Losing What You Never Had
The Parable of the Talents Revisited
A Sermon by
Tammy Nelson
Matthew 25:14-30
Focal passage:
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. -Matthew 25:29
For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. -Matthew 25:29
The Rose -Bette Midler, 1979
It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give, and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give, and the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
The Wealth of a Lifetime
Recently I attended the celebration of life for a remarkable man who touched the hearts and lives of many people in our community. The day was filled with laughter, tears, and so many memories. But one thing that puzzled me was the gospel reading for the homily at the service.
The first part, sure, I get that; Gene was an amazing man who multiplied his talents and was a good and faithful servant. But ending the passage with the bit about the lazy and wicked servant seemed a bit of a downer. This scripture had always seemed to me to point toward a judging God who we had to please in order to get to heaven. This point was evidenced to me by the whole well done...enter into the joy of your lord or the passage about you wicked and lazy servant...there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This day, however something the pastor mentioned briefly about the value of a talent stuck with me and opened up a whole new way of interpreting the passage. She told us that the servant who was given 5 talents to manage was basically entrusted with 70 years worth of wages. The servant with three talents had 30 years worth of wages to work with. And the one with one talent had about 15 years worth of monies to manage. The idea that captured my attention that day, the one that got me thinking deep and epiphany like thoughts revolved around lifetimes: a lifetime of wealth OR the wealth of a lifetime. This isn't a question of tithing to show gratitude or the use it or lose it mentality which states that you must use your talents and abilities for the good of the church or you will lose them. It's not about money or ability at all. It's much bigger than that.
Jesus wasn't impressed by money and he didn't really care if someone was gifted in a particular area. What Jesus cared about and worked so hard to convey to his followers was the value of a life. So, what if the parable isn't punitive as I have always thought, but instead simply explains the result of hoarding your potential?
Everyone has a life to work with. Nobody knows exactly how many years they will get. Some get 70 years; others may have 30 or 10. Every life has value. The days of our lives are only the starting point however. It's what we do with our time that gives our lives 2, ten, or a hundred times the value. And as I previously said, what Jesus and by extension, God, is interested in are lives. Therefore our life's value increases exponentially in relation to how we affect the lives of others.
But what of the wicked, lazy servant you might ask? He dug a hole and hid his wealth for fear of the wrath of his lord so when The Lord came home, he could return to him all that had been entrusted to him. The problem with his actions, besides working from a faulty premise of fear, is that he believed that what was given to him was meant to be returned.
I don't see anywhere in the passage where this is the case. Instead, we see The Lord praising his servants for what they have accomplished with what they had been given and rewarding them with even more responsibility. He then tells them to enter into the joy of their lord. Which of course begs the question, what is the joy of their lord? I've always assumed this meant heaven. But since I am looking at the passage in new ways, why not reexamine this bit too?
The Joy of the Lord
How does one enter into the joy of another? I know I always feel good whenever I bring happiness to someone; it feels great to be told “ya done good” and know you have made someone proud, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t what Jesus is referring to in this passage. When someone shares good news, that also gives me a joyful feeling, but there’s a big difference between the joy of the hearer and the joy of the one for whom events unfold. No, to truly enter into the joy of another, one must share the same experience.
So, in the Matthew text today, what is the joy that the lord invites his servants to share? What experience has he had that he now wishes for others to enjoy? Irenaeus of Gaul, an early church father and apologist said that “the glory of God is man (humanity) fully alive.”
Humanity fully alive… The lord in Jesus’ parable entrusted people with the potential for great gain and those who accomplished all their lord had envisioned were given even more to work with. The lord knew that each one had a certain potential. When he returned, he was delighted with those who had lived up to their potential. His joy came from seeing his people fully alive. Imagine the scene upon the lord’s return…
The Lord Returns
The lord of the realm rides up to the palace. It’s been years since he rode out, leaving his servants in charge and they hadn’t been expecting his return. Two servants come running out the meet their lord excited and bubbling over with stories of all they had experienced and done with the wealth with which they had been entrusted. You can see their lord’s eyes twinkling with joy as he observes the effect the accomplishments have had on his enthusiastic servants. Their tales go long into the night at the banquet. Of course there was a banquet; the lord of the realm just returned!
