“Make the Wait Worthwhile”

November 15, 2020

Matthew 25: 14–30

Today’s parable brings us close to the end of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life. It is the third in a series of four that Jesus tells about end times and his return some time in the future. The parables come in response to this question his disciples ask: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’

For us, this parable gives insight into what Jesus wants his followers to be about while they wait for his return in the return.

For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”

And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.”

Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, 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.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest.

So, take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ****

About 20 years ago — before I got much into “middle age” I decided it was time to live with greater boldness. I don’t really recall what triggered this decision. Maybe it was when I prepared my first will and testament, and plainly realized that my life is finite. But I do recall why. It was a conscious decision to be sure I was investing in growing my abilities, stepping out of the box and experiencing new things — while increasing in faithful service to God and God’s people. Each year I committed to accomplishing one notable challenge, one good-sized risk.

Over those years though, some of the risks and challenges were perhaps rather frivolous. Others changed my heart and mind and continue to influence decisions I make.

A few of the more exhilarating risky challenges were sports-oriented in nature. I navigated a Class V whitewater river in Alaska and ice climbed up there, too. I went solo skydiving, stepping out of an airplane at 3000 feet.

Beyond the sports-oriented risky challenges, the more thoughtful and enduring ones were tied to volunteering and off-the beaten path international travel. I served with Global Volunteers in Romania teaching English to middle school students in a classroom heated by a wood stove that received a daily allotment of two sticks of wood. I served with Lutheran Disaster Response following hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. And three times I traveled to Haiti — the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The first time I went there, the American airlines agent checking me in for my flight from Miami to Port au Prince asked “Why ever do you want to go to Haiti? She herself was Haitian and happy to have left.

During two of my visits to that country I lived with Haitian families. I tasted what it’s like to live in a tropical climate, without the convenience of electricity, running water, or basic communication and transportation services.

My first home stay in Haiti was with a family of 6. They lived a tiny 12x18 foot house. Each day we walked about a half a mile to a spring to get water. An open fire was the stove. The outhouse was a concrete pedestal on the top of the hill. At night a chamber pot was provided because there was no going out after dark. The door was locked to keep us in AND to keep evil spirits out — it is part of the Haitian belief system. Compared to my comfortable life here in Wisconsin, living like this even for a few days was a huge challenge. There was plenty of risk stepping into this experience.

All the volunteering and challenges I embarked upon involved risk — not simply risking breaking a leg or arm, or getting some food borne illness, but risking being open to the complete unknown as well as the uncomfortable.

Risk is reality in this life. Sometimes we choose the risk. Sometimes we do not. Starting a business is a risk. Getting married is a risk. Having children involves risk. Investing your money in the stock market is a risk. Undergoing surgery, driving down the highway, not wearing a mask is a risk, even becoming part of a church can be a risk.

I wonder, have you thought about the risk of being Christian? Do you see risk in following Jesus? Christians are to be, by nature, risk-takers.

In the Bible reading you heard a few minutes ago from Matthew, Jesus makes this truth abundantly clear. Jesus’ story is about a master (and let’s not immediately assume this master refers to GOD) who gave various amount of “talents” to his servants before he went away for an unspecified time. Talents were a way of grouping money in the ancient world, and it is estimated that one talent was worth about twenty years’ wages.

As Jesus tells this parable, the master is a very generous person. The master believes in his slaves and entrusts them with incredible blessings. The master gives the first slave control of about one hundred years of wages. The second slave gets the equivalent of forty years’ wages, and the last slave about a year’s worth. These are enormous sums of money being entrusted to three slaves, and with it comes vast responsibility and authority.

The parable goes on and tells us it takes a long time for the master to come back. However, the amount of time is never the issue. The point is the master returns and reviews how the slaves handled what was entrusted to them. The first two slaves are commended for the risks they taken to grow the talents and are promised more responsibility in the future.

But the third slave? He misjudged his responsibility because of a fundamental

misunderstanding about the master. The slave lived in fear. For whatever reason he thought his master

was harsh, to be feared — he seems to have never thought of the master being generous and giving, willing to take enormous risks entrusting to him the talent.

