THE TRUE FACE OF THE MASTER

Reference text: Matthew 24: 14-30

In today’s Gospel, we revisit the parable of the talents and within it, we see many lessons nested. In fact, nearly every verse presents some food for thought. Our focus for this discourse is captured in the verses 24-25

'Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

In those verses, we see the very heart of the servant who had been given one talent. This servant had a very negative view of his master – he perceived him as a harsh man who had no allowance for errors. The fear that came with this view moved him to hide the money in the ground so he could return it intact.

Among the many things we can do is to recognise the true face of the master. Proverbs 9:10 reads “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” We ought to gain an increased awareness of the nature of God and our place in his plan.

When we realise how much we are loved, we do not become afraid to use the talents and tools He has given us. We will not see Him as a hard task master, but as a father. That way, our generosity will be borne out of our response to love, not just out of necessity. 

There is a face of God that is discerned only on a close journey with Him – don’t paint an unsubstantiated picture about Him.

#sly