Meanwhile, skulking at the back of the room is the third servant, slightly bedraggled, dirt covering his tunic from scrabbling in the earth to uncover that which he had buried. He listens to his fellow servants with ever deepening dread, perhaps for the first time realizing all he could have done. But he lived his life in fear; fear of the lord, fear of punishment, fear of losing that which he had been given. His fear ate at him, causing him to quite literally bury all he had received deep in the earth. And I’m sure that even after that, he constantly worried that someone would stumble upon his hiding place and take from him what he thought of as his security.
A Tale of Three Servants
Imagine the very different lives of the two types of servants. One feared for his life and his livelihood, even though he had been given the potential for great things. He clutched and held his potential tightly to him, in the misguided belief that what he had been given was the end in and of itself instead of the means to a greater end. He firmly believed that if he were just able to present that which the lord had entrusted to him, at the appointed hour, that all would be well.
Quite possibly he lived in jealousy of the two other servants who actually put their potential to use. I can seem him grumbling to himself about how they were squandering what they had been given, how they would be sorry when their lord came back and saw them wasting his precious resources. This one would turn angry, judgmental eyes upon them, knowing the punishment that awaited them. At night he would settle into the same little hovel he had lived in since birth and dream of something better, despite the fact that just beneath the ground, buried away from prying eyes and grasping fingers lay all that he needed to obtain that something better.
Then there were to other two. They spent their time investing what they had been given into people and projects that they believed would give a good return. They didn’t always guess correctly, but they kept after it, always on the lookout for a way to bring honor to their lord. Along the way I’m certain they invested in things that would benefit the people who lived in the lord’s realm, projects that would endear their lord to his people. With their experience came wisdom and most likely a love for the people who had also been entrusted to their care. I’m sure that quite a few coins ended up in the pockets of the widows, orphans, and others who struggled to make a livelihood with no prospects, no resources and little hope.
Years passed. The fearful servant became even more bitter the longer his lord was gone. He had been hoping for a reward for safeguarding his lord’s resources, something that would make up for his current life situation. Meanwhile the other two servants took the potential their lord had given to them and used it wherever they saw an opportunity. Sometimes they got a return for their efforts, other times they didn’t, but they always continued to be open and receptive to opportunities for growth and expansion.
A Celebration Full of Dread?
Now, back to the banquet… The fire in the hearth was burning low in the great hall. Food and wine had been liberally distributed. Stories were recounted both by the two servants and by the myriad of people who had been in some way affected by the two. About this time the lord looks around, as if realizing for the first time that there was someone missing from the heart of this celebration.
With nowhere to hide and terror bubbling up in his soul, the third servant stumbles forward dragging the talent he had so carefully guarded. He feels shabby and unworthy to stand in the presence of his lord, so he drops to his knees and begins to babble about all the reasons why what he did was a good idea. He prefaces his rambling explanation with how harsh he knew his lord can be. I’m sure that’s on the top ten list of how to win friends and influence people. He ends his little speech by practically thrusting the rope that he had used to drag his heavy load, into the hands of his master and remains trembling at his feet, most likely in a mixture of relief that the great responsibility had finally been removed from his shoulders and also in fear as he sees all the little daydreams he had comforted himself with over the years evaporating under the heated gaze of his displeased lord.
Can’t you see the disappointment, anger and sadness that crossed his lord’s face? It’s not because of the money. It is because of the opportunities lost. All the things his servant could have done and become, all his potential, lost to a lifetime of fear and anxiety. Trust me, living with the daily dread of punishment and loss will lead to a lifetime of fear and anxiety. It will cause you to guard and hide what you have and who you are for fear of being taken advantage of. A lifetime of withdrawing when you should be reaching out… Can there be anything more tragic?
Losing What You Never Had
Well, yes. A life time of fear, anxiety and wasted potential is bad enough, but add to that watching someone else receive the results of your missed opportunities and imagine the pain. In Jesus’ parable, the lord took the talent from his “wicked and lazy servant” and gave it over to the one who had done the most with what he had been given. That is also pretty much how it is in the “real world” too. If you spend your life avoiding situations just because they might not work out, you will have a lot of missed opportunities laid out in your wake. But those missed opportunities won’t remain missed. Someone will step in because they see a need, a chance to make a difference. Often, that someone will be the very person who is already the busiest, the one who is always there.
