Sermon Matthew 25:13-31

There is a saying in English, "Use it or lose it." Use your muscles or they become weak and you fall down. Use your brain or later in life you will become senile. "Use it or lose it." It seems like simple wisdom.

The English saying certainly comes from today's scripture passage. A master was going away and he entrusts his money to his servants. To one he gives five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, and to another one thousand. Actually he gives them five, two, and one talents. A "talent" is a block of silver worth about $1000. As you know the word "talent" in English comes from this scripture passage.

We say, "Lin Yin, is a talented musician." We say, "Wei Hsi is a talented music director." We look at our children and say, "Oh, my son is a talented artist. My daughter is a talented math student." But, even though the English language uses the word talent to describe being gifted with a special skill, today's text isn't talking about all sorts of skills.

Today's text isn't even about money, although some have tried to say it is. We know of sermon's where clergy, often with wealthy congregations will say, "See, the one with the 5 talents worked hard, and therefore God blessed him. And the wicked lazy servant, those are the poor people who don't work hard with what God gives them so its their fault they suffer." This text has cruelly been used to justify wealth and condemn the poor as lazy, even though we know that among the wealthy there are people who have become rich by working very hard and other wealthy people who have become rich by working very little. Just as we know that there are poor people who work very hard, but stay poor. And yes in some cases there are poor people who are lazy. But this text is not talking about how to become rich through hard work.

What we do know is that the text says that Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, talking about what is also called the Kingdom of God, talking about God's power that is breaking into the world through Jesus. He tells three stories in Matthew Chapter 25. The story of the young women with the oil. The story of the talents. And the story of the final judgement where some are called sheep and others goats.

And today we are right in the middle with a story that some might think is very harsh.

The five talent man who doubles the wealth is told, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

The two talent man who doubles the wealth is told, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

And to the one talent man, who buries his talent, the master says, "Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter.
I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have your own." But his lord answered him, "You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn`t sow, and gather where I didn`t scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who has not, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness; there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."

What terrible judgement for the man who buries his masters money. The money is taken from him and given to the one who has the most. This doesn't sound like a loving God does it? Where is the forgiveness? Where is kindness? How can God's presence in the world be connected with such terrible consequences? Indeed, being cast out of the light, out of the house of the master, cast out of the Kingdom of Heaven, into what sounds like a place of despair and anger, doesn't sound like a Jesus who is willing to die for enemies, and forgive those who killed him. This doesn't sound like Jesus who forgives those who abandoned him when he was arrested but later forgives them.

Is Jesus kind? Yes! Does Jesus love us? Yes! Does Jesus have compassion for those who fail in life? Yes! Does Jesus love people who hate him? Yes! Does Jesus want anyone to be in a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth ... into hell? No! In the Gospel of John, it says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn`t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him"

This is the Jesus we know, however did you hear it? This isn't the Jesus that the man with one talent knows. Did you hear why he buries his talent? "Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have your own."

Listen to the one talent servant ... he thinks Jesus is a hard man. A vengeful man. A cruel man. The servant thinks that if he fails Jesus will punish him. He's afraid of Jesus, afraid of God, and afraid to serve lest he fail and be in a worse situation. He can imagine that life could be more that his, and his fear enslaves him.

He's part of the household of God, and yet, because of his fear he has never gotten to know who Jesus really is. He has never took the time share in the mission of Jesus, so that he could discover that the reason why Jesus can reap where he has not sown.

The worthless servant is the one who has not followed Jesus and learned along the journey who Jesus is; one full of kindness, compassion, mercy, and most of all forgiveness. The worthless servant has been welcomed into the household, but clearly hasn't committed himself to learned to live as part of the household of God. As a slave of fear, he can not live in a house ruled by love.

Remember what Jesus most common commandment is? Don't be afraid. Don't live a life ruled by fear. Don't be a Church ruled by fear. Don't think following Jesus is always being afraid of messing up. Of always being on guard lest God punish you. That is not the God we know in Jesus.

