Preaching on the Parable of the Talents this morning (Matthew 25). In my studies I’ve been reminded that the greatest risk in life is to take no risk at all. To allow God’s commission for how we share our lives to bow down at the throne of insecurity is the height of unfaithfulness. When our fears trump God’s ability to sustain us on his mission for our lives, we have failed to grasp the full meaning of the Gospel.
Unfortunately, if we take an honest look at the three servants in this parable, we share much in common with the servant who buried the Master’s property in the ground. I used to think the servant did this b/c he was upset that he was only given one talent and the others had 2 and 5 (an assumption I made b/c of poor knowledge regarding Bible $$). When I realized that the least of these had been given the equivalent of 20 year’s worth of a common man’s labor to invest with (talent=6000 denarii, a denarius=1 day’s labor, 6000 days=approx. 20 years work), it dawned on me that each in this story had been given a tremendous amount. This is true of the disciple, isn’t it? Some of us are certain to realize the gift we have been given more than others, but even if we realize a fraction of the gift…it is a large sum! Just as the seed that dies and produces a crop 100 times that which was sown, those who invest this gift are sure to see a return (“to him who has will be given more”).
If it is true that to him who has,more will be given…it is certainly true that if we do not invest the gift given to us by the Master that what we do have will be taken from us. We should not be surprised by this. It is impossible to know the Gift that has been given to us and to NOT re-invest in the world around us. If we are not investing it in others through service, through our choices, through our speech, etc. etc., then it is as if we never had the gift to begin with…we have buried it in the ground. Thus, we illustrate that we never knew the nature of the gift we received or the Nature of the One who Gave the Gift.
Therefore, the Greatest Risk is to take no Risk at all.
1 Comment
November 19, 2009 at 4:42 pm
There have been times in my life…all too rare as I recall now…when I did something for Jesus that I really don’t think I would have been willing to do for anyone else. Such events usually took me away from my family…maybe even far away for a time. I was deeply convinced that I should be involved in those efforts. And the rewards, in terms of lessons learned and faith witnessed and people blessed always outweighed whatever “sacrifices” I made. I am glad for the times I took those risks. They sort of helped me take the measure of my real commitment to my Lord. I like to think that such willingness still characterizes my love for Him. But I very much agree with the insight you offer here…the greatest risk is to forever hang back…to look back and realize that all you have to remember is good intentions which never materialized. The good news is…today, we have another chance. Thank you for sharing the fruit of your continued studies.