24 Pentecost A p. 28 November 19, 2017
Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 123
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30
Judges 4:1-7 Psalm 123
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30
The parable of the talents includes some interesting insights about life and it is not without irony either.
There is fact that it doesn't translate exactly to the justice sensitivities of our time. None us believe that Jesus would tell stories about slaves if he were with us today. The stories of Jesus were told in a time when slavery was a social and economic reality.
The metaphor of slavery was used in early Christianity. Followers of Jesus called themselves servants or slaves of Christ. They regarded themselves to be branded with sign of the cross, a brand indicating to whom they belonged. St. Paul further articulated, "You are not your own for you have been bought with a price."
The insight of the slave metaphor is that the one who creates all and who outlives everyone, is the legitimate owner of all things and all people. We are all born with no choice about the great Plentitude in which we are born and with no choice about the great Plenitude which will survive us. Limited people have limited freedom in the face of great Plenitude.
However a profound limitation of the "slave" metaphor is that it can imply a diminished significance of human freedom. Instead of slaves, we today would prefer the terms managers or stewards or God's associates. These are terms which imply a greater sense of creative freedom.
Beyond the slave metaphor, we have the insight about human life; people are gifted in diversity of quantity and quality of gifts. That is a fact of the life.
The assumption of this parable is that God gives gifts. And God expects the development and the investments of the gifts of one's life.
The assumption of this parable is that like in farming, growth is expected by the farmer. A farmer who merely collects seeds without planting them is not a farmer but just a seed collector. And God is not a seed collector; God is more like a farmer. God expects growth.
Growth is a natural process in all phases of life; some growth is automatic and accidental but there is a significant amount of growth that happens because of willful and determining human efforts.
We find in the Plenitude of Life, gifts come to people in diverse measures; God does not require the same measureable results from everyone. Why? God tailors investment success to the gifts, experiences and circumstances of each individual.
God's great investment strategy for humanity is to give us the potential of perfectability. But God only makes judgments based upon whether one has surpassed oneself in a future state.
God's belief in human perfectability and fruitfulness does not mean that one-size fits all. A person is only compared with himself or herself in a future state.
This means that in our own freedom, faith, creativity and efforts that we are judged. We are judged by our own performance relative to our own situation.
The parable also includes a harsh reality of both personal and community life. Atrophy is a cruel reality with cruel consequences. "Use it or lose it" is a harsh reality of life. And to add insult to injury, what one loses ends up becoming the resumes of people who are faithful, diligent and creative. In lot of volunteer organizations, the 80/20 rule is often a reality: 20 percent of the members end up doing and giving 80 percent of ministry and the money. In the ministry that needs to be done, that which is not taken up by the slackers ends up being performed by those who make themselves available for ministry and generosity. People who are faithful get the joys of the outcomes simply because they made themselves available and were willing to accept the ministry.
What insights can you and I take from this parable today?
First, God has given everyone gifts and they are different gifts. God only asks that we thankfully accept the gifts of our lives, even as they may be in seed form. We are responsible for the planting, the cultivating and the harvest of what is given to us. We are very important stewards in the gifts that God has given us. We need not compare ourselves with each other; we need only to compare our current self with what we are yet called to be in the development of our gifts and ministry. Yes, in our faithful development of our gifts we will find joy in doing more than we ever thought we could do, because we will end up doing what others refused to do. And it is only great joy to be excessive in generosity.
Along with the great invitation that we have for investment, growth and creativity, there is also a frightful warning. Atrophy, FEAR IT. The most literal meaning of hell in the Bible refers to the garbage dump near Jerusalem. Hell is the waste of one's life for both personal and community benefit. The parable indicates that the slave with one talent did not invest it because he was afraid of losing it. Fear is the opposite of faith. Many people act out of a fear of God and are paralyzed to act. Creative faith is the basic gift that God gives to everyone and even though it is given, we still have to exercise it.
Today, you and I are invited to be stewards of God, following the life of Jesus who loved us and has given us the direction of perfection for each of our lives. We are always forgiven for not yet being perfect, but we are always accountable for placing ourselves on the forward road of perfection.
Let us embrace our identity as investing creative stewards of the gifts of God today. Amen.
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