November 19, 2023 Twenty-fifth Sunday After Pentecost The text is Matthew 25:14-30.

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[Jesus said to the disciples:] ¹⁴“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰Then 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.’ ²¹His 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.’ ²²And 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.’ ²³His 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.’ ²⁴Then 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; ²⁵so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶But 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? ²⁷Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Let’s get this out of the way right from the very beginning; this parable isn’t about money, wealth, or finances.  Granted, Jesus is using “talents” as the reference items in the parable and these refer to the weight of large amounts of gold or silver, but his intent goes much deeper.  And, even though this gospel lesson isn’t dealing specifically with money, we ought to take a look anyway at the sums that are referred to as Jesus tells it.  This Parable of the Talents is one of several that deal with the coming of the kingdom of heaven and how people should prepare for it, as well as for Jesus’ return, his Second Coming.  In last’s Sunday’s gospel, Jesus told the parable of the Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids.  You may recall that five of the ten bridesmaids neglected to bring sufficient oil to keep their lamps lit and thus were unable to meet the groom as he came forth for the weeding.  This spoke specifically to the need for expectation and preparedness while waiting for the kingdom to be realized.  And, although the emphasis seems to be on the talents this morning, this parable also deals with how God’s people are called to act as they, as we await Christ’s return.     

But since the parable focuses on talents we should at least examine just how much money is involved in this metaphorical story.  A talent was the equivalent weight of 30,000 denarii; a denarius being the accepted daily wage of a laborer in Jesus’ time.  To put this in perspective, if we accept a minimum hourly wage today of $15.00 and an eight-hour workday, one talent in today’s money would be valued at about $720,000.  This was the equivalent amount that the third servant buried.  The servant who was entrusted with two talents would have received coins equal to 1.4 million dollars and his investment returned to the master would have come to 2.8 million.  The first servant who doubled the five talents he was given returned 7.2 million dollars to his boss.  It’s a good thing that this parable really isn’t about money because the amounts Jesus refers to would have been inconceivable in his time, and also quite unimaginable in ours.  I can’t imagine any manager entrusting their employees with these amounts of cash, then or now.

That said, this parable is one of the least understood and most misused in all of Scripture, in that it is often referenced to promote what is known as “prosperity gospel”.  This is a rather misguided theology that is advocated by more than a few television preachers; some of these declare that God rewards Christians who do good works and live pious lives with the blessing of material gain.  They preach; “God wants you to be happy; God wants you to be rich; God desires that you will have good health”.  Now, we Lutherans also believe that it is God’s will that God’s people will live abundant lives, but we don’t acknowledge that this abundance is guaranteed if we simply donate so that the TV preacher can buy a new 737 jet to better “serve” God’s people.  Luther calls this misguided understanding of the Parable of the Talents as espousing a “theology of glory”; and he contrasts this with the “theology of the cross” that we Lutherans adopt.  And if we spend more than a  minute considering this, the flaw in this concept of God desiring riches for God’s people as long as they pray hard enough, give enough, and have a strong enough faith, that flaw is immediately obvious.  Or, if they invest the master’s talents more effectively they will be rewarded with monetary gain in this life.  We can’t buy, invest, or bury the rewards of the kingdom of heaven to come.  This parable isn’t about money.

Like in the ones before it, Jesus is using these parables to instruct his disciples in the manner in which they are to demonstrate their faithfulness to Jesus’ mission when he departs from them.  If the Parable of the Foolish Bridesmaids taught the need for watchfulness and preparedness, the Parable of the Talents teaches the need to emulate Jesus’ own actions.  Jesus is entrusting his followers with the opportunity, no the command to continue what he has begun; they are to transform the world, to make the earthly kingdom more like the heavenly one to come.

It’s not about the money.  Jesus never personally owned more earthly possessions than the tunic on his back and the sandals on his feet.  The abundant life of the earthly aspect of God’s kingdom isn’t the promise of a big house, a new car, or hefty bank account; especially if we trust that these will be rewarded to us if we embrace the concept of prosperity gospel.  If we agree that God wants these things for us and they will be provided if we pray enough, work enough, give enough.  This is “glory” theology; and God simply doesn’t work that way.

