Sermon for November 16th, 2014

Matthew 25:14-30

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 Parable of the Talents

υπαρχοντα - from υπαρχω: to be, to exist, to possess. Not just his possessions, but his very existence, essence. One Talent = 80 lbs of Silver (big hole to dig).

As a unit of currency, it was worth about 6,000 denarii.[1] Since a denarius was the usual payment for a day's labour,[1] a talent was roughly the value of twenty years of work by an ordinary person.[12] By modern standards, the 2009 US minimum wage was $7.25 per hour, which would amount to approximately $300,000 over 20 years, while at the median wage of $26,363, it would be a half-million dollars.[13]

0. Parable isn't about money. In a parable, things represent other things. 1. What you get out of church, faith, spirituality...is dependent upon what you put into it. Ora et Labora. Don't just say magic words (salvation prayer). 2. Not everyone is dealt the same hand in life. But God's praise (and hence eternal reward) is identical for the 5-talent servant and the 2-talent servant. 3. None of the servants got instructions. They were expected to know the master's wishes by knowing the master. 4. If you perceive the master as harsh and unfair, your perception might influence your reality. 5. Fear paralyzes. The last talent is the hardest one to invest.

οκνηρε - does not mean lazy. It means hesitating, unready, timid