHFULNESS
REWARDED
The
parable of the talents illustrates the tragedy of wasted opportunity. The man
who goes on the journey represents Christ, and the servants represent
professing believers given different levels of responsibility along with
resources. Faithfulness is what he demands of them.
But
the parable suggests that all who are faithful will be fruitful to some degree
and, in the end, enjoys being in the presence of God and working with God.
Those who are not loyal will be fruitless will be punished. For now, it is
sufficient to say our faithfulness with God-given resources, in the end, will
be rewarded, and our laziness will be punished.
Let
me define faithfulness: “It is the concept of unfailingly remaining loyal to
someone or something, and putting that loyalty into consistent practice
regardless of the circumstances.[4] We can only be faithful as
we follow our God, who is Faithful. Deut 7: 9, “Understand, therefore, that the
Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for
a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him
and obey his commands.”
God
is faithful to keep his promises to those who love him; he also expects us his
children to demonstrate faithfulness in everything we do. Let me share a few
ways how our faithfulness to God can be expressed in our daily lives. We are
faithful to God when we are committed to reading God’s word regularly and
obeying what it says.
When
we pray and intercede for others, we are showing our love and concern for the
world, by giving His tithes and offerings, we will be worshipping God. By
showing hospitality and loving our neighbors as Christ loved us, we are
reflecting God’s heart for all people.
We
can express our faithfulness as we actively engage in the Great Commission of
our Lord, that is, to “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new
disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” Matt 28:19-20. These are all acts of our faithfulness to God.
Just
like the master in the story, God gives us resources according to our ability.
Romans 12:6-8, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing
certain things well.” Are you entirely investing your God-given resources for
His Kingdom, like those two servants in the story? Or are you being lazy and burying
them in the ground like that wicked servant?
Dear
Friends, in this new year, God is not asking us to be successful but to be faithful.
At the end of your life, do you desire to hear your lord say, “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? It can only be possible when we remain faithful.
I
have seen much faithfulness among the members of Hope Church. Many of you have
been sacrificial in serving God regardless of the circumstances. You have used
your God-given gifts well. Let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just
the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up. Our
Faithfulness will be Rewarded. Amen!
[3] https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-a-talent-700699
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithfulness
