Do we have a dream?

Matthew 25:14-30
Rev. Kristi Denham
Congregational Church of Belmont
November 16, 2008

I love the Bible – not because it is the only word of God (it isn’t, God is still speaking!); and not because it is perfect, because it contradicts itself and is complicated and not at all “perfect” by any stretch of the imagination. I love the Bible because, like all sacred texts, it leads me into the realm of the unseen and into questions of values, of thoughts on compassion and justice. I read it with an open heart and mind. I study it with as much historical/critical understanding as is available to me. Then I ask, in all humility, what has this got to do with me? With my circumstances? My community? My life? And from there I sometimes find the context for a sermon!

It is Stewardship season in our church and inevitably we find ourselves reading the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30. A somewhat similar story is found in Luke 19:11-27, but only Matthew ends his story with the slave who buried his talent in the ground being cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is a story so full of judgment that it breaks my heart. Jesus said several times that we should not judge and he emphasized the Golden Rule and the Law of Love above all others. Why then does Matthew have the Christ speak so harshly to his followers?

For me, it is always helpful to remember the historical context. By the time Matthew recorded his version of the gospel story near the end of the first century, Christianity was a thriving but severely persecuted sect. No longer at home in Judaism or the synagogues and assaulted by Empire in some places, Matthew saw the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 C.E. as proof positive that God was condemning the old faith in favor of the new. This “us/them” thinking was never part of Jesus’ teaching. In fact, Jesus tended to favor Judaism and called his own people to righteousness over the needs of others. Remember his reaction to the Syrophoenesian woman who begged for crumbs Jesus might throw to the dogs under the table?

Matthew’s story is problematic on the level of judgment but even more so on the level of justice. A powerful man with slaves is like the Kingdom of God? Not! And giving ten talents to one, five to another, one to the last and commending the one who starts with the most while punishing the one who has the least – all this flies in the face of my belief in a God of justice. What happened to God’s promise that the last shall be first, and the first last? Or that the meek shall inherit the earth?

If talents are literally, as written, the first century equivalent of fifteen years of income (think $1,750,000 per talent in today’s funds), then Jesus’ parable is commending the rich and the very rich as he condemns the poor. That is NOT the God of my understanding! And if it is what Jesus meant, then I don’t follow Jesus.

But if talents are symbols for human gifts and abilities, if those who have great gifts are challenged to multiply them by investing them in community, in service, in giving and if those who bury their gifts also naturally find themselves disconnected from source energy, from community, from their own true self, then the Parable of the Talents has some value for me.

We are living in a time when a reevaluation of the market economy has become essential. The assumption that we can get something for nothing by simply investing in stocks or bonds or banks can no longer be taken for granted. The first century peasants who might first have heard this story knew the great evils the very rich could inflict upon the poor. They would have been offended by this story as much or more so than I am. It would have challenged them to think about what resources they might have and how they could invest them as well.

Perhaps now is an excellent time to rethink how and where we invest our resources. The simple Karmic principle that what goes round comes round is useful here. When we invest ourselves, our resources and our time, in values laden opportunities -- like service to others, care for and educating our children, standing for justice – we will be guaranteed a return pressed down and overflowing in kind.

I am blessed with many friends who have contributed a life time of caring to others and now, as they begin to slow down and face difficulties that come inevitably with age, they are surprised by the abundance of caring they are receiving from others. It is no surprise to me, only a quiet reminder.

When one person is hungry, or in prison, or naked, or alone, the Christ still suffers. We still suffer. We must work together to bring God’s love to all the world. It is our calling and our birthright.

Each of us has talents in abundance. We cannot hide them. We must invest them courageously in one another. Then we will end our days with this kindness whispered in our hearts: “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Well done.”

So Matthew’s parable isn’t all bad. I’m not sure Jesus said it, but I can make it my own and be challenged to live my best life and be my whole self because of it. That’s the gift of sacred text. It reminds me to think about what is most important in my life. It gives me soul food for the journey.