Matthew 25:26-28: But his lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered see. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
The servant had accused his master of reaping where he did not sow, and gathering where there had been no seed. Both of those statements are wild accusations that would have no basis in truth. So why then does the lord repeat as if it was a fact the accusations of the servant?
The answer is that he is condemning the servant with his own statements. Of course the accusations are not true--they are not even plausible. They prove only one thing--the servant is wicked and lazy! He uses whatever excuse to not serve the lord. In my experience, the greatest sins that keep a person from attending church do not stem from gross sins such as drugs, adultery, or thievery. Rather, it is from the even greater sin of not loving the Lord Jesus Christ. That sin is manifested by the twin excuses--I am otherwise occupied on Sunday and I just cannot give a tithe to the Lord.
Those are the two things our Lord desires most--why? It is because they reveal the heart attitude toward God. Open your checkbook or credit card statement and even an unbeliever can tell who you worship.
The total consequences for the wicked servant are given in the next paragraph. Here, his one talent is not left to him as a consolation prize for insulting and ascribing improper motives to his master. Rather, it is taken away. Jesus is warning those who are slack concerning His promise that He is returning to get busy for God. Judgment will fall, and it will be severe.
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