So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:28-30 NIV
If you pull these three verses out of context they say something quite different than what Jesus actually was saying. This passage does not say that the one who dies with the most toys wins. It is not advocating the accumulation of money or other possessions in this life. To understand this passage it is important to read the whole parable, Matthew 25:14-30.
In this parable, a man entrusted three servants with some money to manage while he was gone. On his return, he called in the servants to give an accounting for their stewardship. Two of them had made good use of what was given to them. They were faithful in their stewardship of the master’s possessions and experienced his reward. But the third did nothing, hiding what his master had given to him in the ground. The first two were commended and given significant promotions. But the third lost even what he had and experienced the master’s wrath.
The first servant was not rewarded because he had a lot, but because he was faithful with what he was given. And the last was not punished because he had little, but because he was unfaithful with what he was given. So just what was it that Jesus is saying to us in this parable?
Be a Faithful Steward
God has entrusted each of his people with gifts and abilities. All of us are equipped to serve the master as stewards of his possessions. But what do we do with those gifts/possessions? Do we use them and let them grow as we do? Or do we hide them under a rock? If we are faithful in our stewardship, using what he has given us, we can anticipate his “well done” at the end as well as his reward. But, if we are unfaithful in our stewardship now, the result will be less than good. Actually, much less than good. If we are unwilling to be faithful here, we should not expect to have a place with him in eternity.
Faithfully use the gifts God has entrusted you with. And then hear him say to you “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
