The Entrustment Report

I wished to follow up a previous blog post [‘The Experience of a Lifetime’] regarding our appearance at the ‘bema’ or judgment seat of Christ.

In Luke 19: 11 and following, Jesus tells the parable of the ten slaves being entrusted with a mina [about 100 days wages] and instructed to ‘do business with this until I return’ [vs13].  Upon that master’s return some time later, he called for an accounting or a ‘report’ of how each slave had done with the entrusted resources. The first slave reported that the one mina had produced ten more minas.  Wow!  A very substantial rate of return indeed, for which the master said ‘well done’ and awarded that slave with oversight over ten cities. The second reported that he had produced five minas.  He also was affirmed by the master by being given oversight of five cities.  A third slave reported to the master via showing him the original mina that he had kept hidden away.  The master was seemingly outraged that the slave had been so indolent.  “Why didn’t you at least put it in the bank? Then when I returned, I would have collected it with interest!” [vs23].  In other words, ‘why did you not at least do the minimum with the resources you had been given’? The master does not compare the indolent slave with the other more ‘productive’ slaves; he simply calls him a ‘worthless slave’ [vs 22].

It therefore appears safe to conclude from this parable, that God [the ultimate ‘Master’] does not ‘grade on the curve’-a system that we had grown to groan about growing up in a typical grade school.  Our heavenly master knows that of which we are capable, and rewards and affirms our efforts in ‘doing His business’ until He comes, all in line with what He has entrusted to us. But it is clear that the Master expects something useful from us.

In a similar parable found in Matthew 25, it says that the master gave resources to the slaves ‘each according to his own ability’ [vs 15] certainly declaring the master’s recognition of the abilities and perhaps even opportunities of each slave. Jesus said ‘to whom much is given much is required’ [Luke 12:48].  This certainly indicates that to whom less is given then less is expected.

What are the resources we have been given?

It seems reasonable to conclude that since the master in the parable wanted his slaves to ‘do business until I return’, that doing our heavenly Master’s ‘business’ until he returns [or until we can no longer ‘engage’ in business] is what our lives are to be about. We have each been give some measure of resources-skills, knowledge, financial resources under our control or use, health status, time, relationships, opportunities, etc.  all of which collectively, I suggest make up our own individual form of ‘resources.’ We are not given these resources solely for our own personal use and pleasure but rather to help defend and promote His Kingdom.  What others do with their own ‘entrusted’ resources is not any of my  business.

One writer believes that the ‘mina’ represents the gospel message that God has entrusted to his followers, with the responsibility to disperse it in the world [‘Facing your final Job Review’-by Woodrow Kroll, Crossway Books].  I would simply respond by suggesting that the ‘do business’ until the Master comes involves spreading and gospel message and defending and promoting the Kingdom of God whereas the mina is the unique resources He has given each of us to help us contribute toward that goal.

Not an optional event

It appears from the scriptures that ‘giving a report’ as to how we each have made use of our own entrusted resources is not going to be an optional event. I am sure I have not always made the best use of my ‘resources’,  but, since there is no ‘condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1], we can actually look forward to that ‘report card’ time, especially if we have sought to live wise, reasonably diligent, opportunistic lives on behalf of our Lord’s Kingdom. Admittedly, some of us may have ‘minimal’ resources.  But the Master knows that, He only asks of us to ‘at least put it in the bank’, i.e. make at least the ‘minimum’ effort. Praying might be an example of a ‘minimum’ effort/use of the resource of time, available to us as His bondservants but it may well be [one of] the most productive labors for the kingdom, and we can ALL do more of that!

CJS