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马太福音25章19-30 管家的忠心得称赞

19过了许久，那些仆人的主人来了，和他们算账。20那领五千银子的又带着那另外的五千来，说：‘主啊，你交给我五千银子，请看，我又赚了五千。’21主人说：‘好，你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理，可以进来享受你主人的快乐。’22那领二千的也来，说：‘主啊，你交给我二千银子，请看，我又赚了二千。’23主人说：‘好，你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理，可以进来享受你主人的快乐。’24那领一千的也来，说：‘主啊，我知道你是忍心的人，没有种的地方要收割，没有散的地方要聚敛。25我就害怕，去把你的一千银子埋藏在地里。请看，你的原银子在这里。’26主人回答说：‘你这又恶又懒的仆人，你既知道我没有种的地方要收割，没有散的地方要聚敛，27就当把我的银子放给兑换银钱的人，到我来的时候，可以连本带利收回。28夺过他这一千来，给那有一万的。29因为凡有的，还要加给他，叫他有余；没有的，连他所有的也要夺过来。30把这无用的仆人丢在外面黑暗里，在那里必要哀哭切齿了。’”

我们注意到，那两个仆人把主人的钱翻了一倍，主人对他俩的评定是相同的：“好！你这又良善又忠心的仆人，你在不多的事上有忠心，我要把许多事派你管理；可以进来享受你主人的快乐。”他们忠实于各自的恩赐，那就是他们的主人对他们的全部要求。主人赞扬他们的忠心，而不是赞扬他们的成就。

耶稣把那个只得一千的仆人定义为不忠心的人是有道理的。那人若位居多得才干的仆人之列，我们也很容易这样说：“真是太糟糕了！一个人得着这样丰盛的祝福竟然对神忘恩负义，简直可怕！当然啦，我的恩赐不算多不算大，所以，主肯定不会对我有过多的期待。”

我们大多数人会把自己归入拥有一千的这类仆人，或许的确如此，但我们绝不能以此为借口不忠实于神赐我们的才干。我们不可以说：“我做不了很多，所以我什么都不做也无所谓。这没有什么区分。”

神国度的事工，即使没有那些只具备有限手段和才能之人的支持，仍旧会完成，这也许不假。但我们需要明白，神呼召我们，以我们各自的才干来服事他，不是因为他离不开我们的帮助，而是因为，忠心服事神对于那些服事的人来说是弥足珍贵的。正如耶稣在另一个场合所言：“施比受更为有福。”（使徒行传20:35）

闲置不用的才干不能保持长久，就像闲置不用的肌肉会逐渐萎缩。在神的国度里，闲置不用的才干会被没收充公，赐给其他人。神将确保他的事工成就，他的国降临。如果我们漫不经心或漠不关心地对待神赐给我们在他国度中服事的机会，他注定将这些机会赐给其他人。

马丁路德在他的小问答中对主祷文的解释讲得好：“即使没有我们的祷告，神的国本身必定会降临，但是我们在这个祷告中祈求神的国临到我们。”还有：“没有我们的祷告，神善良恩慈的旨意也必成全，但是，我们在这个祷告中祈求，这也在我们中间成就。”我们不能阻止神，无法阻挡神在世上做他的慈爱之工，然而，我们会使自己丧失分享这事工的有福机会。“天父啊，保守我们！”

Jesus had a reason for making the servant with only one talent the unfaithful one. If it had been one of the servants with more talents, we would be too inclined to say, “What a shame! What a terrible thing that a person so richly blessed should be so ungrateful to God! But, of course, my gifts are not very numerous or great, so the Lord surely cannot expect much from me.”

Most of us would place ourselves into the category of the servant who received only one talent. That may be where most of us belong. But that surely is no excuse for being unfaithful with the talent God has given us. It will not do at all for any of us to say, “I can’t do much; so it is all right if I don’t do anything. It won’t really make any difference.”

It may be true that the work of God’s kingdom will get done without the support of those who have very limited means and talents. But we need to realize that God calls upon us to serve him with our individual talents, not because he cannot get along without our help, but rather because faithful service to him is of great value to those who do the serving. As Jesus said on another occasion, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

An unused talent cannot be kept for long. Like an unused muscle, it gradually wastes away. In the kingdom of God, an unused talent is confiscated and given to someone else. God will see to it that his work will be done and that his kingdom will come. If we are negligent or indifferent toward the opportunities that God gives us to serve him in his kingdom, he will surely give those opportunities to someone else.

Martin Luther’s explanation of the Lord’s Prayer in his Small Catechism says it very well: “God’s kingdom certainly comes by itself even without our prayer; but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us.” And: “God’s good and gracious will certainly is done without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.” We cannot stop God. We cannot prevent him from doing his gracious work in our world. But we can deprive ourselves of the blessed opportunity to share in that work. “From this preserve us, heavenly Father!”