Thayer Thursday – Buried Bags of Gold
Chris Thayer is the Director of Discipleship at Good Shepherd Church in Charlotte, NC where he oversees adult life groups and Biblical education. On Thursdays I share his weekly “Thayer’s Thoughts” for small group leaders, which are based on the previous Sunday’s sermon. Click HERE to watch or listen to the accompanying sermon.
Matthew is my favorite Gospel.
Ever since I learned about the historical and cultural background within which it is set, I’ve grown in my appreciation for the way Matthew tells the story of Jesus. From the very outset, Matthew introduces the reader to the reality that many who were supposed to understand what was happening (especially the religious leaders) did not get it, while outsiders, people who weren’t supposed to understand (such as the gentiles), often surprisingly did.
This theme weaves its way throughout the entire Gospel along with the idea that the Kingdom of God starts small but will expand greatly (i.e. the Parable of the mustard seed and yeast in Matthew 13). All of this reaches its climax in the great commission of Matthew 28 where Jesus tells His disciples to go throughout the entire world and make disciples of all nations.
Our parable for today, the Parable of the ‘talents’ or ‘bags of gold’ (if you have the newer NIV translation) is told at the end of what is referred to as the Olivet Discourse (Jesus’ teaching about the destruction of Jerusalem and his return, which He taught his disciples while on the Mount of Olives). What’s interesting about this parable is that while part of its message is to be ready because you don’t know when Jesus will return (the major point of the parable of the 10 virgins); it primarily teaches the hearer what they should be doing while they wait.
The focus of this parable is the final servant, the one who did nothing with what he was given. While the first two servants multiplied what they were given for their master—the third servant simply dug a hole and buried it. The overall thrust of this parable is to tell followers of Jesus to take what they have been given—and multiply it in order to give it back to Jesus. We have each been given abilities, talents, and gifts that are not simply to be buried, but used in order to expand the Kingdom of God. In addition to this, when we take into account the rest of Matthew’s Gospel and the overall themes mentioned above—our understanding of this parable expands. We see that Matthew is highlighting something he has pointed out since the beginning of His Gospel.
In Matthew 23, Jesus is extremely frustrated with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The whole purpose of Israel was to be a light to the nations—to point them to the one true God. However, they had become incredibly insular. Not only had the purpose of Israel been muddled over the centuries, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law were shutting the door to the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces (Matthew 23:13). In direct contrast to this—Jesus’ followers are not to take what they’ve been given—their talents, gifts, and abilities and even more than that the message of the Gospel of Jesus, and bury it. They are to multiply it.
While the Pharisees shut the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven, followers of Jesus should open them. Just like the third servant in the parable knew what his master wanted, the Pharisees and teachers of the law knew what God wanted from them yet failed to live it out. This parable is a warning for us to not follow in their footsteps.
Chris Thayer
Categories: Blog, New Testament, Thayer Thursday