Sermon: Matthew 25:14-15, 19-29 (Proper 28A)

Christ Church Riverdale, 13 November 2005

The Rev. Robert C. Lamborn, Rector

 ^NRSV Matthew 25:14 "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. 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.

            Sometimes I’d like to be an editor of scripture: Not an editor of scripture translations, mind you, but every once in a while I’d like to be able to take a crack at the content.  Jesus’ parable of the talents is one part of the Bible    I’d like to take my red pen to and offer some suggestions.  “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”??  Amy and I are trying our best to teach our daughter Caroline to share with others, and is this the reinforcement we get from the Bible?  Even if you look at Jesus’ comment as being in the indicative–that it describes how the world works, “use it or lose it”--the words still comes across as harsh, especially in a parable of the Kingdom of God.  The one-talent slave says he’s afraid, after all.

             And that’s another thing I’d like to change: this is one of the examples of slavery in the biblical world just assumed as a part of life.  Yes, God delivers the Israelites out of slavery, but doesn’t then tell them not to hold slaves.  Yes, God’s people are told how to treat their slaves out only in a few passages does the idea of equality break in.  Yes, the institution of slavery in the ancient Mediterranean world for the most part was not as bad as the race-based chattel slavery practiced in this hemisphere hundreds of years later, but slavery in the Bible was then used to justify race-based slavery.

            Christians, though, have usually moved past the starkness of, “from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away,” as the one talent of the frightened slave is handed over to the one who wins that night on “The Apprentice.”  Christians have usually brushed past the slavery in the story as a part of life in that world–the word can be translated as “servant,” after all--and focused on the guts of the parable itself.  One slave is entrusted with a fortune--more than two careers’ worth of earnings for a day laborer, and another is given a small fortune–about a career of earnings.  Both of them turn out to be good businessmen and double their master’s investment.  The third slave, entrusted with about fifteen years of wages, takes the money and hides it in the ground so at least he won’t lose any of it.  He’s afraid, to hear him tell it, or wicked and lazy, according to the master.  Then we typically interpret the guts of the parable kind of as an extended version of “don’t hide your light under a bushel.”  Take the gifts God has entrusted you with, and use them; don’t just bury them in the ground.  Take a risk!  Get off the bench and into the game!

            There’s nothing at all wrong with that message, but before settling there, I have to confess that I’d like to edit the story just a bit more.  What if the one-talent slave had done his best to make money for the master–and failed.  Statistics tell us the majority of small businesses don’t succeed, and investment statements typically come with a long disclaimer stating explicitly that investments “may lose value.”  Making money, even with good capital up front, is no sure thing.  So I’d like to edit the story and find out, what would the master have said and done to a slave who didn’t hide the money, but tried his best to make a profit and failed. 

            I like my edited version of the parable a lot better: more of a spirit of sharing, no slavery, and examples not only of success and of inaction, but also of failure, so that all the possibilities are covered.  But I’m afraid that, at least as of the last time I checked, God hasn’t appointed me editor and reviser of the Bible, no matter how much better I think my version would be.  To add insult to injury, today is what’s known as “Bible Sunday” in the Episcopal Church, because of what we prayed at the beginning of the service: “Blessed Lord, who caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning.” And so I’m left with a Bible that doesn’t simply confirm what I think, but challenges me to struggle with texts that are troubling, challenges me to move beyond my own desire for how the world should work to what I believe to be God’s point of view -- at the same time more realistic, and more idealistic and generous.  And so I’m left with the necessity that the very passages I have trouble with were somehow written for Christians to learn from.     I guess I’d better take another look at the parts I’d like to change.

             “For to all those who have, more will be given,  . . . but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”  Sometimes as Christians we can focus so much on God’s grace that it can be a temptation to hoard it rather than to share it, and to believe that what we do doesn’t matter.  Maybe the end of the parable sounds harsh, but perhaps it is a reminder that what we do is important, that the way we live our faith makes a difference.  What about slavery–in this passage and other parts of the Bible?  One message we can take is that God’s work of grace unfolds in a world that is not just imperfect, but is deeply troubled and flawed, a world where serious injustice and oppression sometimes flourish.  Living our faith as Christians of course means standing against such injustices, and at the same time we can’t wait until everything is put right to see and appreciate God’s love.  As we live in a situation increasingly given to violence and terrorism, it continues to be important how we respond as Christians among such tragedy.  What about failing?  What if the third slave had tried but lost the money?  Even though there is a television show called “Success n Life” that purports to be about Christian living, following Jesus Christ has never primarily been about success, but about faithfulness.  That we aren’t given the scenario of a slave trying but failing keeps this parable of the Kingdom of God in the realm of faith and trust– trust in God’s love for us, come what may.

            Take a risk; get into the game!  Earlier I said there was nothing wrong with this message, and I do believe it is the primary message of this parable.  Digging into the parts of the parable I’d rather change but that we pray are “written for our learning” doesn’t weaken, I think, but strengthens the message of the parable--that it makes a difference what we do, that God’s love operates in a deeply-flawed world and that our relationship with God is based on faithfulness, not success.  Taking a risk and getting in the game gives flesh and bones to our trust in God, who took the ultimate risk of love for our sake.