And as you hover in the background, that someone sweeps in and makes plans and comes up with ideas that benefit those around them. Incidentally they are probably the very same types of ideas you would have been able to offer if you hadn’t let fear hold you back. Their lives are enriched by each thing they attempt. When you hold back, you are deprived of that growth and development, the wealth of a lifetime.
And someday, you may end up in a group of people who have all been deeply affected by that someone who has done so much. You may be overwhelmed by the stories you hear about all the adventures and experiences that someone managed to pack into one lifetime. As you gaze out over the crowd of people whose voices are raised in gratitude for that someone with a life well lived, someone who had an impact on your life as well, you may begin to reflect on your life experiences and find something lacking.
So What’s the Good News?
Don’t let your heart be troubled. The good news is that you have been given everything you need to accomplish great things for your Lord. It’s time to till the hardened soil of your soul to unearth all that potential you have buried so deeply. The true wealth of a lifetime is within your grasp…If you are willing to allow it to slip from your tightly clenched fists out into a world that so desperately needs you. Be brave! For you have a purpose and the authority to carry it out. Not a harsh, judgmental authority. An authority grounded in the highest form of love: unconditional, with no strings attached.
Scatter your seeds of love out into the world. Sometimes you will reap a harvest, sometimes you won’t. But if you don’t try, you will never discover the joy that comes from being a human, fully alive. And there is no greater love than this, that one will lay down his life for his friends. Being a human fully alive will cause you to risk great things, even possibly your very life to see others come alive with their own potential.
Gene was someone alright! Someone who invested his live heavily in the lives of others. His influence was widespread. He was well known and widely loved. Gene was someone who saw the value of every person, even those most shunned and ignored by the world. He was someone who lived for those fully alive moments. He saw potential in everyone and because of that there are many who are forever changed.
The scriptures say, “Whoever desires to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:35) So go ahead and invest yourself in those around you. It’s possible that you might get burned, but as Bette Midler sang in The Rose, “It’s the ones who won’t be taken, who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
May you live into all the potential God has bestowed upon you. Live fearlessly, love extravagantly and enter into the joy of your Lord. Amen.
Recently I attended the celebration of life for a remarkable man who touched the hearts and lives of many people in our community. The day was filled with laughter, tears, and so many memories. But one thing that puzzled me was the gospel reading for the homily at the service.
The first part, sure, I get that; Gene was an amazing man who multiplied his talents and was a good and faithful servant. But ending the passage with the bit about the lazy and wicked servant seemed a bit of a downer. This scripture had always seemed to me to point toward a judging God who we had to please in order to get to heaven. This point was evidenced to me by the whole well done...enter into the joy of your lord or the passage about you wicked and lazy servant...there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This day, however something the pastor mentioned briefly about the value of a talent stuck with me and opened up a whole new way of interpreting the passage. She told us that the servant who was given 5 talents to manage was basically entrusted with 70 years worth of wages. The servant with three talents had 30 years worth of wages to work with. And the one with one talent had about 15 years worth of monies to manage. The idea that captured my attention that day, the one that got me thinking deep and epiphany like thoughts revolved around lifetimes: a lifetime of wealth OR the wealth of a lifetime. This isn't a question of tithing to show gratitude or the use it or lose it mentality which states that you must use your talents and abilities for the good of the church or you will lose them. It's not about money or ability at all. It's much bigger than that.
Jesus wasn't impressed by money and he didn't really care if someone was gifted in a particular area. What Jesus cared about and worked so hard to convey to his followers was the value of a life. So, what if the parable isn't punitive as I have always thought, but instead simply explains the result of hoarding your potential?
Everyone has a life to work with. Nobody knows exactly how many years they will get. Some get 70 years; others may have 30 or 10. Every life has value. The days of our lives are only the starting point however. It's what we do with our time that gives our lives 2, ten, or a hundred times the value. And as I previously said, what Jesus and by extension, God, is interested in are lives. Therefore our life's value increases exponentially in relation to how we affect the lives of others.
But what of the wicked, lazy servant you might ask? He dug a hole and hid his wealth for fear of the wrath of his lord so when The Lord came home, he could return to him all that had been entrusted to him. The problem with his actions, besides working from a faulty premise of fear, is that he believed that what was given to him was meant to be returned.
