Matthew 25:14-30
“Use It Or Lose It”
By: Rev. Ken Sauer, Pastor of Grace UMC, Soddy Daisy, TN www.graceumcsd.org
Author Dan Kimball is quoted as saying: “You can’t do nothing. Whatever it is that you try, at least you will be able to stand before Christ one day and say ‘We gave it our best shot…We never quite figured it out, but we certainly did try!’”
May the same be said for the people of Grace United Methodist Church!
This morning’s parable challenges us to make full use of the gifts God has entrusted to us.
Our love for God must be demonstrated in faithful and untiring service to other people!
In the parable of the talents the Kingdom of God is illustrated by a master—who represents God…
…and servants of the master—that’s us!
The master owns the property that the servants use to raise their food, feed their families, play, work and live, and for a time, the master has entrusted his property to these folks.
And not only has he entrusted his property to them…
…he has also given each of them a huge sum of money.
In Jesus’ day a talent was equivalent to approximatley 6,000 denarii, that is, the earnings of a hard worker for twenty years.
The allegorical meaning of this is to get through our, sometimes thick skulls, the immensity of the gifts, and the preciousness of the gifts that God has entrusted to our care!
Even the one with the least ability is given huge responsibility, an honor for which he should be grateful.
He is entrusted with a mere quarter of a million dollars.
This is not something to be resentful about!
But he is resentful nonetheless.
Maybe ‘non-plused’ or ‘apethetic’ would better describe his attitude.
The man with the one talent simply did nothing with it.
And that is the biggest crime of all!
What a waste!
What a selfish way to live.
He didn’t even try.
Although the others went at once to put their talents to work, the one talent guy didn’t even bother to leave the starting gate.
He “dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
When the master returned, after a long time away (we are reminded), the man who had received the one talent made a whole bunch of excuses as to why he didn’t use what was entrusted to him.
And mainly he blamed the master!
“I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.”
In other words, his master is a harsh and difficult business man, a “slick dealer” who takes far more from a business transaction than what he really deserves.
The master’s gift to the one talent man is therefore not a privilege or an honor but a burdoning responsibility—a real pain in the neck!
“I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you,’” said the one talent man to the master.
And with these words the servant disclaims any further responsibility for the money.
He may even be expecting to be commended for showing such prudence and returning the stacks of cash intact.
The master answers the unproductive man by using his own language against him—except he leaves out the adjective translated as “hard” as in “I knew you were a hard man,” because this isn’t a true depiction of what God is really like.
Whereas the one talent man characterized himself as being “afraid”, the master calls him “lazy” instead.
He see’s right through all the excuses and blame-placing—and calls it like it is.
The master wanted his servants to go out and enjoy working his land.
He wanted them to be willing to take risks for the kingdom…
…to be willing to live outside the box…
…to share the abundance of God’s gifts with everyone!
But this takes some effort.
It takes some initiative; motivation.
The easiest thing to do is to do nothing instead!
Just go along with the “status quo.”
Don’t make waves.
Don’t risk anything.
Just put the SUV on cruise control, sit back and take a nap.
Don’t bother to do a thing with what you have been graced with.
Don’t put forth the effort to try and make this world a better place.
Don’t lift a finger to help other’s out—after-all, they probably wouldn’t even appreciate it anyway...so what’s the point?
You’d just be wasting all your gifts and graces for nothing.
And after-all, you weren’t given much in the first place.
And this life is hard.
Every person for his or herself!
What’s mine is mine and that’s that!
That was the attitude of the one-talent man.
How many of us can identify with him?
Another thing about the one-talent man, and folks like him—they desire to keep things exactly like they are.
They resist change.
And it is for this that they are condemned!!!
In this parable, Jesus tells us that there can’t be any Christianity without adventure, and that God can find no use for those who have shut their minds.
God wants us to open our minds to what God is doing in this world.
And to the needs of others.
An open mind is a stimulated, adventurous, loving, learning and ever-expanding mind!
God is not pleased when 30, 40, 50 or 60 year old spiritual infants are trying to keep watch over God’s Church year after year.
What a terrible witness that is for the world.
What a waste of such treasure!
Might as well just bury it in the ground!
Jesus tells us that we are to “Love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] mind.”
If we have closed our minds, then we are not fully obeying this most wonderful command.
Our role is to ensure that the Great Commandment and the Great Commission are happening at Grace United Methodist Church.
The best metaphore for a church which is putting it’s Master’s money to work and gaining more is a “missionary outpost” whose mission is continually “going out” and “inviting in.”
The result is new converts for Christ.
How many folks have you brought with you to church this year?
Are you using your talents?
How are you doing managing your Master’s money and property?
Inviting people to come to church is scary for most folks, but if we think of it as inviting them to Christ—it should be part of our DNA.
The most mind blowing thing is that most of us have enough nonbelieving friends that we don’t have to reach too far when looking for folks to invite.
All we need to do is view our friends through the lens of Christ.
Mature and growing Christians appreciate the gifts God has given them with enormous love and gratitude…
…so much so that they can’t help but pass them on!!!
And in doing so, their talents are multiplied, the world is a better place because of their love for God.
Is the world a better place because of your love for God?
In our parable for this morning, the one talent man didn’t show the slightest trace of gratitude that his master had trusted him with so much.
His respect for his master was extremely limited to just a grudging acknowlegment of his power.
This parable challenges you and I to make full use of the gifts that God has entrusted to us.
The one talent man reminds us that love for God must be demonstrated in faithful and untiring service to other people.
This parable insists to us that no talent is too small to be significant, and that all gifts are precious and are to be used to the fullest extent possible!
I’m sure many of us have heard people excuse themselves from upholding the church by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service and their witness by appealing to what they do not have…
… “I’m too old.”…
… “I’m too young.”…
… “I’m not educated.”…
… “I’m too busy.” …
… “I’m not good enough.”…
… “I could never do that.”
When God asked Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go, Moses used a number of phrases to complain about what he did not have:
“Who am I that I should go…?…
… “Suppose they do not believe me….”
… “I have never been eloquent…”
After listening to Moses’ complaints, God said to him:
“What is that in your hand?”
In essence, God was saying: “Moses, I am not interested in what you do not have; I am only interested in what you do have….reach out your hand…and certainly I will be with you.”
For years an army recruitment advertisement has been challenging young men and women to “Be all that you can be.”
As a Christian the challenge is : “Be all that God meant you to be!”
What are those things that the Owner of all things has entrusted to you?
How have you responded to that trust?
A simple smile given to another human being—no matter who they may be or what they may look like can change the world.
A note sent to a person who has not been worshipping with us for a while can bring them back into the kingdom.
A visit to a person who is in the hospital or has been having a hard time of it can be life-changing.
And to forgive—with no strings attached, a person we feel has wronged us—is the greatest gift we can give!!!
And I’m not talking just lip service here…
…I’m talking about real forgiveness…
…the kind that brings peace, reconciliation, and salvation.
It is the lesson of life that the only way to keep a gift is to use it in the service of God and in the service of our neighbors!
This life can be seen as a drudgery or as the most rewarding and exciting of experiences.
And I believe God is at the finish line cheering us on; holding a sign which reads: “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 in [My] happiness!”
Let us pray: Lord Christ, You have shown us that the road to fulfilling Your will for our lives is never easy or safe. Your commitment to the Father led to a Cross. Give us the boldness to fully invest ourselves and our abilities in the cause of Your kingdom, for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
