28th Sunday after Pentecost 2008 Proper 28

November 16, 2008

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

(Zephaniah 1:7 & 12-18; Ps. 90:1-12; I Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30)

INVESTING GOD’s TALENTS

St. Christopher’s, High Point, NC

MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR REDEEMER AMEN

Few of Jesus’ teachings are better known .... more often quoted .. “don’t bury your talents” ... In fact the lazy part of me wanted to say: “We know this story, let’s go home!”

But this may possibly less understood than other parables.

It is also one of the most disputed parables. Scholars find all kinds of meanings in it.

First though, with any parable the simplest, easiest teaching is the most important. “God gave it to you, so use it!” is the essence of this teaching.

But people have found other meanings. “Talents” you may know is a form of money ... and a large amount! The person who received the one talent received something in the order of $250,000. in today’s dollars. Nothing to sneeze at!

So the other two received something like half a million and over a million dollars ... large amounts.

One writer suggested this parable was God’s supported for unfettered capitalism. He said that it would be almost impossible to double your money in those times without some “border line” activities. This author probably would have supported what was going on in our banking and insurance systems up until a couple months ago! ... What works is what God supports.

Nope. Cannot go there. Don’t think that is right although the logic is reasonable.

Another writer concentrates on the description of God as “harsh” and suggested this was a warning much as the warning we heard from Zephaniah — “That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish”

That understanding is reinforced by the fact that the third person, the one who buried the talent, actually did what the rabbinic teachings suggested! They did not believe in gaining interest and the prudent course of action would be to protect the money. After all, how would God have reacted if the other two reported they had invested in real estate mortgages and lost everything?

Again that writer’s logic is reasonable but his conclusions do not seem to me to connect with the rest of Jesus’ teachings. After all, Jesus frequently explained how the rabbis got it wrong so why should we assume this time Jesus is supporting the rabbis?

Here’s what I find in this parable. Remembering that I could have it backwards .... I think point number is the same point made in the first chapter of Genesis – the creation story – the point is that it all comes from God. God gave it to us and we need to begin with that understanding.

And frankly, for most of us, that is the most difficult possible understanding! To accept, at the deepest part of our being accept that our house is not ours – it is a gift from God we may use for a time. Our abilities and skills are not ours — they are gifts from God we may use for a time. Our friends, our relatives, our children — all are gifts from God. Everything ... the breath we just took is a gift from God.

All three of the servants understood they were working with the owners money. They were using the gift from God and they will be expected to make an accounting.

Which is the second thing we find hard to understand. We are usually OK thinking that God will ask for an accounting, judge us, on the bad things we did. But this parable is more about the good things we did not do! The ways in which we did NOT use the gifts God has given us.

Notice again that the third person got the equivalent of 7 years salary for the average laborer at that time. God was not stingy with him! (Luke’s version uses a smaller amount of money but it is still substantial.)

So we learn that (1) God gave it all to us, and (2) none of us got a tiny amount.

The next question then is how to understand what is meant in this story by “talents”. I believe the clue is in the opening sentence: “The kingdom of God will be as when ..” This story is about the kingdom of God.

To that we need to remember that Jesus normally linked the phrase “the kingdom of God” to the next life, but also to this life. The kingdom of God is when God is obeyed.

Clearly the parable is saying something about our judgment regarding the kingdom of God. Personally I think the part about what the men did with the money is about our life now, and the judgment is about what happens next. ... Simplistic I know, but I have never thought God’s word was particularly confusing! Difficult to follow yes, difficult to understand – no.

So God gave us everything and how we invest our everything will be the basis for our judgment. ...... Seems reasonable to me!

Actually that links us back somewhat to the Zephaniah prophecy. I am using the term prophecy in the Old Testament sense of “if you do this, or continue doing this, here is the inevitable result”. I like the image of Old Testament prophecy as someone yelling “watch out” as you are about to put your hand on a hot stove. The prediction is accurate – but not an amazing surprise.

Zephaniah speaks to those who “rest complacently on their dregs”. Those who say in their hearts “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm” ... in other words God will not help but also will not punish.

OK .... in our heart of hearts don’t we sometimes feel exactly that way? ... Don’t we occasionally feel like God will not help us, we have to do it on our own? .... While at the same time feeling, “I’m good enough. God will not hurt me.”

Notice how Zephaniah describes what will happen: they shall not inhabit their houses, nor benefit from their business. ... Sounds a tad like the man who hid his talent ... buried what God gave him. Not exactly the same story but strong similarities. The people whom Zephaniah addresses were also given great things from God but never used them as God wished. They never acknowledged God’s ultimate ownership or their own responsibilities.

Maybe that is the key word, and concept ... responsibilities. We were given and therefore have responsibilities. Again this is something we have a hard time with since in our society a person must accept the responsibility. You can not just walk over to someone and say: “You owe me a thousand dollars” ... or, “you have to do this for me”. In our society that kind of responsibility is incurred only with some form of contract and we define a contract as an agreement between two knowledgeable and willing people.

So the concept of us being responsible to God without us signing a contract seems a bit unreal. It is hard for us to accept.

I could argue that our baptism was our acceptance of the contract and this is theologically sound reasoning. Furthermore that every time we attend a baptism we repeat our own baptismal vows — we again sign the contract. And that is also true.

BUT, how often do we look at it that way? How often do we reflect on the idea that we have a responsibility to God and God will judge us on how well we fulfill that responsibility? .... I suspect – not often!

We need to remember God’s mercy. God will be merciful to us who fail. Merciful to those who, for reasons beyond their control are not able to fully invest their talents. Health and family demands are two specific reasons that could limit our response.

God will be merciful as long as we don’t simply look for an easy rationale. Because all we have is really God’s and anything we invest is simply our response to God.

So this week the challenge is to consider how we are investing our resources .... those things God has given us. Are they invested or buried under ground? Are we doing what God will praise, or are we drifting along hoping to just get by?

AMEN

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