Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”         (John 14:15)

I recently re-read the Book of Mark. On every page I saw a Savior who is motivated by compassion. Compassion not only says, “I love you,” but also, “I will help you.” The Lord so wanted the people  of that day, as well as us today, to receive the commandments of God. Not because He wants to be the Great Commander (even though He is the Great Commander), but because He sees the big picture. He sees time from beginning to end, and He knows how sin affects our lives and the lives of those we love. He sees the heartache and pain that sin brings, and He wants to spare us that sorrow.

Jesus told a parable about a man who had a large estate. One day he decided to leave for a while and go to a far country. Before leaving, he called 3 servants to him; he gave the first servant 5 talents, the next 2 talents, and the third 1 talent. Then after placing the money under their management, he went away on his journey.

He was gone for a long time, and when he returned, he called for an accounting. The first servant said he had invested the 5 talents and the money had doubled. The second servant said he had also doubled the 2 talents. To each the master said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

The third servant said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” The master said, “You wicked and lazy servant.” He ordered the talent to be taken away and had the servant banished into outer darkness. He said, “You ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest” (Matthew 25:14-28).

I used to think that was a hard judgement. I’ve read the story again and again, and I see that the third servant did not really know his master. He misjudged him as a harsh, demanding man, and acted accordingly. Isn’t that how some of us see God? We think He is waiting to zap us if we make a mistake. That is the same mistake the servant made, misjudging the master, whom he didn’t really know or love.

We need to trust and know the Master and keep His commandments. God is loving. God is fair. God is just. Trusting Him to be all those things will make such a difference in the way we make our choices. Our understanding of God determines our plans and our daily walk (Mark 12:28-31).