Passage Read: Luke 19-20
Meditation Verses: 19:20-23
Thought
The last servant comes and says he was afraid of his master, calling him a "hard man," greedy and always taking more than he deserved. For being afraid of his master, this servant has serious guts to insult his master! He's bold enough to criticize, judge and condemn his master. It's his justification for doing nothing with his master's money, but returning it as given to him. And he thinks his master will be OK with that? He thinks his master won't be angry with him and punish him? Whether the master is as he describes or not, he then judges the servant by his own words. And what would he have accepted? Putting the money in the bank and returning it with the interest. He still could have done absolutely nothing. All he had to do was make one trip to the bank at the beginning and another when his master returned! What a hard man! What a demanding master! The servant truly is the wicked one: justifying his rebellion by condemning his master. He's completely misunderstood and so mischaracterized his master, likely more because he hates being any man's servant rather than any real harshness in his master.
Application
Those who think that God is a cruel and unfairly demanding God don't know Him at all, and aren't really inclined to understand Him. They're prejudiced against Him just because He is God and they have no choice in the matter. So they think evil of Him and justify their rebellion, and still think they'll somehow escape His wrath! They would do far better if they resigned themselves to their fate and did what they thought was expected of them. They'd end up shocked at His generous and unexpected reward for them! Instead, they condemn themselves with all kinds of big and little rebellious acts. I need to guard my own thoughts toward God--and toward any authority He appoints in my life. If I think He is unreasonable, I can't use that as an excuse to resist His will or ignore His instruction. Same with another other authority in my life. I would do better to obey their direction than to resist it; and I may end up not only rewarded, but with a corrected understanding of their true heart and intention!