Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
I’m not sure there’s much that’s new in this parable. The meaning is pretty clear—God entrusts each of us with different gifts and we are to use them for God’s purposes. In the parable, two slaves used what was entrusted to them well, doing with their respective finances what the master himself would do, and thereby earning praise from the master. And the third slave, out of fear, hides what is given to him, merely returning it to the master. Although there was no loss to the master, he’s still angry because this servant did nothing because he was afraid.
So the moral is to use what you have been given for God.
Simple, right?
I’ve looked at, studied, taught, on preached on this text more times than I can count. And not only do I find that it isn’t very motivating to those I preach to, but it isn’t very motivating to me. I’ve never experienced anyone, including myself, who after hearing this parable says, “Wow! I’ve been using everything I have only for myself! I never realized that was wrong. But, because I heard this parable, as of today, everything I have from now on is for God!” Before this parable, sinner. After this parable, zealot for the Lord. Nope, doesn’t seem to work that way.
So I got to thinking about that. Why aren’t we motivated to live differently by this parable? Why aren’t we more enthused about using what has been given to us for God? Why don’t we pay more attention to what God has given us?
I wonder if it’s because we don’t believe that our gifts matter that much. That which we can do or say isn’t going to matter in the grand scope of the world. God expects big things, and our gifts and abilities aren’t quite up to snuff. We don’t have the resources or ability to change the world. At least not the way God wants. So what we have to offer probably isn’t that big a deal.
So why do so many people feel that the talents and resources that have been entrusted to them aren’t important, aren’t life-changing?
Probably there are a couple of different reasons: 1) some people don’t really believe that. They know they have abundant resources and a lot of ability. But if we say we can’t do much, we feel we’re off the hook with God and can use our gifts and opportunities for our own benefit.
But I think there’s another reason why we often don’t believe our gifts matter: 2) it’s that we’ve never been told that they are important. We’ve never been told that the things we have, the things we can do, the things that have been entrusted to us really do matter. We make a difference.
Think about this. Have you ever noticed how people react to a baby when they smile and laugh? The roughest, toughest, meanest old grump visibly softens and becomes meek and gentle. Babies, by virtue of simply being themselves, have an effect on the world.
Not to be overly analytical about that, but there’s positive feedback for that baby. Given this response from virtually everyone, how long does it take for that baby to figure out that they can elicit that softness from everyone they meet? They come to realize within just a few months that they make a difference in their world. They aren’t being vain or pious or self-righteous. They just acknowledge this reality—they have something to offer that has an effect.
Each one of us has unique abilities and talents. We all have resources in various types and amounts. All of us, already, make the world a different place because of these gifts given to us by God. But somehow we’ve lost the honesty to acknowledge that. We focus much more on what we can’t do that what we can. We focus on what we don’t have instead of what we do. We’ve been conditioned to focus on the negative things in our world—things that either we contribute to or that we have no control over. But that’s not what Jesus is asking of us here.
What he’s expecting in this parable is that we recognize that we are gifted by God. Each one of us. We are gifted with what we have and with what we can do.
And that there are opportunities to use these gifts, given by God, for God’s purposes. That’s why God has given us these gifts in the first place. They are ways that we are called—and quite honestly, ways that we are expected—to contribute to God’s vision of justice, peace, and compassion. God has given you abilities, God has given you resources, and God continues to give you opportunities to be part of what God is doing. You are gifted—by God and for God!
I started thinking about that. About having gifts and abilities and opportunities with God. If a baby, with one giggle, can make a difference in the world, we can too.
Adults: many of you have jobs. You were hired because you have certain gifts or aptitudes that qualify you for that work. These are gifts from God providing you an opportunity to contribute to God’s work. Probably not with pamphlets or judgment, but with compassion and honesty and integrity. Caring about co-workers and being a light in a dark place. We can do this with an awareness that God is present, that God is calling, that God provides the gifts for this purpose.
Students, you make a difference in your classrooms. Those who are retired, you make a difference in the relationships you share.
We can maximize these opportunities! We can deliberately bring our God-given gifts into each situation we encounter. We can grow in our awareness that God gives us opportunities to be Christ for the people we spend time with. 10 talents, 5 talents, 2 talents. We are gifted. We make a difference. God’s light shines through each of us. The difference today is that we can be assured of that. Christ is present through you where you each day. Shine that. Be that. Trust that.
Pastor Rob Moss Sermons 