Luke 19:11-27
11 As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 So he said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. 13 He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, “Do business with these until I come back.” 14 But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to rule over us.” 15 When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came forward and said, “Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.” 17 He said to him, “Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.” 18 Then the second came, saying, “Lord, your pound has made five pounds.” 19 He said to him, “And you, rule over five cities.” 20 Then the other came, saying, “Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” 22 He said to him, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.” 24 He said to the bystanders, “Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.” 25 (And they said to him, “Lord, he has ten pounds!”) 26 “I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.”’
In my high school economics class, we learned about the stock market and investing resources. Our teacher gave us an assignment over the course of several weeks to teach us the basic lessons of playing the stock market. We were given a fictional ten thousand dollars to invest in any stocks of our choosing and several weeks later we were to see how much we gained or lost over that period. We learned about how volatile the stocks were and we learned the most important lesson, investing in the market is not for the cautious but for the risk-taker.
Just as our teacher gave us resources to invest in a fictional stock market, so too does Jesus give us resources for us to invest in. The slaves in the parable from Luke are Jesus’ disciples and the Kings’ going away is Jesus’ departure to heaven. The King gives his slaves ten pounds or about 3 months’ worth of wages; Jesus gives his Word and Spirit to his disciples to use in the interim period from when he leaves or ascends until he returns at his second coming. We have been given the Divine resources from Jesus to use and invest for Jesus’ mission until Jesus’ return. What has Jesus given to you?
In the parable, the King returns to judge or hold the slaves accountable for what they did and did not do. The two slaves were faithful with their pounds and have returned interest along with the principal. What do we have to return to Christ as “interest” along with the principal? We have Jesus’ Word; will we have brought that Word to people and people to that Word? We have Jesus’ Spirit; will we have brought that Spirit to people and people to that Spirit? Will we have been responsible investors and brought more than we were given back to Jesus? Or will we be like the one slave who was afraid to lose the pounds and failed to do anything good with it? The one slave was cautious and fearful, more afraid of falling short and losing the pounds, than having the risk or nerve to invest even in a basic savings account and earning basic interest. Fear so overrides the slave that he was even unwilling to take a minimum risk to earn even a minimum reward. When the King judges him, he has the original principal but nothing to add to it; and he is judged as faithless.
No greater barrier exists to responsibility than fear, because to be responsible implies a modest amount of nerve. In the eyes of God, being afraid of loss and doing nothing is judged as being faithless compared with a bold and brave community suffering total loss from taking risks. A community simply cannot gain anything for Christ if it is afraid of losing what it already has. The Church simply turns inward upon itself, turning away from the source of its life and blessing, Christ her head. Resources are used not to invest in the neighborhood but instead to pander to its members. The congregation’s time, people and treasures are spent on personal agendas of staving off scarcity rather than investing in the Gospel and maybe or gaining everything. Fear and anxiety rule instead of the Power and Love of God’s Messiah.
Perhaps no greater lesson is needed for Churches today, struggling with dwindling resources, than this. To have a new result, a new growth, or a new life, one must have the nerve to invest everything you do have for the sake of Christ. You cannot gain “interest” for Christ, if you are clinging in fear to the “principal.” What today’s Churches might just need to re-claim is the Spirit of Adventure. Whether it be the nerve to be different, or the courage to witness to the Kingdom of God, or the boldness to sacrifice everything, to gain everything for Christ; this is the Spirit Jesus left for us, not a Spirit of fear to fall back into anxiety, but the Spirit of Adoption which drives us ever forward to risk it all for the Christ and Christ’s Gospel. But it requires us to let go of what we are desperately clinging to in fear of loss and to invest everything we have and are in order that God might gain the world.
My friends, true faith means nerve. To truly be responsible stewards of what Jesus has left us means courage and risk-taking not worry and anxiety. To truly be faithful disciples might just mean we are willing to risk everything, so that Christ might gain something. But if we are clinging to our somethings for fear of losing what we do have, we will never have the possibility of having anything new: new growth, new success, new energy, and new most importantly new life. Let us take the risk of investing everything, that Christ might gain everything; and Christ might just judge us good and faithful servants. Amen.
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