Sunday, November 19, 2017

Sermon - Pentecost 24 - Matthew 25:14-30

Entrusted and Trusting
Matthew 25:14-30

You know I've heard a sermon or two that just gets this parable all wrong. Of course, it's another parable about the end times and the judgment day, when the Master comes to settle accounts with his servants. But the way I've heard it preached is this: God gives us each talents and abilities and resources – and one day he'll come back and settle accounts! So you better be a good steward of what he's given you – or else! It's just a longer version of the cheeky bumper sticker that reads, “Jesus is coming soon – look busy!” As if the point of it all is what we do, how we do it, really, our good works or lack thereof. That's not what Jesus teaches. That's not what this parable is about.

One of the things we can look for when we study the parables is what a favorite commentator of mine called “cracks in the realism”. These are the little things about Jesus' stories that are a just a little bit “off”. A son asks for an early inheritance, and his father gives it to him. And you might say, “well that would never happen”. The tenants of a vineyard think they can get away with murdering the master's own son. A Samaritan turns out to be the hero of the story. Things like this.

Well with this parable – the Parable of the Talents, as it is called - there's nothing unusual about a master having servants. There's nothing odd about him giving them duties, or even management of various tasks or assets. But what is really strange here is that he would line them up and entrust them with large amounts of money – and then promptly go away without so much as an explanation! This would be like your boss at work depositing millions of dollars into your account and then going on a year-long vacation without telling you.

For the master to do such a thing – to entrust his servants with so much, for no apparent reason, with no talk of their qualifications or merits or credit history – it's not something you see in everyday reality. Some would say it borders on the insane. Others, Christians, might call it something else – grace.

One definition of grace is the “undeserved love of God”, especially in Jesus Christ. And we thank God that he has redeemed us freely, not by gold or silver, but with Christ's holy precious blood, and his innocent suffering and death. All this by grace. Even his physical blessings of earthly life he gives us out of undeserved love – your house and home, land, animals and all you have, your reason and senses, eyes, ears, all your members – all this he does only out of fatherly, divine, goodness and mercy – totally undeserved – no merit or worthiness in me. Even the Spirit works by grace, calling us to faith – though I believe that I cannot, by my own reason or strength, believe in Jesus. Bottom line, you have nothing, but God gives you everything.

So how does one “invest” the talents? How do we rightly use these gifts given to us, which we in no wise deserve? Well, it depends on the gift:

His highest gifts to us – the Word, the Sacraments – we use rightly, and invest profitably, by simply receiving them. Regular worship, gathering with the other recipients of these treasures, hearing the word by which faith comes and by which faith is strengthened. Receiving the absolution from the pastor, as good as if Christ himself said the words – and thereby receiving the forgiveness of your sins.

Last week, we heard how the bridegroom came suddenly and caught the foolish virgins off guard and unprepared. And I briefly mentioned that to be prepared for his coming was simply to faithfully receive the gifts of word and sacrament that are really the oil of the wise virgins. Likewise, this parable also teaches us that we will be well prepared for his coming when we have invested the gifts – that is, used them profitably – to our own salvation. None of this is Christian rocket science. It's simply receiving what God gives us with thanksgiving. It's doing what he wants us to do – be saved.

But having said all of that, there remains yet further application. For the gifts God gives to his people are overflowing. They are not just spiritual. They are also physical, worldly, tangible. He does give you talents – not the monetary denomination of the ancients – but the skills and abilities and inclinations that are unique to each of you. He does give you time – a resource that is far too often wasted by us, but must be managed like anything else. And he does give you treasures – earthly gifts, money, possessions, inheritance, and all the “things” of life. We are caretakers of all of these – none belong to us alone, or even ultimately.
And God would have us use them well. Not to earn salvation – for that has already been given us. Not to prove our salvation – for that is already assured in Christ. Rather, faithful and godly management of his good gifts is simply what his people, born again as new creations in Christ, it's just what we do. We do it out of thankfulness, humility, and a love for our neighbor. We do it to advance the Gospel itself, so that all may hear the good news of Jesus and be saved.

The bad servant in the parable – you know, by some measures, he might not be seen to have done anything wrong in this parable. After all, he didn't squander the talent. He didn't go spend it on himself, or lose it at the casino. He kept it secret and kept it safe. What really set him apart from the others, though, happened before the final accounting.

When the master entrusted his gifts to the servants, this servant didn't trust the master. He knew him to be a hard man. He operated out of fear of the master. He showed a lack, in our terms, of faith. And so he got the kind of master he expected in the end – an angry judge who cast him out for his wickedness.

Rather, the servants who trusted the master – they were free of fear. They didn't sit on the talents, but put them to work. Not because of anything special about them, but because they knew the master to be a generous man, a kind master. A man of grace.

And that makes all the difference in the world.

Just think about this kind master you have, this benevolent king. He has given you riches beyond all telling. He has spared nothing for you, not even his only begotten Son. The bright jewel of his crown. He sent Jesus to us – the purest and greatest gift to all mankind.

And Christ did all things well, for us. He fulfilled the scriptures, the law, and all that the Father asked of him. He defeated the temptations of Satan. He taught the truth which sets us free. He had compassion on many, and upon us. He offered us all blessings, even his own body and blood. And finally he gave up his life as a sacrifice in our place, his blood for ours, our punishment for his, and by his stripes we are healed.

None of this you earned. None of this you deserved. It is far more than you could hope for or imagine. But the master gives even himself to you, and comes to you now in his word and sacraments.

All this, entrusted to you, tells you what kind of master you have. A loving, kind, merciful, generous master. A Lord who delights in giving good things to his children, far more than any earthly father could. He does so, not to make profit, not to test your worthiness, but simply because he loves you.

And now, with all of that in mind, and only now can we ask the question, “how ought we treat these good gifts?”. Bury them? Ignore them? Rest on our laurels in a false sense of self-righteousness? No. But make the most of the gifts he has given you. Hear the word. Remember your baptism. Come, take and eat, take and drink. Be the Christian he has made you to be. Not by exertion of effort, but by trusting the one who has entrusted it all to you. Look to Jesus, not yourself. And the blessings will abound.

And fulfill your vocation, whatever it is, however many you have. For he has entrusted you with a spouse, with children, grandchildren, with work, with an office, with neighbors, and all manner of opportunities to love them. And his love for you will bear dividends in your love for others, and in your faithfulness in your callings.

The reward is great – faithful in little, set over much. So be faithful. Trust in the master, and make use of his gifts. Looking to yourself is only burying the gift. But look to Christ and receive even more blessings.


In Jesus Name. Amen.

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