BECAUSE OF FEAR
Luke 19:20-23 NKJV 20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
Our verses for today are part of a parable that Jesus told. In Luke’s version, this is about the master who gives each of his ten servants a mina to work with in his absence. A mina was worth about 12,000 dollars in today’s money. When the master returned, he asked his servants to give an account of what they did with their allocation. The beautiful thing is that each of the servants was rewarded according to their results. The one who returned ten minas was put in charge of ten cities. The one who returned five minas was given five cities. Everyone was rewarded except for one servant.
This servant buried his mina and, so, gave a zero return to the master. If we consider the opportunity cost, the master lost money on this servant. But this lack of return was not due to inability but rather fear.
The servant told the master that he was afraid because of what kind of man the master was. This servant said that the master was an austere or a severe man. The servant declared that the master was a thief. According to this servant, the master was the kind of man who collected what he did not deposit. That would be stealing. And reaping what he did not sow. Again, that is theft. Because this servant believed these things about the master, he was afraid of the master and did not want to lose the master’s money. Because of fear, this servant was unwilling to take risks and made a very bad decision. The result was the servant was judged. And the master judged him by his own words. The master took the mina from the servant and gave it to the guy who could produce a return.
APPLICATION
What caused this one servant to be so afraid and the other servants to be willing to risk investing their minas? The fear was a result of not knowing the true character of the master. The one servant saw the master as a severe thief looking to take what did not belong to him. This servant saw his master as a taker, not a giver, and he responded in fear.
Fear is unwilling to take a risk. Unwilling to step out and try. Fear is a paralyzing force, not a freeing force. And it was fear that caused this servant to lose what he had been given.
Fear works the same way today. If we are afraid of God, we won’t risk much. If we perceive our Heavenly Father to be a taker, not a giver, we won’t do much. If we perceive God to be severe, we will be reluctant to pray and to step out in faith and believe Him. However, if we believe He is gracious and good we are empowered to try, to risk, to use what God has given us for His glory and our good.
How do you see God? What do you believe about Him?
PRAYER
Lord, I believe You are good and gracious. I believe You are for me, so I can step out and take a risk.