“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'” (Matthew 26:21)

There are many applicable lessons for us from this Parable of the Talents, but one of the most striking may be found in this little phrase: “Enter into the joy of your master.”  The phrase is used twice in Matthew 26, spoken to the two slaves who wisely invested what their master had entrusted to them.

“The joy of your master” is such an amazing phrase. Psalm 16:11, speaking of the blessings of eternal fellowship with God, says: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” The joy and pleasure that come from our Master is what every person is longing for. And God’s word reminds us here that we can indeed experience it:

— Our Master possesses great joy: “Enter into the joy of your Master.” All joy originates with Him. From eternity He has experienced joy in His triune relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And He rejoices over His people as well: Zephaniah 3:17 says “He will exult over your with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

— Matthew 26 also tells us that we are able to “enter into that joy.” The unfathomable joy which has characterized God for eternity, is something which He wants to share with US! And we may indeed experience it!

— The greatest gift of life comes through discovering that this approval, love, and joy is given as a GIFT through faith in Jesus Christ. By trusting Him as Lord & Savior, we are made right with God, and can experience fellowship and joy with Him.

— But although it is a gift by faith, there is also a sense (we see it in this passage) of having that joy made full by walking in obedience and faithfulness. It is no coincidence that it was the two faithful servants whom the Master invited to share in His joy. There is great joy that results from faithful, obedient service to our Lord. Indeed, this a joy that many of His people are missing out on today, because they are not serving or consistently obeying.

— If we know the Lord of joy, and are walking in obedient fellowship with Him, then our lives should be characterized by great joy as well. We will always mourn over sin (our own and others, Matthew 5:4) but the bottom line is: God’s people will be people of JOY!  They have tasted “the joy of their Master” through faith in Christ and obedient service — and one day will enjoy it in unrestrained fullness forever!