Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 25:24-25
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Matthew 25:24-25
Charles Spurgeon Commentary
Matthew 25:24-25
SCRIPTURE
"And he also that had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou didst not sow, and gathering where thou didst not scatter; and I was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast thine own." — Matthew 25:24-25 (ASV)
At the day of reckoning, the unfaithful as well as the faithful have to give account of their stewardship. This man’s words were self-contradictory and his excuse was self-condemnatory. He said that he knew that his lord was a hard man, reaping where he had not sown, and gathering where he had not strawed, yet he confessed that the talent he brought back had been given to him by this master whom he represented as severe and unreasonable. He also admitted that it was his lord’s money that he had hidden in the earth, thy talent. It was entrusted to him, and yet even the servant acknowledged that it did not belong to him, Lo, there thou hast that is thine.
“I have not made any addition to your talent, but I have not lost it, nor given it away. I have brought it back; look, there it is.” He seemed to speak as though this was all that could be rightly expected of him. Yet he was evidently not satisfied with himself, for he said, I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. See how fear may become the mother of presumption. Faith in God begets holy fear, but servile fear is the parent of doubt, which in its turn has a family of unbelieving rebels.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
"I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth." See, friends, how fear may often be the mother of presumption.
Confidence in God begets holy fear; but unholy fear begets a doubt of God, and leads us to desperate rebellion of unbelief. God save us from such fear!