Slaves of God: A Good and Faithful Slave

This is episode 5 of our first series. Last time we saw how the Followers-of-Jesus have very specific commands that they must follow. That was certainly not a complete list, but it was a short list of what the Apostles who wrote the New Testament Epistles emphasized to the early Christian churches. Today we are going to look at Jesus teaching on who is a good and faithful slave and who is a lazy and wicked slave. Again I remind us, that we are all slaves, the question is simply whose slave are you.Our Lord Jesus Christ used the illustration of a slave(s) (duolos) in order to teach important points in his parables and stories.When asked about the signs of the End-of-the-Age, Jesus gave his disciples a long dissertation using several parables in Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus gave an example of how his followers should prepare for his return in the Parable of the Faithful Servant, literally the faithful slave (duolos). The slave is faithful and wise if the slave keeps watch for his master, if the slave is careful with his master’s property in his absence, and if the slave properly treats all of the other slaves under his authority as they wait for the master’s return. Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-46.Further in the dissertation on the End-of-the-Age, Jesus tells a Parable of the Talents. Three slaves are each given a sum of money by their master; one receives ten talents, another receives five talents, and the third receives one talent. The two slaves who wisely used and invested the money given to them by the master are called “good and faithful” slaves.But The one slave who does not use and invest the money given to him by his master and instead buries the money for safekeeping is called a “wicked and lazy” slave, even though the slave returned the original money back to his master. Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27The good and faithful slave keeps watch for his master and takes care of the assets entrusted to him by his master. In our case, the good and faithful slave actively uses the spiritual gifts and the material wealth given to us by God for God’s purposes.In contrast, The wicked and lazy slave does not use the spiritual gifts and material wealth to honor God, but rather the wicked and lazy servant uses all of these assets for his own pleasure or does not use them at all.Are you actively using the material assets and spiritual gifts given to you by God for his glory, or are you only using those assets and gifts for your own pleasure? In the first instance, you are good and faithful slave, in the second instance you a lazy and wicked slave. Perhaps it is time to become a good and faithful slave.