Invest your gifts- Matthew 25:14-30

1Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

Next week is the end of the liturgical year, when we celebrate the Reign of Christ, or sometimes it is called Christ the King. It is when we look forward to the time when Christ will reign as the undisputed king over heaven and earth. Our Gospel reading is found in the context of other readings having to do with Jesus’ Second Coming as ruler and judge, and how we are to prepare for that moment.

The parable before today’s reading is about the ten bridesmaids, which we dealt with last week. Five were wise and were prepared with enough oil to last through the night, but five were not wise and their oil ran out. While they were out buying more oil the groom arrived and the wedding began without them. The lesson is to be prepared for his arrival. Our reading from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians reflects this- 

 “For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thes 5:2).

Next week our Gospel lesson is about Jesus separating the sheep and the goats depending on what they have done for Jesus in the guise of those who were in need- the hungry, thirsty, naked, in prison, those in need of clothing, or a stranger. The lesson here is that Jesus has so identified with those in need that whatever we do for those in need it is as if we have done it for Jesus himself. And, as much as we haven’t served those in need we haven’t served Jesus either.

The parable about the talents finds itself tucked between these two lessons about being prepared for Jesus’ coming and serving those in need. 

The parable is about a man who goes on a journey and entrusts his substantial wealth to three of his servants. He doesn’t distribute the wealth equally, one receives 5 talents, the next 2, and the third gets 1 talent. The master probably had a sense of what his servants could handle and he distributes his wealth for them to manage while he is away.

Just to give you a sense of how much money Jesus is talking about, a talent was worth 15-20 years wages for a day laborer. In modern money one talent would be almost a million dollars. So, they are entrusted with a lot of money. Even the servant who was only given 1 talent was still given a lot of money.

Our modern description of an ability or skill as a “talent” probably comes from this parable. And that is the appropriate way to look at this parable. Jesus isn’t just talking about money. The money is symbolic of all that God has given us, which includes out material blessings, but it goes beyond this as well. Any use of our skills, time, or resources might be represented by our talent. The early Church Father St. Chrysostom says these talents could be as simple as our senses, or our ability to speak, our hands and feet, the strength of our body, the understanding of our mind, or our listening ears.

We all have different abilities and we all deal with different life circumstances, and perhaps that tells us something about the 5 talents, the 2 talents and the one talent. Some people are given impressive abilities. Some are given more humble abilities. But the different distribution of the talents doesn’t matter in the end. In the end, the one that was given 5 talents and the one that was given 2 talents receive the same reward. What matters is what they do with what was given to them, and even the smaller amount that was given is still a fortune. We might not be blessed with a genius level IQ that helps us develop a vaccine for COVID. Maybe our body is weak. Maybe all we can do is pray, well that is still a fortune. …

We might not have the 5 talents. We might have 2. Two is still absolutely significant and valuable. Even one is significant and valuable. The significance of the talents is to say that we have been entrusted with great wealth- our own lives, material wealth, and spiritual wealth. We have The Gospel, instruction in the ways of the kingdom of God, The Gifts of the Spirit. We have been entrusted with talents and they are to be used for God’s purposes in the world.

The master leaves to go on a trip, which is Jesus going to be at the right hand of the Father at the Ascension. The servants are given complete freedom regarding how to deal with their master’s wealth. Eventually the master returns and he calls his servants before him, which is the Second coming.

The one who has 5 talents invested it and turned it into 10. And the servant who has 2 talents also doubles his master’s money. The master replies to both in the same way, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” They receive the affirmation of their master. More power and responsibility are offered to the first two servants and they are invited into the “joy” of their master. Even though they were given different amounts, the master rewards them both the same way. What matters isn’t so much how much you are given, but how faithful you are in using what you are given for God’s purposes.

The master comes to the third servant who was given one talent and it is revealed that the servant didn’t make the talent fruitful at all. He actually buried it, which was considered a good way to keep valuables safe at the time. Not only did he not make the talent fruitful, but he also attacks his master’s character saying, “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. Here you have what is yours.” The servant didn’t lose the money. He didn’t waste the money selfishly. He was safe. He was careful. … What he wasted was the opportunity. He was driven by fear and he was not willing to take a risk. His sin is the sin of omission. In the confession we say, “we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.” The sin of the third servant is in what was left undone.

The sin of omission could also be called the sin of sloth. Sloth isn’t just laziness. Sloth is not using what God has entrusted into your care. It is to not use your abilities, or resources, or time for God’s purposes. It is refusing to use what God has given you. It is putting your lamp under a bushel basket (Matt 5:15). … We sometimes bury too much kindness, time, treasure, and talent. The third servant was punished for his inactivity, not because he did something wrong, but because he didn’t really do anything.

What this parable teaches us is that there is no such thing as sitting on the sidelines. We are all in the game. There are consequences to our actions, even if our action is deciding to do nothing. … To follow Jesus comes with certain risk. …. But choosing to not play has risk as well. We might think that we don’t have a lot to offer. …. But, we all have been given some grace- a talent. And every talent is like a million dollars. Every one of us have been given something valuable. I think it was Mother Theresa who said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”. God isn’t looking for quantity. God is looking for what you have done with what you have given. … We have been given a tremendous opportunity. God has entrusted us with grace. We are invited to put that grace to work in the world, and by doing so we are invited to cooperate with the kingdom of God, and hopefully, in the end, to hear the words of our master- “well done good and faithful servant”.