No Reward For Idleness
Sluggard Series
“[Laziness] makes us callous to the needs of others, or it places those who depend upon us in danger of being left without support. And while it is true that our laziness and procrastination can often manifest itself in the lives of others, and in society at large, there are other ways of looking at it that can help us to change our perspective on work and productivity…”
“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. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Explanation:
After Jesus has praised his first two servants for using their entrusted deposit wisely and producing a return for the master, he moves on to confront the third servant, who has gone and buried his deposit in the ground out of fear. His perception of the servant as a callous and hard man intimidates the servant, so much so that he won't allow himself to take any kind of risk, and so squanders his master's deposit - leaving it fruitless. Upon this discovery, the master does become angry with the servant, but for the opposite reason. It demonstrates the responsibility each Christian has to use God's gifts in a spiritually responsible manner, lest we fail to produce fruit.¹
Connection:
It is universally understood that laziness and carelessness are generally bad things. The scriptures, perhaps surprisingly, speak quite often about the scourge of sloth - especially in the wisdom literature of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Yet, when we think of laziness, we tend to frame it in terms of its negative consequences. For example, it makes us callous to the needs of others, or it places those who depend upon us in danger of being left without support. And while it is true that our laziness and procrastination can often manifest itself in the lives of others, and in society at large, there are other ways of looking at it that can help us to change our perspective on work and productivity.
In Jesus' parable of the talents, we can see what happens when our perception of God becomes distorted. Here, the servant looks upon the deposit given to him, not as an opportunity to bless God, but as a burden that will likely only end up squandered. His unwarranted fear of his master causes him to be overly pessimistic, choosing to bury the talent rather than put it to work for his master. In the same way, sometimes we become hesitant to be productive with the gifts that God has given us out of fear of failure. In reality, we must remember that it is not us who is working - but God himself through his spirit. Thus, we can have all the confidence in the world that God is at work in us. It is not about the quantity of fruit that is produced, but the quality.
Action:
1. Keep Busy -
It has often been said by pastors and theologians that idle hands are the Devil's playground. This is certainly true, for we so easily become bored and thus temptation looms around every corner. For this reason, the scriptures warn us to not become complacent in our idleness, but to do everything out of sincere love for God and neighbor (Ecc. 4:5, 1:4-6).
2. Put Away Fear -
Fear is particularly dangerous, as it allows us to justify and rationalize our own laziness because of some nebulous outside threat. As the Proverb warns us, "The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!'" (23:13). This is the same irrational fear of the wicked servant. Yet, the beauty of the gospel is that we have been set free from all fear, which has been cast out of us by the power of the spirit, so that we no longer need fear the power of death. Therefore, we are able to go forth boldly in the joy and love of our Lord.
3. Give of Yourself -
While slothfulness is certainly a detriment on the lazy person themselves, it is important to remember that idleness affects everyone around them. As Solomon points out in Ecclesiastes, everything done simply for the benefit of the self is merely a vanity of vanities, a striving after the wind (Ecc. 4:4). However, when we see work not as something primarily for me, but for God and my neighbor, my motivation has now changed. Therefore, give of yourself freely, as God has made you his hands in service to those around you.
¹Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew: From Biblical Text-- to Contemporary Life (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2004), 1200.