Wild Living And Buried Money

Luke 15:11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, `Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13 "Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 "When he came to his senses, he said, `How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 "The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.22 "But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. 25 "Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 `Your brother has come,' he replied, `and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' 28 "The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, `Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!' 31"`My son,' the father said, `you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' (NIV)

We are all lost. We have squandered what we have been given. Some of us have squandered more. Others have been more obedient and squandered less. However, there is rejoicing for every wayward son or daughter who comes home, for once they were dead, but now they are alive in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 25:14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, `You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "`Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'  (NIV)

In this story about the master and three servants, we see three levels of ability. We see three levels of investment by the master. We also see three levels of trust. We also see two levels of investment return. The investment return (or lack thereof) is based upon the focus of the investors. The first two servants were focused on getting a return on the investment and they were not focused on what the master might do or not do. The third servant who buried the investment was not focused on getting a return on the investment but upon what the master might do to him. The third servant was essentially selfish because the third servant was more concerned about himself than about the master or the master's property. The third servant's undoing was not burying the money. The third servant's undoing was his selfishness and worry about what was going to happen to himself. When we are selfish and self-centered, bad things happen to us. When we are selfish and self-centered, we end up in hell. When we are selfish and self-centered, we end up in both a hell on earth and the hell in the hereafter. It may well have been the third servant was brighter and more astute than the other two servants, but his attitude of selfishness totally obliterated any astuteness the third servant might have had. The third servant's selfishness also produced a substantial lack of trust within the master with respect to the third servant's abilities.

The prodigal son ran off and spent his money in wild living. He was welcomed back home by his father in such a grand fashion his brother became envious. The prodigal son returned home in shame and disgrace over what he had done. The prodigal son realized his mistake and sought forgiveness and redemption.

The brother of the prodigal son made no monetary or common sense mistakes. He was obedient and faithful, but made a mistake of the heart. The brother of the prodigal son kept his resources in tact but let envy infect his heart. From the account, the brother never realized his mistake and never sought forgiveness and redemption.

The brother of the prodigal son and the third servant had one thing in common. They were both selfish. They both thought of themselves before they thought of others. They were both concerned for their own welfare rather than the welfare of others.

The lesson here is about how our selfishness connects to our resources. From the story of the prodigal son, we see that Christ forgives us even when we make mistakes. Even if we make mistakes in mismanaging our resources, He forgives us IF we turn away from being selfish and IF we seek forgiveness. The third servant did not seek forgiveness but maintained his selfishness to the end. From the account, so did the brother of the prodigal son.

What God has given us must not be buried but must be kept active and alive by unselfishness. When we make an investment of our time, money, and resources, we must invest out of unselfishness rather than selfishness. For eventually, our selfishness will come back to haunt us by clouding our judgements. When we manage our resources, we need a clear head and clean heart. When our head or heart is clouded over by our being selfish then mistakes will be made. When the selfishness and self-centeredness of greed, avarice, and lust take over our heart and mind we will make mistakes and commit sinful acts. The scandals of recent times in both the financial world and the political world demonstrate the consequences of sinful selfishness and self-centeredness infecting the human heart and the .

If we look at the reaction of the master to the news that the third servant had not lost money but only maintained it, we indeed might conclude the master was a difficult, demanding, and abusive person. However tough and harsh the master was, the master rewarded the servants who had done well. The master rewarded the servants according to their performance. It may seem the master was more harsh upon the third servant because the master knew the third servant was not as capable as the first two servants. It was evident the master knew the capabilities of his servants.

We can now overlay the two stories, one upon the other. When we overlay the stories we see a person who throws away his resources yet is treated with more dignity, respect, and love than a servant who merely buries his resources. The essential difference in the way the prodigal son and the third servant were treated in the end was not determined by what they did with the resources. The difference in the way the prodigal son and servant were treated rested in the condition of their heart. If the third servant had dug up the money, went to the master and said, "I'm sorry. I have failed. I was selfish and only thinking of myself. Please forgive me." The third servant would not have been cast into hell. Most likely, the third servant, who had learned a valuable lesson, would have been given another chance. As the story plays out, the third servant learned nothing and had no contrition or sense of sin. For each of us, when we have learned nothing and have no sense of sin, then hell awaits.

Precious Lord Jesus, call again to this reader. Reach out again to this reader's heart. No matter what the circumstances might be, reach through those circumstances and touch this person so they will hear you calling upon their life and heart. Amen.