24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. (Matthew 25:24-25 KJV)
Spurgeon’s Commentary on Matthew
24-25 At the day of reckoning, the unfaithful as well as the faithful have to give an account of their stewardship. This man’s words were self-contradictory, and his excuse was self-condemnatory. He said that he knew that his lord was a hard man, reaping where he had not sown, and gathering where he had not strawed, yet he confessed that the talent he brought back had been given to him by this master whom he represented as severe and unreasonable. He also admitted that it was his lord’s money that he had hidden in the earth: “thy talent.” It was entrusted to him, and yet even the servant owned that it did not belong to him: “Lo, there thou hast that is thine.” “I have not made any addition to thy talent, but I have not lost it, nor given it away; I have brought it back, lo, there it is.” He seemed to speak as though this was all that could be rightly expected of him; yet he was evidently not satisfied with himself, for he said, “I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth.” See how fear may become the mother of presumption. Faith in God begets holy fear; but servile fear is the parent of doubt, which in its turn has a family of unbelieving rebels.
Spurgeon Devotional Commentary
Ver. 24,25 Deep down in all unregenerate hearts there lurks the idea that God is too severe upon poor erring mortals, expecting more of them than is reasonable. Yet, if they think so they ought to be roused to greater carefulness to render to the Lord full obedience; their knowledge of what the Lord demands will make their disobedience the more criminal.