Matthew 25:19–21, 29, 34–40; Mark 10:42–45

Bible Studies for Life
Associate Professor of Religion, Department of Religion, Samford University

A Lifestyle of Service
Matthew 25:19–21, 29, 34–40; Mark 10:42–45
The pursuit of Christian virtue is not a journey undertaken for its own sake but rather one that takes the seeker deeper into the heart of God. As we learn to live humbly in community, serving those around us, we know more fully the God revealed in Christ, who “came not to be served but to serve.”

Redefine Greatness (Mark 10:42–45)
Mark defines Jesus’ mission in terms of sacrifice, and those who follow Him must be prepared to sacrifice. This passage is the culmination of three teachings (Chapters 8–10) about the suffering of the Son of Man and the corresponding meaning of discipleship, couched in a series of paradoxes. Those who lose their lives will save them (8:35), the one who wants to be first must become the servant of all (9:35) and the one who wants to be great must be the slave of all (10:43–44). Most people, religious or not, can appreciate an act of service when they observe it, but the virtue is thought to lie in the sacrifice: I give up my time or money to help another. In Mark, however, Jesus turned this worldly logic on its head with the quirky math of the Kingdom: When you take something away, you wind up with more than you started.

Seize Your Opportunities (Matt. 25:19–21, 29)
The parable of the talents was so widely known in the medieval church that it gave new meaning to the English word “talent.” Originally denoting a unit of weight or the value of that amount of silver or gold, “talent” eventually took on the more common, modern meaning: a person’s natural gifts or creative aptitudes. The standard application of the parable was that people should use their talents wisely, i.e., in the service of God and others. But underlying this interpretation is a more fundamental teaching about grace that fills Matthew’s Gospel. At first, it is hard to read this story and not have some sympathy with the servant who is condemned. Who among us would risk disappointing a harsh master known to “reap where he did not sow”? However, the condemned servant’s characterization of the master sits uncomfortably with the generous character on display in his dealings with the first two servants, and so readers are left wondering what kind of person the master is. In Jesus’ parables in Matthew, those who are condemned are revealed to have no understanding of what has been given them: the unforgiving servant (18:23–35), the workers in the vineyard who were hired first (20:1–16). Jesus’ followers who have experienced God’s grace are not to hide that grace under a bushel (5:15). In fact, grace that can be hidden turns out not really to be grace after all, because grace can’t be boxed in. Once we have been served so gracefully by God, we cannot help but seek ways to serve the world He has created and loves.

Serve the Least of These (Matt. 25:34–40)
Matthew placed the parable of the talents immediately before a depiction of the final judgment. Taken together, the stories teach the importance of doing God’s work at all times. The surprise of the heartless at the Lord’s judgment makes sense to the reader: We can all imagine an insensitive person who blindly overlooks a fellow human being’s most basic needs. Those people know not what they do or rather fail to do. But what are we to make of the surprise of those judged to have ministered to the Lord Himself? Weren’t they aware they were serving God? Here is a chance to see how the virtues intertwine. In last week’s lesson on humility, we saw one danger in cultivating the virtue of humility is a focus upon ourselves. People who truly desire to serve others don’t do so for recognition but to meet a need. Their attention stays on the task at hand. If we set out to do good works to gain God’s favor, then we become distracted by ourselves. When we are freed by grace from self-absorption, we can live and serve freely in the kingdom of God. When we keep our shoulder to the plow, pouring ourselves into the human needs that God puts in our way, this single-minded focus brings us that much closer to seeing Him (Matt. 5:8).