http://bible.org/seriespage/parable-talents-matthew-2514-30-luke-1912-28
What, then, is the root of this third slave’s problem? I believe it is his view of his master, and thus the work his master has assigned.
“Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed’” (Matthew 25:24, emphasis mine).
The word “hard,” which this slave used to characterize his master, is far from flattering. It is the word Moses uses in Genesis 42:7,280 to describe Joseph’s disguise of “harshness” before his brothers. It is used in 1 Samuel 25:3 to describe Nabal, Abigail’s husband, who is a stubborn fool.281 Isaiah (48:4) uses this term to describe Israel’s abstinence. It is also found in Jude 1:15 to describe the “harsh words” the unbelieving have said against God. In other words, the third slave looks upon his master as wicked, harsh, and impossible. This is his excuse for doing nothing. It is as though he had said, “I knew you were unreasonable, and that there was no way to please you, and so I decided not even to try.”
This is an interesting viewpoint to have – not “interesting” in the sense that “I’d like to check it out”, but “interesting” in that the thinking is that you believe that God exists, but that he’s a mean and harsh God. It just seems like it would be so much easier to deny the existence of God altogether rather than to believe in a harsh God.