Hiding Abundant Talent

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
November 13, 2011
Rev. Mark R. Miller
Stewardship Commitment Sunday
Matthew 25:14-30
“Hiding Abundant Talent”

Is anyone else disturbed by his passage?  If we heard what was read, we ought to be taken back by the judgment language.  A man is terrified by his master and it turns out he was right.  His fear leads to greater judgment and exile.  And then there is the language which sounds a lot like the prosperity gospel.  “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.”  It is as if Jesus is saying, we should take from the poor and give to the rich.  Unfortunately there are many Christians who believe this to be true.  Fortunately, it is a gross interpretive mistake.

The most obvious challenge to this interpretation is the very next passage.  It is the only place in the gospel where Jesus uses explicit language about who faces punishment.  And that punishment is reserved for those who do not care for the sick, the poor, the prisoners, and the vulnerable.  The Jesus who tells this parable read for us this morning is the same one who says:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

And, this is the same Jesus who has compassion on crowds of people and feeds them when they have no money.  This is also the same Jesus who says that the greatest in the kingdom of God are those that society has rejected.  So, any interpretation of our passage must reject any use of this passage that looks like the reverse of the work of Robin Hood.  The prosperity gospel is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            However, it is never enough to simply reject this theology.  If this passage is not God’s stamp of approval of exploitive economics, then what is Jesus teaching about?  As with all parables, Jesus is taking what people know and using it to help explain the ways of God. On the surface, Jesus is talking about money, which means this passage is not about money at all.  Jesus is preparing the disciples for his impending death.  Jesus is leaving and going to entrust them with the kingdom work. 

            The talents being given are not money, wealth, and a life of ease.  The talents are responsibility for feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, and telling people about the good news of God’s kingdom.  This is the talents in the story.  The talents are not about financial resources.  Multiplying the talents is about doing this work not because it is our work but because it has been given as a gift.  This is the calling for all disciples.  The multiplying of talents is not an increase in social standing or economic wellbeing but a growth of kingdom work of compassion. (Calling and Discipleship…politicians using God’s name…)

            Understanding that this passage is not about reinforcing economic inequality is good news.  However, what are we to make of the judgment language at the end?  If anything is most difficult to hear, it is probably those words.  There are really two ways to go with this language.  One is that it is a passage directed toward the religious leadership.  Jesus always reserves his harshest language for religious people who do not live their faith.  At this point in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has entered the temple on Palm Sunday, turned over the tables of the money changers and openly challenged hypocrisy.  In other words, this passage becomes a warning to those who give lip service to their faith but do not put actions behind those words.

             While I believe that is a more faithful interpretation, it, too, is open to abuse, particularly on this stewardship commitment Sunday.  It would be easy to use guilt and fear to increase giving and involvement in the church’s ministry.  However, I do not believe that is a faithful interpretation.  Let’s take a closer look at this third servant.  His actions were rooted in fear.  The servant’s fear led him to close in on himself and worry about self preservation.  If God is out to get us, the right response is to make sure that we are saved, keep our head down, and simply wait until after death. 

            The passage is not a warning about punishment for this type of action.  Instead it is descriptive of what a life rooted in fear and a belief in an angry vengeful God will look like.  When disciples’ actions are rooted in fear they cease to focus on the kingdom work.  When communities of faith are struggling with institutional survival the first thing they cut from the budget is often mission.  The work of feeding, welcoming, care for the sick, and visiting the prisoners become easy ways to balance a budget.  A life rooted in fear leads to alienation or in the language of the passage, weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Communities rooted in fear spend their energy on struggling over everything but kingdom work.  A life rooted in fear of God is a life diminished, a life lacking in joy, and a life of which no one really wants to be a part.  This passage is not about the punishment to come but about the horrors of a life of discipleship based on fear.

            So what do we make of this for a stewardship commitment Sunday?  It really is fairly simple.  The calling from this passage is not a call to foolishness or risk without planning.  It is not a call to give all your money and time to the church because God’s out to get you.  It is a calling for each one of us, and for us collectively as a community, to give up a life rooted in fear.  God is not out to get us and giving to the church does not minimize an angry vengeful God.  Our calling is to risk going into the deep waters.  Our calling is to live our lives with joy.  Our calling is to serve others.  Our calling is to live without fear.  As we plan – corporately and individually for the coming year, our calling is to plan around those priorities and not from a place of fear. 

            The really good news in this passage is that the only true failure in discipleship is to act out of fear and the belief that God is out to get us.  Notice that there is no disciple who is punished for risking and then losing the talents.  No actions done for the kingdom, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoners, are ever lost.  So let us follow, let us know it all makes a difference.  And remember, there is no failure but inaction rooted in fear.  Amen! 

