Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? Luke 19:23
What can you do these days with 26 cents? If I were to give you 26 cents today, you would barely thank me. And yet, that is what my bank gave me one month as interest on the balance in my checking account. Of course, that was a checking account; if it had been a savings account, the interest would have been a bit larger, but still not enough to get excited about. Savings accounts at banks are considered a very safe place to keep money, but when it comes to making a return on investment, those bank accounts are not going to make anybody rich. There are plenty of other ways to invest money that will produce a better return, even if they are not as safe. Putting the money in a bank is considered a token effort, but at least it’s an effort. The man referred to in our text didn’t do even that!
Wrapping the money in a napkin and hiding it was probably a safe thing to do with it. But the return was zero. That is in sharp contrast to what some of the other servants did. One of them managed to produce ten times as much as he was given, by skilful trading and sharp deals. Another servant produced five times as much, and others accomplished lesser amounts. What we have pictured here are the gifts and abilities that our Lord has given to us as Christians. The amounts given were all the same, indicating that, regardless of what God has given to us in terms of talents, abilities, gifts, and skills, God looks on them all as equal. The difference lies in what we do with what we have been given. Very few will produce ten times the original, or even five times. But we can all produce something. It will be interesting to see at the Judgment Seat of Christ the value that our Lord places on the service done for Him.
What can a blind woman do for God? Not much, we might think. But we would think wrong. Consider the tremendous blessing to saint and sinner from the vast production of hymns from Fanny Crosby! She certainly converted what God gave her into a huge return on investment. And there are many like her. But what about those who have never tried to obtain a return on their investment? They don’t know what good they might have done for their Lord’s cause, because they never tried. They never spent much effort in prayer or Bible study, and so never contributed to the meetings of the Assembly. They took no interest in the Gospel or in reaching the unsaved souls around them. They contributed little or none of their energies, resources, or time to being a help to any of the Lord’s people. They were like the man in our text who didn’t even make a token effort. How sad!
Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a difference when it comes to service for our Lord. What our Lord gave to us He never intended for us to keep wrapped in a napkin. Take a little interest! – Jim MacIntosh