December 17th, 2021
Matthew 24: 14-30
14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 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.’ 21 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.’ 22 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.’ 23 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.’ 24 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; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 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? 27 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. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 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. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Haves and Have-Nots
All is gift. Nothing is mere transaction. Even parables that smell of banking metaphors – they, too, are all about gift. The property entrusted to the slaves by the journeyman? Gift.
When the nature of the world is love, then you begin erasing the world’s final and forever attempt at ensuring that all scratched-backs in this world are a two-way street. You want yours scratched? Then scratch mine first, says the world.
This is where the Christian instinct and inflection point differs.
In every situation, Jesus turns the world on its head. And because of Jesus, Christians can escape the entrapment of the catch-22’s of this life, because they see the world for what it truly is. The world’s favor is too manipulative and fair-weather to be trusted, and so they seek the favor of God. The world’s hunger for creature-comforts is too self-serving, and so they seek the comfort of others. The world’s suspicion of relationships is too rooted in being ‘mutually beneficial,’ and so they find relationships which are sometimes one-sided. “Where can I give and only ever give?” they ask. Mere reciprocity?? Everyone likes that. A disciple of Jesus asks, “Who could never repay? I’ll serve them.” It’s Jesus, through and through.
That sense of the ‘giftedness’ of all of life is what drives the first two servants to make good on their gift. They took the initial gift, and by taking it out into the world, doubled its effect. An initial gift became a greater gift. And notice that the initial gift given becomes the larger gift returned. All of life is a series of gifts—given and received as an effusion of love for the community of faith. Joy given, and joy received. Spiritual service offered, and spiritual comfort received.
A step further. Notice that the slaves are the ones returning the greater gift. Oftentimes, we think that those of greater means are the ones serving those of lesser. That the nature of Christian love—charity—is from the haves to the have-nots.
Sometimes, yes.
But more often than not, it’s the have-nots who return the greater gift to the haves. The first two slaves in today’s story returned more to the owner than the owner offered them. He who was rich was the greater beneficiary of charity when the two social classes collided in today’s story.
Such is our own lives.
Finally, we ought to remember that Jesus is the first and last gift-giver, and that the best and brightest gift of all is his own person. It is because of Jesus that the world has been remade in the shape of ‘gift’, for that is the very nature of God-with-us. What are we expectantly waiting for in Advent?
Christ.
The Rev. Nathan Carr
Vicar, St. John’s Episcopal, OKC
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma