Jump Start # 1310

Matthew 25:22-23 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’”

This afternoon I preach a funeral of yet another friend who passed away. His name was Robin. He was only 55. His battle and journey with cancer has ended. He was a true baseball fan. He loved the Cincinnati Reds. More than that he was a true fan of Jesus Christ. He loved the Lord and walked with Him daily. Robin was one of the good ones. It seems like the good ones leave us way too soon. Maybe they are ready and the Lord is sparing them the heartache of staying here in this broken world. Maybe the Lord is giving the rest of us more time to be ready. I remember hearing my grandfather, a long, long time ago, telling a funeral director that he knew more people who were dead than alive. I starting to understand that now.

Our passage today is taken from the parable of the talents. Three men, each given different amounts of talents, based upon their abilities. Each man was expected to do something worthwhile and productive with those talents. In the larger context, Matthew 25 gives us several scenes of the coming judgment. There are three parables with a common theme. The chapter begins with the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. There, the groom, who represents Jesus, is gone for a period of time. He appears and those who were ready went with Him to the wedding feast. Immediately following that parable, is the parable of the talents. The master, who represents Jesus, not only gave each servant talents, but he too, went away. After a while, he returned, like the groom. He asked each servant, one by one, what they did. In the last parable, a king, who represents Jesus, comes and he separates the sheep from the goats. The sheep, who are the saved, have been busy helping and ministering others. They fed, clothed and visited those brethren who were in need. The goats didn’t do anything. In all three parables, Jesus is gone but He returns. There is a message of being ready, being useful and being productive. Jesus is coming.

Another common theme in these three parables is the blessings given to those who did well. The wise virgins entered a marriage celebration. It was a feast and great joy. In the parable of the talents, the two servants that were productive, entered into the joy of their master. In the last parable, the sheep were called blessed and told to inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them.

In our passage today, we find two simple thoughts from the expression and compliment, “Well done.”

First, God notices what we do. God doesn’t just notice the big things, He notices all things, even the little things. He noticed what the five talent man did as well as what the one talent man did not do. In another passage, Jesus said that one who gives a cup of cold water to a little one will not lose his reward. Cold water to a little one isn’t much. This disciple didn’t supply water to Africa. He didn’t fly across the world preaching. He gave a cup to a thirsty soul. God noticed.

Sometimes we beat ourselves up because we feel like we are not doing much. Maybe you don’t stand behind a pulpit and preach to hundreds each week. Maybe you don’t write a blog that is read by thousands. Maybe you don’t teach a class on Sundays. Maybe you are not one of the shepherds in the kingdom. Maybe you are not. But are you the one who is giving the cold water to a little one? God notices. Maybe you are the one who lifts a weary spirit. Maybe you are the one who stays around and allows a broken soul to pour their heart out to you. Everyone else has left and gone their way. But there you are with your cold water. Maybe you are the one who brought food so a mourning family can have a meal together. Maybe you are the one who sent a card and you wrote a message that came from your heart. Maybe during lunch, you popped into the hospital or nursing home to visit a disciple. My friend Robin was like that. He did teach a class, but he did much more behind the scenes. He was one who knew how to give cold water to others. He wasn’t loud, flashy and one who everyone noticed when he entered a room. That wasn’t his way nor his style. He was quiet, reflective, kind and generous. The kingdom thrives upon those quiet workers who are loyal, dedicated and faithful. Giving a cup of cold water doesn’t seem like much to us. We’d be impressed with the guy at Sam’s club whose cart is stacked with cases of bottled water. That’s a “wow” event to us. But the one cup did something to that thirsty person. That one cup made a difference. That one cup was noticed by God.

Secondly, that phrase, “Well done,” also teaches us that God can be pleased. Well done is another way of saying, “good job.” It’s a thumbs up from Heaven. It caught God’s attention and it led to God speaking praise to a common servant in the kingdom. The same God that said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” also said, “Well done,” to one who served Him. God can be pleased. That thought is hard for some of us. Some may have grown up with parents who were never quite happy with that you did. When you got good grades, it wasn’t enough. When you made your bed, it wasn’t quite right. Or, you may have had a coach who always was wanting a little more out of his team. One more push up. One more lap. One more. You’ll notice, the master didn’t say that to the two talent man. He didn’t say, ‘thanks for getting two more, but I wished you had gotten three more.’ He didn’t say that. He didn’t say, ‘the five talent guy did more than you did. Can’t you do what he did?’ He didn’t say that. What he did say was, “Well done.” The high-five from Heaven. The applause from Heaven. God noticed and God was pleased. We can put a smile on the face of God. We can please the God of Heaven.

I think my friend Robin was one of those people. He just seemed to get stronger and stronger in faith as his body got weaker and weaker from cancer. He was one of those people who didn’t preach a sermon, he lived it. He was the same on a Sunday as he would be a Tuesday afternoon. Kind, generous, thoughtful, thankful and helpful. His kind are made by spending time with Jesus. The book he read became his life. He was shaped and molded by the Master. He did what he could do. I shall miss him and I will not forget him. His kind are special. They are the ones that God notices. They are the ones that please the Lord.

All of this tells me that each day God notices all of us. He sees what we are doing. Some of us may be just too busy with things that really do not matter. Some of us may be too wrapped up in a world that is falling apart. Some of us may be too big to give a little one a cup of cold water. Some of us could learn much from watching the living examples around us, like the Robin’s, who are simply disciples of Jesus. They would tell you that they are not special. They would tell you that they haven’t done much. But what they have done, has caught the eye of the God of Heaven and what they have done, is received one of the greatest compliments of all, simply, “Well done.”

For those like Robin, what follows is “Enter into the joy of your Master.”

Well done, my friend. Well done.

Roger