Thursday, November 12, 2026

[Jesus said,] “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents [received the same response from the master.] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.” (Matthew 25:14-22a, 24-27)

People argue about this parable. What does the money represent—the money that the master leaves with his employees? I think it is the Gospel message. Our Lord Jesus left the message of the Gospel with us when He went back to heaven; and it is our task to use it well—to spread the word to make more disciples for Jesus (see Matthew 28:19-20).

If I’m right, this leads to several conclusions. First of all, the message we’ve been trusted with is incredibly valuable, just like the huge amount of money in the story—because this is the story of how God came into our world as a human being. He came to live, suffer, die, and rise from the dead in order to rescue us from evil. We believe this message, and we have seen that God gives us life through Jesus.

Second, as we share the Gospel with others through our words and life, there will be different results, and that’s all right. Some will see many come to faith; others will see only a few, or one. Some may never see any effect of their witness on this earth, but God sees it. And to all of us Jesus says, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” He makes no difference between the apostle Paul and the most ordinary of us.

If you’re like me, you worry that you’re going to end up like the last servant, rejected. You won’t. That man clearly hates his master and refuses to even try to serve him. But not you! You clearly care about the Lord and want Him to be happy with you. We know that our Master Jesus loves us dearly, and He has already accepted us to be His own forever—not through anything we do, but through His own death and resurrection. It isn’t our work that saves us, even when that work is sharing the Gospel. Jesus has already saved us. Now anything we do for Him is a free act of love.

WE PRAY: Dear Lord, I am glad to serve You, but I’m not always sure how to do it. Teach me, please. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. The first two servants get exactly the same response, even though they have different results for their trading. What is that response? See Matthew 25:21 and 23.
2. What does that tell you about Jesus’ reaction to you some day, no matter what your service accomplishes?
3. What does it mean to enter into the joy of your master? What does it mean to be set over much? What if your master is Jesus?

Today's Readings:

Daniel 5-7
Titus 3

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