His lord said to him, Well, good and faithful bondman, thou wast faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
The master says the same words to the servant with two talents as he said to the servant with five. So what is he rewarding? Why is the reward the same when the trust was smaller? And what does it mean to enter a master's own joy?
Same Reward, Unequal Trust
The outcome itself shows what the Master was watching for.
The outcome makes something else clear. The reward does not rest on the amount entrusted to us, but on the faithfulness we show with it. The servant who had five talents has gained five talents. The one who gained only two has doubled his capital just as much as the other did. His lord receives him with the same approval into his own joy. The one with the smaller trust could even win the higher approval. And it means much to the Lord to find one of His own willing to serve with the same cheerfulness in a humble place as in a high one.
This matters most to the servant who has the least to work with.
He does not speak a higher and better word of approval to the one who had the five talents and brought Him five more. Both hear the same word of approval. So it is not a question of how much we have received from the Lord, but of how we use what He has given us. Faithful service, even in the smallest matter, even if it is only one talent, will bring approval.
Why "Good" and Not Only "Faithful"
The praise here differs from the praise given in the previous chapter.
In chapter 24 it was the "faithful and wise" servant, because the care of the household calls for wisdom. But here it is "good and faithful servant." Both are called "faithful." Yet these gifts are the ones the Lord sends out into the world with the message of grace, and the goodness of God is what marks their use. What is the source of all grace in the servant of the Lord? It is the appreciation of God's goodness. This comes out by contrast in the case of the lazy servant... he did not believe in the goodness of the Lord: he had no confidence in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Two Distinct Things Promised
The verse holds out rule and joy, and these are not the same gift twice.
The points marked as the result of the Lord's return are two. First, there is a large reward given in government — ruler over many things. Second, there is real personal association with Christ in blessing. He does not bless us as subjects He rules over. The word is, "Enter into the joy of your Lord."
The Joy of Your Lord
The last clause of the verse promises more than a gift from the Master. (The writers quote an older translation, which reads "the joy of your Lord" where the ESV has "the joy of your master.")
"Enter into the joy of your Lord." Amazing! The saints enter into God's own joy: they have not only the joy which God gives, but the joy which God enjoys.
Other rewards are real too, but one of them stands above the rest.
There will be full, clear, and definite reward for responsibility discharged, service rendered, and work done. All will be rewarded. But above and beyond all shines this precious word, "Enter into the joy of your Lord." No reward can match this... One smile from Him will touch the heart far more deeply and powerfully than the brightest crown ever placed on the head.
What the Servant Is Rewarded For
Reward is real, yet the servant never produced the fruit himself.
How gracious of Him to reward anyone! Whatever fruit we have borne, whatever good we have done, has really been the action of His own indwelling Spirit. As Augustine said, "God crowns not our merits, but His own gifts. Because He makes them ours, He rewards them, just as if they were our own virtues."
So reward is real. But is reward what drives the service?
The reward is an incentive, but it is not the motive of service: the motive the Lord rewards is love toward Himself.
Summary
- Trusted — the servant received two talents, not five. The Master chooses the size of the trust.
- Good — this praise grows out of confidence in the Master's goodness. The lazy servant had none.
- Faithful — the Lord weighs faithfulness, not the amount gained. So the smallest trust can win the fullest approval.
- Rewarded — the Lord promises two things — rule over much, and personal association with Himself. The crown He gives is His own gift crowned.
- Joy — the servant does not just receive joy from his Lord. He enters the joy his Lord has. Love serves for this, not for the reward.