Sharing Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus said, "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. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "

Over the last few weeks, we have had some pretty difficult depictions of Jesus. Last week was the parable of the bridesmaids where only half get to participate. The previous week showed a Jesus that was critical of leadership. In many ways, this week's gospel is the worst one yet! Jesus sounds like a jerk.

Jesus tells a story that involves three slaves. Each has been given "talents". When the master comes to account for those talents, each slave tells him what was done with it. For most of us, we can see the basic idea: don't squander your talents. Invest in what you have been given and all will be well.

But the way Jesus tells this story makes this conclusion hard to swallow. In most stories, Jesus (like any good storyteller) uses a formula. He has the first one get it wrong. Then the second one gets it wrong for a different reason. Lastly, the third one gets it right and proves himself worthy. Happy ending. For this story, Jesus flips this scenario on its head by showing the first two getting it right and the last one getting it wrong. Worse, that happy ending becomes eternal damnation.

Another thing that should bother us about this telling is the relationship to wealth. The slave with 5 talents has lots of options. S/He doesn't have to worry so much about losing one or two on bad investments, since there are more left behind! In fact, the one with 5 talents can take tremendous risks with what s/he has, recognizing big gain potential. The one with 2 talents, likewise, could take some risks, knowing that s/he has another upon which s/he could fall back. In the investing world, the ones that have the least risk are the ones with the most starting capital. It is the slave with a single talent that would actually take the biggest risk through investing. In an economic sense, his burying it was actually a pretty good choice.

Jesus, however, is not that kind of economist. He knows economic theory--quite well, in fact--he just isn't buying into Wall Street. His true economic theory isn't about what you get, but what you give.

Think about the numbers. Can you think of any place (other than a race track) where you could invest $1 and get $2? Is there any place that offers 100% interest on investments? The interest on my savings account for the year has been 14 cents. Jesus isn't talking about taking what you have (in money) and investing it in the bank, in a portfolio, or on Wall Street. Financial investments don't work like that.

What Jesus is talking about is giving of yourself. When you give to God something you're good at, God will double its impact.

What are you good at? Have you thought about using that talent for God? What do you think will happen?

The arrangement of this parable seems to emphasize what happens when we squander our talents. At the same time, it isn't that interested in how much the slaves made for the master: there's a big gap between the slave with 10 total talents and the one with 4 (two and a half times!). But the parable isn't about outcomes, it's about the initial action. It's about going out on a limb and trusting that God will help you. It is about using what you've got for God.

One of the coolest lessons I ever learned was about this very idea. Jesus teaches us that our character as being generous is more important than what we do with it. We learn elsewhere that when someone asks for your coat you give it to him/her, and your shirt also. It isn't your business to find out whether or not s/he already has a coat--it's your business to give it away.

Having a spirit of generosity is hard, especially when you live off of your parents. Especially when times are tight. Especially when you work hard for a low wage. It is hard to give. But Jesus is calling us to examine how we use our God-given talents, how we share those talents with others. How can you be generous with what God has given you?