Matthew 25:14–30
If you have a Bible, open it to Matthew 25. The message of this passage is simple and sobering: don’t waste your talents. Everything we possess—our abilities, our resources, our influence, even our very breath—is a gift from God. And Jesus tells us plainly that what we do with what He’s given us matters for eternity.
Before we step into the text, it’s helpful to understand what a “talent” meant in biblical times. John MacArthur explains that a talent wasn’t a coin but a measure of weight. A talent of gold was worth far more than a talent of silver, but either way, it represented a significant amount of money. Our modern word talent—meaning a natural ability—comes from applying this parable to the stewardship of the gifts God gives us.
The point is this: everything we have is a gift from God, and everything God gives is meant to be used for His glory.
Main Idea:
Christians use and invest their talents to glorify God because He is the One who gave them to us.
God Is the Giver of Talents
J. C. Ryle, in his usual straightforward manner, reminds us that we are all God’s servants, and all of us have talents. Not just the gifted, not just the platformed, not just the “talented.” Anyone who has anything that can be used to glorify God is a “talented person” in the biblical sense.
Ryle lists these gifts—our money, influence, knowledge, strength, time, intellect, affections, even our access to Scripture. Where did all these things come from? His answer is blunt: all that we have is a loan from God.
If God had willed it, we could be nothing more than worms crawling on the earth. But instead, He has given us authority, dignity, His Son, and every grace that flows from Him. Even our talents—whatever they may be—are temporary loans intended for eternal purposes.
This is exactly what Matthew 25 shows us. The Master gives His servants 5, 2, and 1 talent—each according to their ability. Scholars vary in estimating their modern value, but many place the total near two million dollars. In other words, these are no small gifts. But what matters most is not the amount, but the responsibility.
Two servants invest what the Master entrusts. One servant buries it.
And Scripture is clear: God expects faithfulness from all of us, not just a few.
We Will All Be Judged for How We Use Our Talents
The text says the Master returns “after a long time” to settle accounts. Jesus is teaching us that He will return, and every believer will give an account for what we did with what God gave.
Two servants step forward with joy. “Look, Master!” you can almost hear the excitement in their voices. And the Master responds with those words all believers long to hear:
“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Master.”
It’s not just an accounting—it’s a relationship of joy. There is excitement, intimacy, delight. Their faithfulness is rewarded, not because they earned salvation, but because their love for their Master overflowed in obedience.
Then the third servant steps up, not with joy but with excuses. He accuses the Master of being harsh, unfair, unreasonable. And in doing so, he reveals he never truly knew the Master at all.
His problem wasn’t lack of ability. It was lack of love.
He wasn’t condemned because he failed.
He was condemned because he refused to try.
He hid what God gave him. He buried it.
And Jesus calls him “wicked and slothful.”
There is a warning here: self-preservation does not equal glorification.
You cannot glorify God by sitting on what He gave you. Churches do this. Christians do this. And Jesus warns us not to follow the path of the “do-nothing servant.”
Our View of God Determines Our Use of Talents
The unfaithful servant created a version of the Master that excused his laziness. Many people do the same today. A wrong view of God leads to a wrong walk with God.
If you believe God is harsh, you’ll serve Him reluctantly.
If you believe God is generous, you’ll serve Him joyfully.
Fear paralyzes. Faith propels.
Had the unfaithful servant truly believed the Master was powerful and generous, he would have acted. Instead, he projected his own unbelief onto God.
When we lose a right view of Jesus—His grace, His kindness, His sacrifice—it distorts our worship, our service, our generosity, and our obedience. A thankful heart serves the Lord with joy.
Faithfulness Means Using What God Has Given, Not Hiding It
Jesus rebukes the servant for not even attempting a minimal return. His point is clear: Do something with what I’ve given you.
Too many churches bury their gifts because they fear losing them. They sit and wait for God to work while refusing to work with what God already gave.
But when the church gives faithfully, invests in missions, supports ministries, and serves the community, God uses it—even when the results aren’t immediately visible. Faithfulness isn’t measured in numbers but obedience.
We may be a “one-talent church,” but that doesn’t mean we should be a bury-the-talent church.
God can do more with one faithful talent than a thousand buried in the ground.
The Use of Our Talents Has Eternal Implications
Ryle beautifully captures this truth:
“Every hour spent in Christ’s service, and every word spoken on Christ’s behalf, has been written in a book of remembrance.”
What we do for Christ in this life matters. Every act of service, every sacrifice, every faithful investment is seen by God. And in this parable, the faithful are given more—not earthly riches, but eternal reward.
This is not the prosperity gospel.
This is the reality of spiritual life.
Use it, and it grows.
Refuse to use it, and it dies.
The unfaithful servant lost everything—not because he wasn’t gifted, but because he wasted what God gave him.
Seeing Christ in the Parable
Jesus is the Master who entrusted His servants.
He is the Faithful Servant who did what we could not.
And He is the Returning King who will settle accounts.
His life, death, and resurrection are the ultimate expression of investment—He gave everything so we could receive life. And one day, He will return, and every believer will stand before Him.
Some will hear, “Enter into the joy of your Master.”
Others—those who were close to the things of God but never knew God—will face judgment.
Works don’t save us, but fruit proves the presence of saving faith.
Living Faithfully in Light of Eternity
Here is our response:
1. Recognize your life and gifts as grace.
Everything is a gift. Everything.
2. Be faithful, not fearful.
Fear buries talents. Faith invests them.
3. Have a right view of the Master.
A wrong view of God leads to a wrong walk with God.
4. Use what you have, not what you don’t.
God expects faithfulness, not equal results.
5. Remember eternal consequences.
What you do now echoes forever.
6. Invest your life for the gospel.
Nothing done for Christ is wasted—not one dollar, one hour, or one act of obedience.
A Final Charge
J. C. Ryle gives us a sobering reminder:
“The unprofitable servant was not ruined because he robbed his master, but because he did nothing.”
Christianity without practice is no Christianity at all.
Churches die because they bury what God gave them.
Christians drift because they forget the Master who entrusted them.
Let us refuse to be a “do-nothing” people.
Let us live ready for His return, faithful in His work, eager to hear those words on that day:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”