My Good and Faithful Servant!
(Matthew 25:14-27)
Pastor Paul Kim
I emigrated 25 years ago. I had no special difficulty living abroad except finding a good suit that fit me. I managed quite well wearing some suits that I had taken from Korea until last January when a pastor whom I knew gave me his suit that he couldnt wear as he had gained weight. After being invited to deliver a sermon in a church, I took out the suit and wore it. I was surprised. It fit me like a glove. Deeply moved, I cried before the mirror. I heard God saying to me 'My son, I know you in and out.'
We believe that we get to know God by attending our Sunday worship service. Dont you think that God is too great to pay attention to every case of our trivial daily issues? However, the great Lord said to me, I know you. He listened to my tiny voice, knowing exactly the size of my body. God, who has numbered even the hairs of our head, knows our wounds and the issues we are struggling with. Todays passage starts with 'Again.' Notice the adverb that Jesus used specifically in order to teach us the theme of this passage, 'the kingdom of heaven'. Jesus is the master of the heavenly kingdom. By the way, could the Galileans, who lived 2000 years ago, have understood the kingdom that calls for an immeasurable amount of knowledge and information even for us? Thats why Jesus used stories about the kingdom in the most common language. The story in todays passage is about a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. Its like a modern version of a master of a convenience store, who called three of his part time workers and entrusted his property to them, before going on a journey. The master gave a different amount of money to each of his servants according to their ability five talents to one, two to another, and one to the last. In a modern version, the master entrusted to each of his part time workers 4 billion, 1.6 billion, and 800 million won. The word entrust in verse 14 means to put full confidence in someone with his property. The part time worker who received 4 billion won went at once and put his money to work and made double the income. So did the worker who received the 1.6 billion won. However, the one who received 800 million won hesitated for a while, dug a hole in the ground, and hid the money. Later the master came back and called his workers to account. Likewise, we also will be called by God to account someday. The worker who had received 4 billion gave his 8 billion to his master, saying 'This is for you, my Lord! Thanks to the seed money that you gave me, this useless servant was able to earn all this!' So did the worker who had received 1.6 billion won. The master said with joy 'Well done! Youve been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share my joy! However, the worker who had received 800 million said 'I knew that you are a hard man.' Notice the subject of this sentence, I. The adjective hard implies being cruel and nasty. Thus the workers mind was crooked from the beginning. He actually judged his master with his own measure and thought that he knew who the master was. He said 'See, here is what belongs to you.'
I left my country to carry out a mission, ordered by my troop. On returning home after finishing my mission, many people from the troop welcomed me, praising the accomplishment I had done abroad. However, I cried loudly because of all the sad memories from my mission place While I was away, my wife was suffering from a cancer, my father was stricken with paralysis, my brother was hospitalized because of an incurable disease, and my 12-year daughter had to take care of the household in the meantime. At that moment, I hit upon todays passage. I thought The kingdom of heaven is not the destination we arrive at after living out all the years of our life, but the one we enjoy and build while we are living here on earth with excitement!
God doesnt pay attention to how much weve achieved here on earth when we are called to account before him. He doesnt care whether we are a Ph. D or a high school graduate or a man of no education. His kingdom is for those who know their true master. God entrusted his property to us because of his full confidence in us, his part-time workers. He gave 4 billion to some people, 1.6 billion to another, and 800 million to the rest. God, who knows even the size of our body, knows us better than we do. Just imagine! What would have happened if the one who received 800 million had come back to the Lord after making his business bankrupt and cried before him, saying 'My Lord, forgive me. You gave me 800 million. It was too much for me. I had no ability to manage it. I made no profit out of it!' The Lord would have said to him, 'Thats all right, my boy. You did a good job! Youve been faithful with a few things I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share my joy!'
My beloved folks! The heavenly kingdom is where God embraces his people, who acknowledge Him as their true Lord, regardless of how great our accomplishment on earth. May God bless us all to devote ourselves to Him and stand before him as his good and faithful servant!
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 masters happiness! (Mt 25:21)
