Why Won’t God Just Tell Me Exactly What I Need to Do? (Matthew 25)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Have you ever felt frustrated with how mysterious God seems to be?

You want a clear sign of what to do, but he seems to speak in riddles. You pray for clarity, but all you seem to get are fuzzy answers. Unfortunately, many Christians live with the misconception that if God wants them to do something, he will always make it obvious. But Matthew 25 paints a different picture.

In this chapter, Jesus tells a parable of three servants. The master of a house goes away on an extended journey and leaves some of his possessions in the care of his hired hands. As D.A. Carson writes, “Slaves in the ancient world could enjoy considerable responsibility and authority. The man going on a journey entrusts his cash assets to three of his slaves who are understood to be almost partners in his affairs and who may share some of his profits.”^[1]

With one servant, the master left five talents. With another, he left three. And with the third, he left one. A talent in that day was a unit of exchange with an estimated value of six thousand denarii. Considering that one denarius was the equivalent of a day’s wages, this amount each had been given was a considerable sum of money. As the story goes, the master goes away and comes back after an undisclosed length of time. And when he returns, he calls his three servants in to explain their actions.

The first servant with five talents confidently reports he has doubled his master’s investment and now has ten talents. The second servant likewise says he has doubled his investment, upgrading from two to four talents. But the third servant offers a different report. He hasn’t done a thing with what he’s been given and has just buried his talent in the ground. To him, the master replies:

²⁶ “‘You evil, lazy servant! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown and gather where I haven’t scattered, ²⁷ then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and I would have received my money back with interest when I returned. ²⁸ “‘So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

There are several key parts to this parable. First, each servant is given a different amount, depending on their ability. As stewards of God’s possessions, we shouldn’t begrudge others entrusted with more, and we should work hard to maximize what we’ve been given.

Second, the master of the house doesn’t tell the servants how to invest. There was no ten-point outline for best investment practices. Instead, he gave them all they needed to make a difference and assumed they would invest what they had been given. This point is especially critical because this is how God often works with his children today.

Sometimes, he offers a clear roadmap through a specific vision or calling. But most times, he does not. Instead, he gives us everything we need to live how he wants us to. And from there, he expects us to make the most of what we’ve been given. Like the foolish servant, we can bury our potential investments in the ground. Or, like the wise servants, we can be good stewards of what we’ve been given.