38. Mr. One Talent

Mr. One Talent

He that received the one (talent) went away and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. Matthew 25. 18.

Meet Mr. One Talent. His ability was very limited, but his lord trusted him just the same. What faith our Lord has in His followers! He has more faith in Christians than they have in Him; He has “delivered unto them his goods” (Matthew 25. 14). Each one, even the weakest, has at least one talent.

Mr. One Talent took the way of least resistance. His companions, Mr. Two Talent and Mr. Five Talent, got busy “straightway.” Not one minute was to be lost. What the master had entrusted to them must be used immediately. This was also the attitude of the Apostle Paul, for immediately after his conversion he “straightway in the synagogues proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9. 20). Mr. One Talent did the opposite. He “digged in the earth.” The man who digs is not a walking or a running man; he has come to a standstill. He looks downward. He sees only a few feet.

Mr. One Talent hid his lord’s money. What an accusation! This money was to be used, as it was given for the purpose of being invested. His companions used their talents for trading. By a series of business transactions and investments, they gained other talents. The way to get is to give. Our Lord has promised, “Give, and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6. 38). Mr. One Talent did not squander his talent, but he hid it. Much of the Lord’s money is hidden today. Very little is in circulation. Friend, do you by chance know where some of it is hidden?

Mr. One Talent had many opportunities to dig up his lord’s money and use it rightly, for the lord’s coming was delayed a long time. Each day was a day of grace for him. Any day could have been the first day to get busy. Yet one day after another went by and still the talent lay unused.

Mr. One Talent lost out entirely. He missed the blessed greeting that Mr. Two Talent and Mr. Five Talent received from their master, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” It could not be said of him, “Thou hast been faithful over a few things.” Neither was the promise given him, “Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Rather, he was addressed as the “wicked and slothful servant.” He heard the master say, “Take ye away therefore the talent from him.” He heard the judgment, “Cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”

What a warning from Mr. One Talent! Little did he realize that it was such a serious offense to “hide his lord’s money.” We are all inclined by the desires of the natural man to do the same thing. May ye rather pray earnestly: “Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139. 23—24).