As I thought about this sermon, part of me wanted to change the parable to include another servant. The servant who was given ½ a talent but made a bad trade and had to face Jesus with no talents. I image this one, with a face hung low, saying to the Lord, "I tried but I failed." And I imagined the Lord saying, "I forgive you, here's another ½ talent, try again." After thinking this, I realized that Jesus would live this parable later in the story. You see, Jesus gives this parable of warning, right before he is to be killed, right before his disciples abandon him, right before they fail him.

At the cross, they come to know where their love fails, discover that God's love is more powerful even than death. They know that with God all things are possible. They are willing to trust and live as Jesus calls them to live. They are the ones who are willing to let God show them a whole new way.

Jesus said, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Repent means, "Change directions." You've been welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven right now, but will you allow God to change your lives from being ruled by fear to being ruled by love." You have been baptised and claimed as a beloved child of God, but will you follow Jesus as a disciple? Hear the Good News that the master of the universe, the crucified one, has called you to live a life of self-giving love, and turn away from a selfish life. And in doing so find freedom and joy in the service to the world.

But how do we do we allow God to change our lives? We do this by being the Church. In baptism we are claimed by God as beloved children of God. God gives us the gift of grace. What does "grace" mean? It means "kindness" ... "divine kindness". And in order to grow in that kindness we need to give it to others. Give kindness by telling people about Jesus. Give the kindness of Jesus to each other in Christian fellowship. Give kindness to friends. Give kindness to family. And especially give kindness to the stranger.

That is what the man with one talent was given. He was given skills to be shared in the loving of others, but chose not to and therefore could not be part of God's kingdom which is ruled by self-giving love. As Christians we say that salvation comes by grace through faith. We discover the Good News that God loves us just as who we are right now, that is grace. But we need to trust our future to God. We need to risk living a new life in response to God's love. We need Jesus to show us a whole new way of life.

There are Christians who have worked hard in the Church all their lives who don't know this. They think being a Christian means following a harsh Jesus who makes them feel guilty so they have to work hard to earn a place at the table. No, no, no, we are welcome at the table already, just as we are, and it is at the table of Jesus that we are invited to live a life of freedom from guilt. We are called to live a life motivated by love, rather than fear. We are call to be people for whom the kindness of God overflows in our lives.

That is why the one talent was taken from the one who was unwilling to trust that God's household is one of love. Sharing love with others is central to the coming of God's Kingdom, and he could not imagine that he could live differently. For those who don't practice kindness soon find in the end that it disappears, but to those who share it, they find that Jesus gives them an abundance of opportunities for loving others.

Now, one last point lest this sound like a naive encouragement to "just be a kind person." We are called into a whole new way of living, one not ruled by fear, but we often don't get it right. Often we make mistakes thinking that we're doing a loving thing, but later we discover that it was an evil thing. Remember what the United Church did to the aboriginal people. We thought that by forcing them to learn English that it would be a good thing. Later we found out that we destroyed cultures, and lives. And for that we have expressed our sorry.

Or we thought we were doing the right thing to another in the Church, but later discovered we were wrong. Or perhaps discovered that we neglected someone. These are times when we ask for forgiveness.

It can be difficult to know how to love, but then Jesus does not leave us alone. We gather here each week. God sends people to help us to grow in loving. Jesus gives gifts to writers, song writers, care givers, preachers, teachers, and spiritual friends who will encourage us to overcome fear, challenge us to face falsehood, and remind us that Jesus considers us beloved friends.

And therefore be compassionate and forgiving with those who make mistakes. Find ways to reconcile and forgive. And when you run into people like the one talented man, do not let them pour water on the fire of your spirit. Don't be surprised that there are people in the Church who are ruled by fear not grace. I met a man once who stopped being a Christian because as a boy some people in church were cruel to him. But Jesus is never cruel. When you encounter the heartless, tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ and show them kindness. They might just take a leap of faith and find that through Jesus, they have been given not just a new heart, but a whole new joyous life.

Sermon Matthew 25:13-31
by James Love