The theology of the “cross” compels us continue the work Jesus began, just as the first disciples were instructed to do.  If the talents parable teaches us anything, it is that we are to be bold in our actions that seek to imitate those of Jesus.  Burying a talent, whether one of ancient coinage or a modern ability is useless; now as it was then.  Investing one’s gifts in the service to others; well, this is when we arrive at the crux of the parable.  It’s not about the money; the talents in question are the ones we use to express our willingness to boldly follow Jesus.  There is too much at stake to allow the burial of any talent, any deed, any imitation of Jesus that might otherwise be used to help usher in the kingdom.  It’s not about the money; it is however, about responsibility!  Notice that nowhere in the Scriptures do we read that Jesus makes suggestions to those who follow him; he gives commandments.

And while it might seem that Jesus’ command to emulate his actions is directed toward the disciples, (and us) as individuals, it is also meant to speak directly to the mission of the wider church.  The responsibility we have to serve others as individuals must also dictate how we act boldly as the public face of the church of Christ.  We must not bury the talents of those within the church who desire to be of service, but it is equally important that we don’t allow the church as a unit become unproductive, to fail to live up to her responsibility.  And for quite some time many churches have been struggling with this; the people are mightily concerned with “what” they do as the church, when their focus should be on “why” they do these things. 

In some churches the manner in which worship is conducted has found greater importance than the actual act of worship itself.  Some churches grasp so tightly to their building that they forget that it is the people that comprise the church of Jesus Christ, not the bricks and mortar.  In other places fear of acting too boldly in service to others has resulted in little-to-nothing being done in obedience to Jesus’ command to not bury the talents of the church and her people.  A great deal of what churches do to serve God’s people is accomplished with very little in the way of financial resources; much can be done simply by making the church available to be used when needed.  Not just the building, but her people in service to others. It’s not about the money.  At least, not always. 

It's true that Emanuel continues to face financial headwinds as we strive to put our “why” into action in the community in which we gather, and beyond.  This is not going to be a sermon about stewardship; that will come sooner, rather than later.  It is however about the need for us all to recognize that the burying of any talents we might individually or collectively possess is contrary to Jesus’ call to use whatever gifts we have been blessed with in service to others. 

This is a list of opportunities that in some ways allows the church as a body to serve her neighbors.  But, there is still a need for individual followers of Jesus to contribute to the overall success of the church’s mission.  Emanuel’s Closet has been surprisingly successful in its mission as a place where our community may shop with dignity.  But there is a need for more of Jesus’ disciples to volunteer to spend merely 2-3 hours a month to help maintain this ministry.  It’s only time; it’s not about the money.  Emanuel’s Constitution contains a rule that dictates a minimum of eleven members on Church Council; currently, seven are serving.  There is a struggle many Sundays to share fellowship during Coffee Hour, there is a need for people to host this important time in the life of our people.  Readers and Ushers are always needed; many folks are called upon so often that they are beginning to grow weary.  It’s only time; it’s not about money.

“We Care” kits have been distributed in the several hundreds and there is a plea in each and every newsletter for needed items to complete them.  In this case, it is about the money, although not a great deal is needed for the small, inexpensive items the kits contain to help out needy neighbors.  Many weeks there are no flowers in the sanctuary during Sunday worship.  Again, a few dollars, but their absence is noticeable.  There is always a need for more people to participate in the Neighborhood Reading Program at the Quinsigamond Elementary School, reading to classrooms filled with young students yearning for the adventure that reading provides.  It’s only time; it’s not about money.

These opportunities, and others unspoken are presented only to highlight the many ways that the people of God’s church may respond to Jesus’ command to not bury our talents.  For it’s the people who are the church!

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and Holy God, Jesus commands us to use our talents for the good of your people and of the kingdom.  Help us to recognize the “why” of our mission and guide us as we strive to emulate the bold ministry of your Son.  And we pray these things the name of Jesus Christ, the One who calls us to use the gifts you give us in service to a hurting world; and to not bury them.  Amen.               

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.