Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ – sermon on Nov. 16, 2014
Matthew 25: 14-29 Jesus told his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent – each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five talents more. So also, the one with two talents gained two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Then the man who had received one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Sermon: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ by Rev. Doreen Oughton
Boy oh boy, does Matthew give us some hard stuff at the end of his lectionary year. One more week of Matthew to go, then we start the new liturgical year with the Advent season, and into Mark’s gospel. But for today and next week, more Matthew, Matthew and his somewhat strident Jesus. Today’s passage picks right up where last week’s left off, after the five foolish bridesmaids were locked out of the party. Jesus continues his talk with the disciples about what the kingdom of heaven is like. Last week it was like the bridesmaids who were prepared, and this week it is similar to a rich man who goes away and entrusts much of his wealth to 3 servants, each “according to his ability.”
I always spend some time looking for images that go with the scripture passage, and all the depictions of this story showed coins, like gold coins. But I did a little research on what a talent looked like. I’d read that even one talent was a great deal of money. Some said a year of a day laborer’s wages, some said 15-20 years of wages. So I wondered what this object that was so valuable. Was it more of a weight? Again, the assertions varied from source to source, but it seems the talent was a very big thing – weighing at least 50 pounds and as much as 130 pounds. They had handles on them to help carry them. It was no pocketful or even sackful of coins.
Now keep in mind that this is not an account of an actual story, but a parable being told by Jesus to his disciples. I wonder why he used talents as the amount given by the rich man. It would have gotten their attention, right? It would be like saying, “a rich man was going on a journey, and he gave 2.5 million dollars to one employee, a million to another, and a half million to a third employee. What would you be thinking? Crazy, right? Or maybe you would be thinking, wow – he must really trust these employees. He must have lots of confidence in them. Jesus continues the parable, with the rich man returning from the journey and checking in with his trusted employees. And the first is just beaming, about to burst with pride. Look what I did with what you gave me! And his employer rejoices with him – look what you did! And then he says, you have been trusted with a FEW things, and now you will be trusted with many things. 2.5 million dollars – a few things!
And the check in with the second employee goes the same way – look what I did! Yes! Look what you did, well done! So faithful with this little bit of a million dollars! You will be trusted with greater things. But then we get to the check in with the third employee, who’d been given something like half a million dollars. There is no joy here, no sense of pride or accomplishment or keeping faith. There is resentment. “Here’s your half million back.”
What is up with that? Why would someone be so resentful at being trusted with this huge amount of money? Has anyone ever experienced that – felt put upon by being trusted with something big? I guess I could see how someone could get very anxious. If I was driving someone’s really fancy car, it would make me nervous. But maybe not so much if the owner had 20 cars of similar quality, and had given other people 2 or 5 cars to drive and care for. And I think it would be the kind of nervousness that would make me want to do the best I could, that would stretch me in a way I could feel proud of, not resentful of.
Jesus tells us in this parable why the third servant was resentful. He saw the rich man as a hard and dishonest man. He thought he was being set up, perhaps. Maybe he thought if he tried investing and lost, the rich man would come after him, put him in jail, confiscate whatever little bit of possessions he’d obtained over the years. He couldn’t even imagine that this was a real opportunity. He couldn’t see what was right in front of him,what was so very obvious to the other two – that this was not a set up but a step up. Some commentator’s wonder whether the third servant was a prophetic figure, calling out a corrupt rich man on his evil ways, but I don’t think that is the point at all. There is nothing in this parable leading up to this point to indicate he was a corrupt man. He was nothing but generous and trusting, extremely so. And is response to the first to servants about their work is further validation that the man wanted good for the servants – come share my happiness he says.
So why does this third servant see him this way? Maybe he grew up in an environment of suspicion, taught to trust no one. Maybe he is untrustworthy himself. Have you heard of projection – where a person projects their own characteristics onto others? The person who complains about complainers, or the narcissist who sees others as so self-centered. Maybe seeing it as a set up is the only framework he has for making sense of this gesture. Maybe he’s asked himself why on earth anyone would ever trust HIM with so much. Maybe he realizes that no one has ever trusted him with anything, ever expressed any confidence that he could do something with his life, that he had any skill or talent.
But someone really did have confidence in him, really thought his talent was worth investing a talent. It wasn’t a trick. It was a genuine invitation to see himself anew, to see himself through another’s eyes, to step into a new way of living. But he couldn’t do it, couldn’t break free from the prison of his self doubt or self loathing.
All this reminded me of a story I heard. Its a little bit sexist, but it makes the point, so bear with me. For many centuries the island custom was for a suitor to purchase his wife-to-be with cattle. A young woman was usually worth 2 cows, a beauty 3 and a special prize maybe 4. There was rumor of a father who had once received an unimaginable 5 cows for his gorgeous and charming daughter. Mr. Karoo’s older daughter was not beautiful. She was plain-faced, with an awkward manner. He hoped he could get 2 cows for her, but he would settle for 1. In fact, if he knew the suitor would treat her well, he was willing to let her marry without receiving any cows! Mr. Karoo’s younger daughter was a 3 cow girl. So when Johnny came to pay a visit, everyone was sure that the wealthy man would ask for the younger daughter. But, to dad’s great delight, Johnny asked for his older daughter. Mr. Karoo was ecstatic! Maybe he would get some cows for her after all! And did he ever! Johnny gave him 10 cows for his plain, older daughter. The couple went on a year long honeymoon. When they came back, dad and the villagers were amazed that his “plain” daughter – who had been bought for the unheard of bride’s price of 10 cows – returned poised, graceful, confident and strikingly beautiful. Johnny saw her inward beauty. The value he placed on her helped her believe that she really was beautiful inside and out and she became a 10-cow wife in everyone’s eyes.
Jesus was teaching his disciples and, I think, was making this point about understanding themselves in a new way. They are being entrusted with incredible wealth – the good news that the kingdom has come and is coming. It is not a trick, it is an invitation to a new way of living. Receive this trust, sure with a little fear and trepidation, but the kind that makes you stretch, that calls you to do your best, which might be even a little better than you thought. Someone saw something in you, yes you, that was worth investing in. And this money stuff, Jesus seems to be saying, this is nothing compared to the riches to come.
Another commentator noted that it is not so much what the third servant did with the talent that was the issue, it was what he did with his fear. I’m sure all of the servants were overwhelmed to receive this trust, but the other two did not let their fear paralyze them. A little fear can be good. After all, no one can be courageous if they are not afraid. Perhaps this was a message to the disciples about how to handle fear, and how not to. They are in Jerusalem for the Passover, the chief priests and scribes have been wanting to arrest Jesus. Jesus knows that his days with the disciples are numbered. They may be a little afraid now, and he knows their fear will increase as the week goes on. Does he know, or suspect, that they will betray him and deny him and abandon him? Is he talking to himself as well, reminding himself how to handle fear? To move through it, to grow and stretch past it to enter into the joy and happiness of kingdom living? The disciples have been given so much. Will they see it? Will they take what they have been given, and run with it, investing it and growing the kingdom? Spoiler alert – they do! I guess the question now is, will we? Can we, through our fears about what is happening to churches in general and this church in particular, be faithful with the incredible gifts – our talents – that we’ve been given? Or will we be paralyzed by our fear, play it safe and bury our treasure, remain suspicious of an invitation to live out our faith in new ways?
It is not a trick. God sees you, sees your value, trusts you to use your talent, your passion, your voice to bring the riches of heaven right into this world, the world you live in and work in and play in. So let’s play, and share our master’s happiness.