To his curious disciples, Jesus uses this parable to teach them that following that master’s lead includes taking risks — — and while they wait for the master to return — such time isn’t simply to be endured, but as opportunity for using the talents for taking risks to grow what has been entrusted to them.

What’s the point for us? God expects us to take risks with what God entrusts to us. And I believe there are two reasons:

First — so we continue to grow what we’ve been given to bear fruit and honor God

Second — so that what we possess is directed to serve our neighbor and advance the mission of Christ in this world until he returns again in a future day.

Let me tell you a true story about risk.

Some years back it was my pleasure to meet and visit with Tony Campolo. He is an internationally known Christian author and dynamic speaker. The reason I chose to go to Haiti was because Tony Campolo told me to take the risk.

Tony lives out in Philadelphia and while his health is now poor, he used to travel the country. One day at 8:30 AM after an overnight flight from the West Coast, his assistant met him at the airport and informed him that he had a Women’s World Day of Prayer speaking engagement at 10 am. This had somehow missed his calendar. She also informed him this group wanted a “missionary” type message.

When Campolo arrived at the church, he was exhausted and not thinking clearly. The only place he wanted to be was in his bed. So, when the woman leading this event asked him if he could announce to the gathering that she had received a prayer request from a missionary in Venezuela, Tony didn’t respond in normal fashion.

The woman described this missionary as a physician who ran a clinic for the poor. This physician was asking for $5,000 to put an addition on the little clinic so she could better handle the crowds of sick who were coming for care.

The woman leading this Prayer service then asked, “Dr. Campolo, would you please lead us in prayer that the Lord might provide the $5,000 that is needed by our sister in Venezuela?”

Before he could catch himself, Tony said, “No! But what I will do is take all the money I am carrying on me and put it on the altar. And I’m going to ask everyone else here to do the same. No need to write out checks! We will only accept cash! After we have put all the cash we’re carrying on the altar, we’ll count it. Then I’ll ask God to write out a check for the difference.”

It was a good day to pull this off, Tony admitted, because he was only carrying $2.25. The leader smiled benevolently and said, “We’ve all gotten the point, haven’t we?” “No! I don’t think we have!” Tony responded. “My $2.25 is on the altar. Now it’s your turn.”

The woman was somewhat taken back by his aggressive request, but she opened her wallet and pulled out $110, and slapped it down on top of his meager offering. Then Tony announced to all the ladies, “We’re on our way! We’ve got $112.25. Now it’s your turn!”

Tony pointed to a woman who was sitting in the front pew over to his right. She looked around and smiled a bit. Then she got up and came to the altar and put her cash on top of the other two offerings.

Tony then got the next woman to do it, then the next, and the next. It took more than twenty-five minutes to take up the offering as one by one, woman after woman came and placed her money on the altar. When they had finished, they counted the money. Together they had given more than eight thousand dollars. Even then, Tony knew that wasn’t all the cash in the room. He saw some of the women holding back and putting in meager offerings as they sent dirty looks his way.

At this point there wasn’t any time left for Tony to speak. He didn’t think they wanted to hear from him anyway, so he simply said to the congregation, “The audacity of asking God for five thousand dollars, when God has already provided us with more than eight thousand dollars. We should not be asking God to supply our needs. God already has!”

That puts in perspective the risk of giving away ourselves, our money, our lives. All the risk is really on God, isn’t it? It is — if we genuinely believe God gives us what we need.

The third servant in this parable played it safe. He took no risks at all. And you may ask: What’s wrong with being cautious? Discretion and deliberateness are virtues, not vices. But his self-protectiveness and restraint — results in not growing anything for the Master. In short, he squanders the opportunity to grow what was given him.

Before I conclude, I want to raise the initial questions by the disciples that prompted this parable: “(Jesus) “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ It is clear in this parable that Jesus isn’t answering. Why? It sems what you and I while we wait for that coming day is more important. It is also apparent that the bottom line of this parable is not about doubling your money and accumulating wealth. It is about realizing:

*God’s generosity

*Investing your life and all that God has entrusted to you

*Taking the risk of growing your talents and resources for the mission of Jesus in this world while you have the gift of these years — or until Jesus returns again.