Last week in our message, we explored the importance of relationships that the creation story in Genesis 2 emphasizes. There are so many interesting ideas and themes to explore in the creation story, but today I want to focus on the idea of stewardship and responsibility. Let’s start by reading part of the Garden of Eden story and consider what it may teach us about stewardship and then we’re going to look at what Jesus said about stewardship.
Genesis 2:15-20
15 The Lord God placed the man
in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in
the garden— 17 except the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to
die.”
18 Then the Lord God said,
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right
for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from
the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them
to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for
each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock,
all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no
helper just right for him.
God places Adam in the Garden of Eden and instructs him to work and take care of it, showing humanity’s role as caretakers of creation. God also has Adam name all the animals. In ancient Middle Eastern culture, knowing someone’s name often meant having power or authority over them. Adam’s job of naming the animals shows his responsibility and authority over nature. This story reveals part of our purpose in life is to watch over and manage God’s creation. We are to be stewards. That is why we can use the resources of creation to help sustain us. But, that doesn’t mean we abuse creation, because it belongs to God.
A steward, from a biblical Christian perspective, is someone entrusted by God to manage and care for His creation and resources. This includes everything from the environment to personal relationships to our talents and our finances. A steward is called to faithfully use these gifts with responsibility, wisdom, and obedience, reflecting God’s will and purpose. Ultimately, a steward’s role is to honor God by fostering growth, serving others, and making choices that align with God’s plan. Jesus told a parable to remind us of our purpose as God’s stewards. The parable is found in Matthew 25:15-30.
Matthew 25:14-18
14 “Again, the Kingdom of
Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called
together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He
gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one
bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then
left on his trip.
16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to
invest the money and earned five more. 17 The
servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But
the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid
the master’s money.
I want to point out a basic financial principle about “interest” here, because it answers a question people often have about this parable. Money doesn’t hold its value. If someone gave you $100 50 years ago and you put it in a mason jar and buried it in the ground, and then dug today, how much would it be worth? Still $100, right? But $100 today doesn’t go as far as it did 50 years ago, right? Because of inflation, you would need at least $634 today to have as much buying power as $100 had 50 years ago. So, the two servants who invested their master’s money ensured the money didn’t lose value. But the money the third fearful servant buried has lost value.
Matthew 25:19-30
19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and
called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The
servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five
more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have
earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and
faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now
I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came
forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have
earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you
many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and
gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was
afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your
money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If
you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t
cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in
the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and
give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To
those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will
have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have
will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless
servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.’
Jesus’ Parable teaches us the importance of being good stewards and managing the resources God has given us. In the story, a master gives his servants different amounts of money and expects them to use it wisely while he is away. But this is a story about us. We are the servants in the story. God is the Master. He made us. He placed us on this earth. He entrusted to us all the talents and resources we have. We are responsible for using what God gives us and God expects us to use it all for His glory, not just for our own selfish desires. And we are to be fruitful with God’s resources.
Jesus’
parable also gives us a warning. One
day, the Master is going to return and ask each and everyone of us to give an
account on how we managed God’s resources.
Were we fruitful?
Now which one of the servants do you want to be when the God asks you to give
an account?
Stewardship
involves every aspect of our lives, because everything we have and all that we
are is a gift from God. Jesus came to
call us back to this way of living. A
life where we fulfill our God given purpose to be good stewards who view
everything in our lives as a way to honor and glorify God. Glorify Him with the work you do. Glorify Him with the money you have. Glorify Him by the way you lead your
family. Glorify Him by the way you treat
you friends, raise your children, serve in your church… Honor and glorify God as a good steward in every
part of your life.
In my church, we did a special activity to practice what it means to be a good steward. Each person who came to worship that day received a $5 bill as part of a stewardship challenge. Their task was to pray and ask God how they could use the $5 to bless someone that week. They were free to spend the money however they felt led, but the goal was to make a positive impact in someone else’s life. I encouraged them to be creative, thoughtful, and prayerful in how they choose to use this gift.
What
would you do if you received $5? Would you:
Buy a meal or a coffee
for someone in need or surprise a stranger by paying for their order.
Purchase a small gift to give someone (like a greeting card or flowers).
Buy supplies (such as snacks, bottled water, or hygiene products) to
give to someone in needs.
Combine your $5 with others to make a larger impact, such as buying
groceries for a struggling family.
Part of the point of this exercise is to make it plain to everyone that the money is not theirs. It was given to them to be used for a purpose: to be a blessing to others. When we think of our own resources--our money, our talents, our time--these also are not our own. They were given to us by God. And we are to use them in ways that align with God's values and purposes for our world. We are to be good steward who use God's resources in ways that honor and glorify Him. Are you being a goof steward? How do you need to change to do better?
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