Does God reap where He does not sow?

Matthew records in what we call chapter 25 that Jesus tells a parable we now call the Parable of the Talents.  In this parable, Jesus describes a master who, before going on a journey, provides three servants with a form of money known then as a talent.    Rather than divide them equally, he provides one servant with five talents, one with two talents, and one with one talent.    The first two servants basically double the master’s money.   The third servant keeps his funds safe and returns exactly the same amount.    The dialog between that servant and the master are the subject of this blog post.  This post reviews the common perception of that dialog, evaluates it, and posits an alternative conclusion.

The meaning of the parable is clear.  The “master” here is God, the servants are people like us, and the money the master provides the servants are the spiritual gifts God has given us.   As an aside, it is worth at least worth acknowledging that many have drawn a parallel between the use of word “talent” and our English word “talent.”  That is because we have drawn our English word “talent” from the Bible’s use of the word which to them was a monetary unit.

The master praises the two servants who use their talents wisely.  The issue we are examining more closely here is the third servant, and whether he accurately expresses the master character.  This servant actually buried his master’s money and returned it to him.   In verses 24 and 25 he even says that he knows the Master.  He calls him a harsh (many translations say “hard”) man, reaping where he hasn’t sown and gathering where he hasn’t planted seed.   That, he explains, is why he horded his talents.

In verse 26, the master doesn’t mince words. He does call him an evil, lazy, servant and told him he should have at least put it in the bank where it could gain interest.  He does acknowledge that the servant was right that the master indeed reaped where he hasn’t sown and gathers where he hasn’t planted seed.   That should not surprise any of the servants – in fact that is the short definition of the word “master.”

So why does the master call the third servant evil and lazy?  There are some clues we can take away in the story.   The word we translate “harsh” or “hard,” could also be translated as unfair.    Notice the master in fact OMITS that word in verse 26.  The third servants’ characterization of the master is accurate.   The conclusion that this approach is somehow unfair and his action to hide the money instead of simply investing it, is what prompts the master to call him evil, and lazy.

We noted that the master is God.  Is Jesus saying that God really does not sow/plant seeds so that Jesus can gather/reap when He comes again?  Absolutely.  Paul explains in his first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 3 that neither the ones who plants or waters is anything, but God makes it grow.    Mark records in what we know as (4:1-8) that Jesus tells a parable likening those who spread the gospel message to a sower.  Finally, the last thing Jesus said before He ascended to heaven was a specific instruction to us to go tell others.

We, the servants of God, are responsible for sowing the seed (spreading the gospel message) today.  If not us, who?  We are reminded of a hymn that we sing that states that “Christ has no hands but our hands to do his work today.”  Let us not be called “evil” and “lazy” servants, but let us use our spiritual gifts for God’s glory, that He may gather and reap when He comes.