“Again, [the kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. [Later…} ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.’” (Matthew 25:14-18; 24-25)
Everyone is equal; our talents are just different. Yet some make more with their lives than others. Why? Why do some make less with what they have and others make more? Wherein does the difference lie? The answer is: fear. “I was afraid…” said the man.
Fear deceives us into thinking we are not capable of doing more with our lives. Fear turns us into little, insignificant people. After a while we grow into liking not having the responsibility of being bigger people, making more of our lives, being givers instead of takers, so that our fear actually maintains a sort of comfort zone of inactivity around a huddle of unclaimed riches. We have a bag of gold but it’s buried in the ground and we buried it. As long as we don’t do anything, we can at least assure ourselves of not doing the wrong thing.
But we have a Master who harvests where we have not sown and gathers where we have not scattered seed. So unless we expand on what we have been given – unless we turn it into more than what it was when we received it – we run the risk of disappointing, even angering our Master. The fact that he harvests where we have not sown says that he expects an increase. He expects us to reach way beyond what we have grasped.
And anyway, what is there to be afraid of when he is waiting to meet us when we step out in faith? Are we going to be afraid of walking in the Spirit with authority and freedom? Are we going to be afraid of being able to give instead of take? Are we going to be afraid of significance?
If you fear anything, fear God being disappointed because you only brought back what he gave you.
John Fischer The Catch 
I love this post. I am a Life Coach and a big reason people hire me is to deal with their fears. Recently a client said that she wants to be so free, that she won’t be afraid to jump, knowing God will catch her. She compared that trust to being a child and jumping off the counter or stairs, knowing that your parent will catch you – no fear! That’s how we want to live our lives – no fear – knowing that when we take a risk, God will catch us.
Thanks for your daily posts. I really appreciate them.
Thanks John, you thoughts were a light on my path today. Most timely. BIG thanks.
It seems to me that the fear demonstrated by the servant who buried his portion of the treasure is an indication of a wrong relationship with his master. Neither of the other servants referenced the master’s characteristics that drove the the third to be fearful. The idea of disappointing God only compounds that fear. If disappointment is the result of an unfulfilled expectation, is it really even possible to disappoint God, given that He already knows the choices we will make? Knowing that God loves me unconditionally, even while knowing me fully, is what motivates my halting efforts at obedience. I’m grateful my relationship with God isn’t based on my performance, or I would surely have been kicked out of the family long ago.
I agree about God’s unconditional love and that our relationship with him is not based on performance, but there is a healthy sense of knowing he’s coming back and will want to know what I have done with what he gave me. My sense on that last sentence was: If you’re going to fear, fear that which would keep you from being in that moment and knowing you invested well. That way you will be motivated in a positive way to overcome it.
A secondary thought on this, Olen. I really worry about statements like “is it really even possible to disappoint God, given that He already knows the choices we will make?” I believe the problem with those statements is that they leave us with no responsibility. I might as well do nothing, then, since God already knows everything. God may already know what my choices will be, but I don’t, and I still have to make them. God’s foreknowledge is his department; it is not mine. I still operate as if I were responsible for my actions, and I am. Besides, Jesus told this parable and said the kingdom of God was like this so therefore there will be disappointment in the kingdom of God. That’s it at face value. Why would he have told the story if this wasn’t meant to be a source of motivation for us?
I agree that our choices are ours, and our responsibility. God has given us the ability to make real choices that make a real difference in our world. When I choose obedience, God blesses; when I choose disobedience, God disciplines. It just seems to me that the point of the story is for us to be like the first two servants, who used what their master gave them to the best of their abilities, rather than like the one who was motivated by fear. Of course, I could be wrong.
Yes, you are right. And the last one was not motivated by fear or he would have done something. Fear is not the motivation; it is the barrier we must overcome.
Seems like the most difficult step to take is that first one. But once you take that step, it seems to me, others follow rapidly. I will get busy.
This parable has always been troublesome to me. I guess I have always taken the description of the master too literally. To me someone who reaps where he did not sow & gathers where he scatters no seed sounds like a thief. Being afraid of such a person does not seem unreasonable to me, and giving him back exactly what he left you to hold & nothing more also does not seem unreasonable.
I think the fear and the hiding are the main problems. They all apparently knew this about the master but two of them took a risk. I think the master would have rewarded even someone who invested and lost, because they tried to expand their influence. The idea is not to be afraid to step out and try. To try and fail is better than to have not tried at all.