I don't see anywhere in the passage where this is the case. Instead, we see The Lord praising his servants for what they have accomplished with what they had been given and rewarding them with even more responsibility. He then tells them to enter into the joy of their lord. Which of course begs the question, what is the joy of their lord? I've always assumed this meant heaven. But since I am looking at the passage in new ways, why not reexamine this bit too?
The Joy of the Lord
How does one enter into the joy of another? I know I always feel good whenever I bring happiness to someone; it feels great to be told “ya done good” and know you have made someone proud, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t what Jesus is referring to in this passage. When someone shares good news, that also gives me a joyful feeling, but there’s a big difference between the joy of the hearer and the joy of the one for whom events unfold. No, to truly enter into the joy of another, one must share the same experience.
So, in the Matthew text today, what is the joy that the lord invites his servants to share? What experience has he had that he now wishes for others to enjoy? Irenaeus of Gaul, an early church father and apologist said that “the glory of God is man (humanity) fully alive.”
Humanity fully alive… The lord in Jesus’ parable entrusted people with the potential for great gain and those who accomplished all their lord had envisioned were given even more to work with. The lord knew that each one had a certain potential. When he returned, he was delighted with those who had lived up to their potential. His joy came from seeing his people fully alive. Imagine the scene upon the lord’s return…
The Lord Returns
The lord of the realm rides up to the palace. It’s been years since he rode out, leaving his servants in charge and they hadn’t been expecting his return. Two servants come running out the meet their lord excited and bubbling over with stories of all they had experienced and done with the wealth with which they had been entrusted. You can see their lord’s eyes twinkling with joy as he observes the effect the accomplishments have had on his enthusiastic servants. Their tales go long into the night at the banquet. Of course there was a banquet; the lord of the realm just returned!
Meanwhile, skulking at the back of the room is the third servant, slightly bedraggled, dirt covering his tunic from scrabbling in the earth to uncover that which he had buried. He listens to his fellow servants with ever deepening dread, perhaps for the first time realizing all he could have done. But he lived his life in fear; fear of the lord, fear of punishment, fear of losing that which he had been given. His fear ate at him, causing him to quite literally bury all he had received deep in the earth. And I’m sure that even after that, he constantly worried that someone would stumble upon his hiding place and take from him what he thought of as his security.
A Tale of Three Servants
Imagine the very different lives of the two types of servants. One feared for his life and his livelihood, even though he had been given the potential for great things. He clutched and held his potential tightly to him, in the misguided belief that what he had been given was the end in and of itself instead of the means to a greater end. He firmly believed that if he were just able to present that which the lord had entrusted to him, at the appointed hour, that all would be well.
Quite possibly he lived in jealousy of the two other servants who actually put their potential to use. I can seem him grumbling to himself about how they were squandering what they had been given, how they would be sorry when their lord came back and saw them wasting his precious resources. This one would turn angry, judgmental eyes upon them, knowing the punishment that awaited them. At night he would settle into the same little hovel he had lived in since birth and dream of something better, despite the fact that just beneath the ground, buried away from prying eyes and grasping fingers lay all that he needed to obtain that something better.
Then there were to other two. They spent their time investing what they had been given into people and projects that they believed would give a good return. They didn’t always guess correctly, but they kept after it, always on the lookout for a way to bring honor to their lord. Along the way I’m certain they invested in things that would benefit the people who lived in the lord’s realm, projects that would endear their lord to his people. With their experience came wisdom and most likely a love for the people who had also been entrusted to their care. I’m sure that quite a few coins ended up in the pockets of the widows, orphans, and others who struggled to make a livelihood with no prospects, no resources and little hope.
Years passed. The fearful servant became even more bitter the longer his lord was gone. He had been hoping for a reward for safeguarding his lord’s resources, something that would make up for his current life situation. Meanwhile the other two servants took the potential their lord had given to them and used it wherever they saw an opportunity. Sometimes they got a return for their efforts, other times they didn’t, but they always continued to be open and receptive to opportunities for growth and expansion.
A Celebration Full of Dread?
