The Most Scandalous Defamation in History

In the Parable of the Ten Talents, the third servant, who kept the one talent and didn’t multiply it, said this to Jesus after He was called to account for his use of the talent:

“Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.”

Matthew 25:24b-25

You’re probably familiar with the story, so you know that he was declared to be a “wicked servant” and was cast into the outer darkness.

The Wicked Servant’s Lie

From what the servant said about Jesus (“I knew you to be a hard man”), it’s evident that he didn’t actually know Jesus. Because what he said about Him couldn’t have been further from the Truth. Jesus is misrepresented in our world, more often than not. And Satan has done a masterful job of defaming Him throughout all of human history. He was so good at misrepresenting who God is that he convinced a third of the angels and Adam and Eve to question God’s goodness and rebel against Him.

There isn’t a more scandalous example of defamation in all of history. And Satan works 24/7, defaming God, lying about who He is, and trying to get all of us to believe the lie.

Imagine That Times 1,000

Think of the most standup person you know. Let’s just say Tim Tebow, as a human example. Because, come on, how could anyone hate a guy like Tim Tebow? Imagine you know nothing about him, but there’s someone else of influence who starts a vicious smear campaign to turn everyone against him. How unjust would that be? Now imagine that times 1,000.

The God We Actually Serve

God has no hesitation in His love and affection. He’s perfect, kind, patient, gracious, quick to forgive, slow to anger, humble, merciful, gentle, orderly, just, holy, blameless, creative, and so much more. How do most people see Him, though? Unless you know Him, you’d probably use a lot of other not-so-positive words to describe Him. This is such an injustice. Even as a believer, I’ve struggled with seeing Him as angry, impatient, harsh, or too demanding at times in my life. But the longer I’ve spent time with Him and gotten to know Him, I’ve realized that He’s even more wonderful than I could ever imagine.

Even the Prophets Knew Better

The prophet Jonah, despite being a pretty big punk, at least was familiar with who God is. It’s the main reason he didn’t want to go to Nineveh and preach repentance to the Ninevites:

“And he [Jonah] prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.’”

Jonah 4:2

And Micah said:

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.”

Micah 7:18-19

In some translations, it says, “he delights in mercy.”

This is the God we serve. Don’t buy the lie that He is a “hard man” or is too demanding. He’s quick to forgive and abounding in steadfast love. He’s always waiting for us with open arms.