November 19, 2023, The Parable of the Master’s Treasure, Matthew 25:14-30 – Mtr. Kathryn Boswell

saintphilipsnorwood ♦ November 19, 2023 ♦ Leave a comment

To listen to the sermon click the link above. The text of the sermon is below:

This week I sent my grandkiddos in North Carolina an Advent calendar to make their waiting for Christmas more fun. They’ve just settled into a nice house after a very long time in insecure situations, so I picked out a calendar with a picture of a neighborhood all bright and sparkling with Christmas decorations and full of happy people, with those little doors to open up each day with Christmassy pictures or messages. I really hope they like it.

In reality, as we all know, Advent isn’t about waiting for Christmas to come; it’s about waiting for Jesus to come. And we don’t have a date so that we can do a countdown and open our little doors and see how close we’re coming day be day. The disciples asked Jesus to give them signs to watch for, so they would know when he was coming, and when the end was drawing near. But Jesus told them that no one knows when the day will be, that he doesn’t know himself. Only the Father knows.

Century after century people have been trying to figure out those signs. a lot of clever but misguided people have claimed to be able to read the signs; but if there’s anything Jesus is crystal clear about, it’s that he will come when we least expect it. Instead, he answered his disciples’ question by telling them stories about how they’re supposed to live in the meantime, in this in-between time, now, between his first coming and the entirely un-knowable day of his return. The parable of the thief in the night warns us to stay awake and alert. The parable of the good servant and the wicked servant warns us to be faithful and diligent in our everyday responsibilities. The parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids teaches us not to lose hope.

And today we read another one of those stories about living and waiting. We call it “The Parable of the Talents,” and I think it’s a very familiar one. The problem with this parable is that it has suffered a bit from mis-interpretation. So first, a couple of comments about that. Because the word “talent” is found in English as well as Greek, teachers have sometimes used this parable to encourage children and other people to make good use of their God-given gifts. If you have a lovely singing voice, for example, you ought to be up there on Sunday morning singing for the Lord. That sort of thing. It doesn’t really fit into the story very well, but certainly God wants us all to use our gifts, so it’s not a bad thing to teach.

The problem is that the Greek word “talent” doesn’t have anything to do with the English word “talent.” The two words sounding alike is just a sort of linguistic accident. A “talent” in Greek is actually a measure of weight, usually of silver, and it’s a way of measuring value – monetary value. A talent in Jesus’s day was worth a lot. One single talent was worth about a half a lifetime of wages for the average person. So this man is handing over an immense amount of wealth to his servants. The first servant receives as much as an average laborer would earn in five whole lifetimes, and so forth. Clearly, there is more to this than an admonition that we should be singing in the choir.

Other teachers, recognizing that Jesus is talking about money here, have been known to use this story to talk about stewardship. God has entrusted each of us with a certain amount of money, some more and some less. And we, if we are faithful, need to make the best use of what we have been given, etc. etc. It’s stewardship season, so that works out really handy, too, this parable coming up in the Lectionary just before Advent as it does.

But that won’t do either. First of all, this is a parable, and that means Jesus is painting a picture to make us think or see in a new way. He tells a story about these humble servants whose master goes away, and most strangely and unexpectedly he entrusts them with incredible wealth, from his own treasure. We’re not talking here about tithe checks, at least not in any limited sense. That’s thinking way too small. Parables are about using your imagination. So. what precious treasure has God put into your hands for safe-keeping? Your money, yes, and your abilities, too, your “talents” – but also your children and grandchildren, your spouse, your friends, your sweet pets, the good work you have been given to do, your community, your knowledge, your health – your very self, because you are of very, very great worth – the love of God and the presence of his Spirit. It all, all of it, belongs to God, every bit, and here it is in your hands!

Here we are in this time of waiting – not just this brief season of the church year we are entering, but this season of the world’s history in which we are living out our lives – and we have been entrusted with God’s abundant riches, for each of us a different measure, but for all of us, great wealth. Life in this time of waiting, Jesus says, is all about taking good care of this treasure, growing it like a wise investor makes his wealth grow, taking what has been put into your hands, no matter how big or small, and making it fruitful for God’s kingdom.

Living in readiness is about spending yourself to grow what is in your life right now: caring, feeding, comforting, fighting for justice, creating beauty, healing wounds and grieving with those who mourn, supporting and serving and loving.

But what about the poor man who dug a hole and hid his share of the treasure? Does he have anything to tell us about ourselves? Probably a lot of things, but there are two things at least that he can teach us. Remember the fearful moment when his master rebukes him angrily, telling him that at least he could have taken his talent to the bank so it would gain interest? It’s worth noting that banking in the first century wasn’t quite the sure thing it is in our day. Banks weren’t solid, established institutions accredited by the Empire. There was no Roman FDIC. Investing in a bank was a lot more like going to the local loan shark and trying to get the best possible deal without losing your shirt. Banking in those days involved a certain amount of risk.

And I think we can assume that discipleship, living faithfully and fruitfully, is always going to involve a certain amount of risk, too. Loving another person is risky. Calling out for justice is risky. Stepping out and using your gifts is sometimes scary – and always a little risky. We know that the third servant is the example we are not supposed to follow, but is there any one of us who doesn’t know how hard it can be to take risks?

The other lesson we have from the man’s own lips. Listen to what excuse he makes when he faces his master’s anger: “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.”

He held the treasure in his hands, and he was filled with fear. He saw how his master excelled in his business dealings, and he was filled with fear. He thought of his master as a harsh man, and he was filled with fear. He dug a hole and buried the treasure deep, because he was afraid to take any risks, and he was afraid of failing at his business dealings, and he was afraid of the anger of his master.

And I have certainly been in that poor man’s place. Have you? Have you made decisions, or maybe been unable to make decisions, out of fear? Have you shied away from taking risks or trying to accomplish something because you were too afraid of failure? Have you ever avoided coming to God because you were afraid of his displeasure? We have all given in to fear at one time or another. But living by fear is like taking all the good that God has given us, and digging a hole and burying it. Paul writes to Timothy, to encourage him when he is beset by his own fear, saying, “I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.”

The Bible doesn’t provide a countdown calendar for Jesus’s return; we don’t know when it will be – today or tomorrow or next year or next century. We don’t have to waste our time trying to decipher signs and portents. Our task is to deal faithfully with the good that God has put into our hands – which is stewardship, if we’re thinking Stewardship with a capital S. And our task is to grow what God has planted in us – which means, as your Sunday School teacher told you, if you have a gift, you need to be using it! Don’t be afraid to take risks! And we have the glorious hope ahead of us, of hearing our Master’s voice, speaking to each one of us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Now, enter into the joy of your Master.”