Now, back to the banquet… The fire in the hearth was burning low in the great hall. Food and wine had been liberally distributed. Stories were recounted both by the two servants and by the myriad of people who had been in some way affected by the two. About this time the lord looks around, as if realizing for the first time that there was someone missing from the heart of this celebration.
With nowhere to hide and terror bubbling up in his soul, the third servant stumbles forward dragging the talent he had so carefully guarded. He feels shabby and unworthy to stand in the presence of his lord, so he drops to his knees and begins to babble about all the reasons why what he did was a good idea. He prefaces his rambling explanation with how harsh he knew his lord can be. I’m sure that’s on the top ten list of how to win friends and influence people. He ends his little speech by practically thrusting the rope that he had used to drag his heavy load, into the hands of his master and remains trembling at his feet, most likely in a mixture of relief that the great responsibility had finally been removed from his shoulders and also in fear as he sees all the little daydreams he had comforted himself with over the years evaporating under the heated gaze of his displeased lord.
Can’t you see the disappointment, anger and sadness that crossed his lord’s face? It’s not because of the money. It is because of the opportunities lost. All the things his servant could have done and become, all his potential, lost to a lifetime of fear and anxiety. Trust me, living with the daily dread of punishment and loss will lead to a lifetime of fear and anxiety. It will cause you to guard and hide what you have and who you are for fear of being taken advantage of. A lifetime of withdrawing when you should be reaching out… Can there be anything more tragic?
Losing What You Never Had
Well, yes. A life time of fear, anxiety and wasted potential is bad enough, but add to that watching someone else receive the results of your missed opportunities and imagine the pain. In Jesus’ parable, the lord took the talent from his “wicked and lazy servant” and gave it over to the one who had done the most with what he had been given. That is also pretty much how it is in the “real world” too. If you spend your life avoiding situations just because they might not work out, you will have a lot of missed opportunities laid out in your wake. But those missed opportunities won’t remain missed. Someone will step in because they see a need, a chance to make a difference. Often, that someone will be the very person who is already the busiest, the one who is always there.
And as you hover in the background, that someone sweeps in and makes plans and comes up with ideas that benefit those around them. Incidentally they are probably the very same types of ideas you would have been able to offer if you hadn’t let fear hold you back. Their lives are enriched by each thing they attempt. When you hold back, you are deprived of that growth and development, the wealth of a lifetime.
And someday, you may end up in a group of people who have all been deeply affected by that someone who has done so much. You may be overwhelmed by the stories you hear about all the adventures and experiences that someone managed to pack into one lifetime. As you gaze out over the crowd of people whose voices are raised in gratitude for that someone with a life well lived, someone who had an impact on your life as well, you may begin to reflect on your life experiences and find something lacking.
So What’s the Good News?
Don’t let your heart be troubled. The good news is that you have been given everything you need to accomplish great things for your Lord. It’s time to till the hardened soil of your soul to unearth all that potential you have buried so deeply. The true wealth of a lifetime is within your grasp…If you are willing to allow it to slip from your tightly clenched fists out into a world that so desperately needs you. Be brave! For you have a purpose and the authority to carry it out. Not a harsh, judgmental authority. An authority grounded in the highest form of love: unconditional, with no strings attached.
Scatter your seeds of love out into the world. Sometimes you will reap a harvest, sometimes you won’t. But if you don’t try, you will never discover the joy that comes from being a human, fully alive. And there is no greater love than this, that one will lay down his life for his friends. Being a human fully alive will cause you to risk great things, even possibly your very life to see others come alive with their own potential.
Gene was someone alright! Someone who invested his live heavily in the lives of others. His influence was widespread. He was well known and widely loved. Gene was someone who saw the value of every person, even those most shunned and ignored by the world. He was someone who lived for those fully alive moments. He saw potential in everyone and because of that there are many who are forever changed.
The scriptures say, “Whoever desires to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake and the sake of the gospel, will save it.” (Mark 8:35) So go ahead and invest yourself in those around you. It’s possible that you might get burned, but as Bette Midler sang in The Rose, “It’s the ones who won’t be taken, who cannot seem to give. And the soul afraid of dying that never learns to live.
May you live into all the potential God has bestowed upon you. Live fearlessly, love extravagantly and enter into the joy of your Lord. Amen.