Scripture: Matthew 25:14-30
I have rather eclectic tastes when it comes to music. I like a lot of church music: hymns, praise songs, some Christian rock. I like Classical and some jazz. I like a lot of secular music: pop, rock; even more obscure genres like Goth, alternative, and Indie rock. The easiest answer to the question “what music do I like?” is to say “I like what I like.” There’s no one trend or theme that weaves through it all. It’s all over the map.
One of my favorite bands over the years is Genesis. I liked them during their gritty prog rock beginnings in the 70s and I liked their more commercial material in the 80s and 90s. They broke up about 10 or so years ago (retired really) and I remember hearing a radio interview with the band not long after they announced that. It was a fun interview; the band members talking about a lot of cool memories, stuff they did, how some of their songs came about. But then the interviewer moved to the inevitable question “What are you guys going to do now?”
Phil Collins answered. He said, “You know, we’re all still friends. We’ll probably get together. Play some music. Maybe even write some new material. But we’re done with recording and touring together.”
I remember being kind of angry over that answer. They’re going to write new material together. They’re going to make some new Genesis songs, but they’re not going to record them. They’re not going to share them with the world. They’re not going to let their fans hear that music. That seemed really unfair to me. How can you have such a wonderful gift for music and not want to share it with the wider world?
You know, when you really think about it, you could ask that question of a lot of people. How can you have such a wonderful gift and not want to share it with the wider world? There are a lot of different answers to that question. Some people are afraid to share. Some people are selfish. Some people are convinced they have no gift. Some people believe they’re not good enough when compared to someone else. Some people just plain don’t believe in themselves, even when others do believe in them.
Which brings us to tonight’s Gospel lesson. Jesus tells a parable about a wealthy master who entrusts his property to his servants while he goes off on a journey. He gives to each one “according to his ability.” To one, five talents of money. To another, two, and to a third, one. The first takes what he’s been given and doubles his money. The second does likewise. The third, however, digs a hole and hides the money in a field and does nothing with it.
Why does he do this? Well, that long list of answers I just gave about why people don’t share their gifts and talents in our world applies here just as well.
- Maybe he’s selfish? Well, the story doesn’t say that, but it’s an easy guess.
- Maybe he’s afraid? This, the story does say. The servant admits as much when he’s called to account.
- Maybe he thinks he doesn’t have a gift? He was only given one talent, but that’s still a pretty substantial amount of money. It’s somewhere between $30,000 and $120,000 in modern terms, depending on how you measure it. Hardly pocket change.
- Maybe he thinks he’s not good enough when compared to others? He does have less than his companions, but he still has between $30k and $120k, depending on how you measure it. Again, not pocket change.
- Maybe he doesn’t believe in himself? Well, the master did entrust him with a value between $30k and $120k. It’s pretty clear that the master does believe in him, even if the servant himself does not.
The simple fact of the matter is that this servant really has no excuse for his behavior. None of these reasons stand up to scrutiny. None of these reasons have any validity. The servant fails and fails miserably.
He fails because he completely misunderstands his master.
The servant complains because he says the master is “a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed.” But the story does not bear that out. If anything, the master that we see is a very generous and trusting individual. He gives over his property to others and responds with kindness when they prove faithful. Even the third servant is, as I’ve pointed out already, given a hefty sum to take care of. The master believes in him. The master trusts him. If not, then the third servant would never have received anything at all.
We spend a lot of time in churches like this one talking about faith. We talk about what God has promised. We talk a lot about what God has done. We talk about his word and we celebrate his sacraments and all this is intended to invigorate our faith in him and his promises. That’s good, but relationships are not a one-way street. And in our relationship with God that we each have, there is not just our faith in him and what he’s done, there is also his faith in us and what we can do.
All too often we are hesitant to share what we’ve been given. And what have we been given? Well, each one of us has something. Perhaps it is a wondrous talent for the arts. Perhaps it is a skill that we’re really good at. Perhaps it is knowledge or wisdom or particular way of looking at the world. Perhaps we have great wealth. The possibilities are as diverse as there are people in the world. We didn’t come by that thing by accident or chance. It was given to us by our master, by our God. It has been entrusted to us to be used for his purposes.
Key word: entrusted. Trust is the core of that. God trusts us. God wants us to use what he’s given us for the betterment of his kingdom. For the aid of his people. That’s why he gave us that gift. That’s why we have it.
We hem and haw about what to do with what we have. And like the third servant, none of our excuses really stand up to scrutiny. Our God is kind and loving and generous and trusting. He shows us the truth of all that in Jesus, who went to the cross for our sakes.
He gives everything to us, even his very life. He’s the one who created the whole universe, who can count even the number of the hairs upon our heads. He is fully aware of our potential, even if we are not. It is no accident that we have come by the gifts we have. They are meant to be shared. They are meant to be used. They are intended for God’s glory, to tell others about him and his love, to bring them into that relationship with him as well.
And none of that will happen if we stick them in a proverbial hole and never ever share them with the wider world. God believes in you. Trust him. Amen.
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