(14) “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. (15) To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. (16) He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. (17) So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. (18) But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. (19) Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (20) And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ (21) His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (22) And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ (23) His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (24) He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, (25) so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ (26) But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? (27) Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. (28) So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. (29) For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (30) And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

ASK so what have we been given?

God has entrusted us with each other.

We are what belongs to Him, His very own possession.

1 Peter 2:9 says: But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

He has the entrusted us with the Great Commission: Matthew 28:19–20 (NIV): "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age".

This passage is a call to faithful stewardship of God’s possessions. It is a heart check as we await the second coming of Christ. It is a lifestyle check to ask: Am I putting full effort into furthering His Kingdom? It is a soul check to confirm our joy that HE has fully forgiven us — and that our response is a life of grateful, purposeful obedience to further the gospel of Jesus.

It is not a sermon on investment strategies, or putting money, abilities/talents to work… my heart as business coach can find some crossover LOL. Actually one of my favs.

This parable is part of the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25), Jesus' extended response to his disciples' questions about the destruction of the temple, his coming (parousia), and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). This discourse, delivered on the Mount of Olives shortly before his crucifixion, emphasizes watchfulness, preparation, and faithful living in light of the Messiah's return and coming j

This is the third parable in a series that depicts people who refuse to respond properly to being invited into the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is about the joy of receiving an invitation to the grandest wedding of all time. Revelation calls it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. WOW

This is the third parable in succession that deals with rejecting the Kingdom of heaven. And it forces every listener to answer one question: What is my response to the Kingdom of God?

Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: (2) “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. (3) He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

(4) “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

(5) “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. (6) The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

(7) The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

(8) “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. (9) So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ (10) So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

(11) “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. (12) He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend ?’ The man was speechless.

(13) “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

(14) “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

We mentioned this is the third, in a series of parables about responding to the Kingdom invitation. Matthew 21-22 - bam bam bam (podcast)

Imagine renting a house where everything has been provided for you. The owner built it, maintains it, and trusts the tenants to live there responsibly and take care of things. But over time, something shifts. The tenants stop answering the owner’s calls. They decide what they owe the owner is optional. When a representative shows up, they send him away beat up & bleeding. Eventually, when the owner’s son arrives, they kill him so they can keep the place for themselves and manage it as they like.

That sounds extreme, but at the core of our sin is not confusion about God—it is resistance to His authority. We want to run our lives our way. We want independence. And when that independence is threatened, we resist the Owner, which is God. We start out as good “tenants” and end up God’s adversary.

This is why the Big Idea matters: God owns the vineyard, and the question is not how busy we are in it, but whether we are submitted to the Son and producing fruit that belongs to Him.