"Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “
~ Mt 25:24-25
Does God really expect to harvest where He has not sown? Does He really expect to gather where He has not planted?
Are we going to be like the unprofitable servant and view God as a harsh and unreasonable master?
I really don't think that is the point of the story, it's about not using the talents God gave us for his glory.
Anonymous wrote: "… it's about not using the talents God gave us for his glory."
To which, I agree. However, Jesus added detail into a few of His parables for a purpose.
For example, "The Prodigal Son" contains several details that would have shocked the Pharisees, such as feeding swine and wanting to eat their (poisonous for humans) food.
There was a purpose in that detail, just as there is about the attitude of the unprofitable servant in "The Parable of the Talents" who feared his lord. Why did he fear his lord? Apparently, he thought his master was so unreasonable that he decided to do nothing. Of course, that was his perception rather than the reality.
Why are any of us afraid of God? If we are living out of his will he is our Holy Terror, if we are living in his will he is our Holy Savior. So the the guys perception could have been correct because he knew he was living out of his will.
God gives us a healthy fear of him for our own benefit just like a good parent will do.
@Anonymous: True, he should have been afraid for not being in his master's will.
However, do you think it was fear that caused him to view his lord as a "hard man" or would it have been his view of his lord plus his disobedience that caused his fear?
I'm not sure which or even if both are reinforcing each other.
I think the talents represents God's word because it's his most prized position.
I also think the guy in the parable was on the social justice train of thinking because he brings up "harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed." Seed meaning God's Word, harvesting meaning Jesus's followers. It looks like the the guy's thinking was Jesus is going to harvest who he wants anyway so he doesn't need me, explains the lazy comment in verse 26.
As far as the fear he speaks of it was probably fear of what the consequences of spreading God's word would be, like persecution and rejection. Notice he doesn't say he was afraid of him just that he was afraid.
Same fears followers have today.