 

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

November 13, 2011

Rev. Mark R. Miller

Stewardship Commitment Sunday

Matthew 25:14-30

“Hiding Abundant Talent”

Is anyone else disturbed by his passage?  If we heard what was read, we ought to be taken back by the judgment language.  A man is terrified by his master and it turns out he was right.  His fear leads to greater judgment and exile.  And then there is the language which sounds a lot like the prosperity gospel.  “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.”  It is as if Jesus is saying, we should take from the poor and give to the rich.  Unfortunately there are many Christians who believe this to be true.  Fortunately, it is a gross interpretive mistake.

The most obvious challenge to this interpretation is the very next passage.  It is the only place in the gospel where Jesus uses explicit language about who faces punishment.  And that punishment is reserved for those who do not care for the sick, the poor, the prisoners, and the vulnerable.  The Jesus who tells this parable read for us this morning is the same one who says:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

And, this is the same Jesus who has compassion on crowds of people and feeds them when they have no money.  This is also the same Jesus who says that the greatest in the kingdom of God are those that society has rejected.  So, any interpretation of our passage must reject any use of this passage that looks like the reverse of the work of Robin Hood.  The prosperity gospel is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            However, it is never enough to simply reject this theology.  If this passage is not God’s stamp of approval of exploitive economics, then what is Jesus teaching about?  As with all parables, Jesus is taking what people know and using it to help explain the ways of God. On the surface, Jesus is talking about money, which means this passage is not about money at all.  Jesus is preparing the disciples for his impending death.  Jesus is leaving and going to entrust them with the kingdom work. 

            The talents being given are not money, wealth, and a life of ease.  The talents are responsibility for feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, and telling people about the good news of God’s kingdom.  This is the talents in the story.  The talents are not about financial resources.  Multiplying the talents is about doing this work not because it is our work but because it has been given as a gift.  This is the calling for all disciples.  The multiplying of talents is not an increase in social standing or economic wellbeing but a growth of kingdom work of compassion. (Calling and Discipleship…politicians using God’s name…)

            Understanding that this passage is not about reinforcing economic inequality is good news.  However, what are we to make of the judgment language at the end?  If anything is most difficult to hear, it is probably those words.  There are really two ways to go with this language.  One is that it is a passage directed toward the religious leadership.  Jesus always reserves his harshest language for religious people who do not live their faith.  At this point in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus has entered the temple on Palm Sunday, turned over the tables of the money changers and openly challenged hypocrisy.  In other words, this passage becomes a warning to those who give lip service to their faith but do not put actions behind those words.

             While I believe that is a more faithful interpretation, it, too, is open to abuse, particularly on this stewardship commitment Sunday.  It would be easy to use guilt and fear to increase giving and involvement in the church’s ministry.  However, I do not believe that is a faithful interpretation.  Let’s take a closer look at this third servant.  His actions were rooted in fear.  The servant’s fear led him to close in on himself and worry about self preservation.  If God is out to get us, the right response is to make sure that we are saved, keep our head down, and simply wait until after death. 

            The passage is not a warning about punishment for this type of action.  Instead it is descriptive of what a life rooted in fear and a belief in an angry vengeful God will look like.  When disciples’ actions are rooted in fear they cease to focus on the kingdom work.  When communities of faith are struggling with institutional survival the first thing they cut from the budget is often mission.  The work of feeding, welcoming, care for the sick, and visiting the prisoners become easy ways to balance a budget.  A life rooted in fear leads to alienation or in the language of the passage, weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Communities rooted in fear spend their energy on struggling over everything but kingdom work.  A life rooted in fear of God is a life diminished, a life lacking in joy, and a life of which no one really wants to be a part.  This passage is not about the punishment to come but about the horrors of a life of discipleship based on fear.

            So what do we make of this for a stewardship commitment Sunday?  It really is fairly simple.  The calling from this passage is not a call to foolishness or risk without planning.  It is not a call to give all your money and time to the church because God’s out to get you.  It is a calling for each one of us, and for us collectively as a community, to give up a life rooted in fear.  God is not out to get us and giving to the church does not minimize an angry vengeful God.  Our calling is to risk going into the deep waters.  Our calling is to live our lives with joy.  Our calling is to serve others.  Our calling is to live without fear.  As we plan – corporately and individually for the coming year, our calling is to plan around those priorities and not from a place of fear. 

            The really good news in this passage is that the only true failure in discipleship is to act out of fear and the belief that God is out to get us.  Notice that there is no disciple who is punished for risking and then losing the talents.  No actions done for the kingdom, feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, and visiting the prisoners, are ever lost.  So let us follow, let us know it all makes a difference.  And remember, there is no failure but inaction rooted in fear.  Amen!