“Not Mine, But Thine”
“Not Mine, But Thine”
Matthew 25.14-30
Matthew 25.14-30
In the name of the Living God and the Christ who is coming soon. Amen.
Five, Two, One? Where do you find yourself in this parable, this morning? Which servant of the generous master would you say most represents what your life, what you’ve been given? What if we all did a quick self-assessment tool regarding our gifts of time, talent, and treasure, but, instead of using 1 to 100, you could submit only those three numbers. Which would you choose: 5, 2, or 1? Which servant are you?
It's a bit of a trick question, isn’t it? Hardly anyone is going to say “five.” I mean, no matter how talented you are, you can always find someone better. (Our English word for talent literally comes from this very parable, by the way.) And regardless of your personal net worth, you’re not Bill Gates. (And if you are, please see me after worship because I’d like to talk to you about your plan for giving!)
On the other hand, would you say you’re at 1? Nobody poorer than you? No one with fewer gifts? No one with less time? Plus, we all know the end of the parable, and it doesn’t go so well for the guy given just one, weeping and gnashing of teeth and all. No, I definitely wouldn’t choose 1.
That leaves us with “2”. The middling answer. Very Lutheran. Certainly not too high, but a little above the bottom. It’s probably safe to go with that, since 3, slightly above average, is not available.
5, 2, or 1? Which servant are you? It is a trick question, of course, because in a way, it’s a trick parable. Our contemporary sensibilities are drawn immediately to the apparent unfairness of the story. Shouldn’t they all have been given the same? And what about the end, where the guy with the least has it taken away and given to the one with the most. That’s rather like the inverse of Robin Hood, who steals from the rich and gives to the poor. That can’t be biblical, can it? And the Business Owner/ Landowner/ Boss Man certainly comes across as capricious and overreacting. Outer darkness seems rather harsh, doesn’t it?
First, I’d like to offer a couple of details about the parable that might help us understand it better. But then I’d like to apply Jesus’ words to ourselves, especially as we think about the stewardship of all we’ve been given on this Consecration Sunday.
In the first place, all three servants (5, 2, 1) have been given… a lot. It’s not theirs. They don’t own it. They didn’t really deserve it. It’s been entrusted to them to use well and wisely on behalf of their Lord. You might say that they possess the talents, but don’t own them.
A talent was a unit of weight, but also became a unit for currency. Something like the British Pound on the other side of “the pond”—it’s a weight and a currency. A talent was an enormous amount. In weight, about 45 pounds of precious metal. In currency, it’s hard to say, but something like twenty years labor from an ordinary worker. We’re talking thousands and thousands have been entrusted to each of the servants.
We can see that whether it was 5, 2, or 1, the Master was being more than generous. This probably gives the lie to the wicked, lazy servant’s characterization of his boss: “I knew you were a harsh man…”. That’s a bit whine-y, and certainly not true, but it might be a convenient excuse not to make good use of what’s been entrusted to you. “I was afraid!”
“I was afraid” is an excuse always devoid of both faith and love.
The master is certainly right: even if he was indeed a harsh man or an exacting boss, at the very least the servant could have invested the money and gotten some interest. But instead, in laziness and unfaithfulness, the servant just buries that talent in the ground. So much was given to him, but so little regard for whose it really was, and how it should really be used.
So, that’s a bit about the tricky parable. Here’s a couple of things to apply it to ourselves, on Consecration Sunday. Whether you’re a member or a visitor here; a new, baby Christian or mature person of faith; whether your self-assessment this morning on what you’ve been given in life is a 5, 2, or 1, here’s what the Lord Jesus tells us about stewardship through this parable.
First, there will be a final accounting of how we live, what we give. The Master is returning soon, the bridegroom is almost here, the trumpet blast will soon be heard, and at the end of all things every knee will bow before the Lord, and every corner of every heart exposed. Today is the day to do the self-assessment of faith: how do I spend my time? What do I do with my talents? Where does my energy flow? What occupies my attention? What possesses me? How do I use my money? Jesus by this parable calls us to live a life of giftedness; of stewarding wisely, faithfully, and out of love (not fear) all that’s been entrusted to us. None of the talents in the parable belonged to any of the servants; all were asked to make good use of them in the Lord’s name; all would give an account of their stewardship.
Secondly, we’ll be judged not on what we’ve been given, but by what we do with what we’ve been given. Let me say that again: it’s not about what you’ve been given, it’s about what you do with what you’ve been given. In this way, the 5, or 2, or 1 doesn’t really matter. It’s what they did with those gifts which mattered.
You’ll recall that the widow’s mite was of more value than the rich man’s piles of gold coins because she gave all she had (Mark 12.42). King David wrote Psalms from a cave as well as a palace. St. Paul regarded life itself as an offering to be poured out for the gospel for others. So spend less time evaluating who you are or what you have in comparison to others (Am I a 5, 2, or 1?); and more time praying this simple question: “Since it’s all thine, not mine, Lord, how do you want me to use it?”
The Lord Jesus emptied himself for us, and for our salvation. The most famous person in history—Messiah, Savior, and Lord—ended his life homeless, naked, empty, penniless. His prayer was “Thy will be done”, and through that self-sacrifice he brought forgiveness, life, and eternal life to all who call upon his name. His forgiven and freed followers likewise live steward-lives that follow his cross and take up our own.
In this way, the Christian life is motivated by love rather than fear; it looks at what we have rather than what we don’t have; it asks how much we can give rather than how much we can keep, and always prays “Not Mine, but Thine.”
“Come soon Lord Jesus.”