Daily Devotion – November 10, 2020 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
Matthew 25:14-30
25:14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them;
25:15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
25:16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents.
25:17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents.
25:18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
25:19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
25:20 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.’
25:21 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.’
25:22 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.’
25:23 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.’
25:24 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;
25:25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’
25:26 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?
25:27 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.
25:28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.
25:29 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.
25:30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”
This is a tough story about an overachieving master who expects a lot from his workers, to whom he gives much. Even the third slave, who receives only one talent, gets the equivalent of 20 years’ wages for the average laborer. If we guess that a day laborer today earns roughly $30,000 a year, then the third slave gets $600,000! This third slave has never ever thought about seeing this much money. And he knows his master is tough. So he takes no risks, goes out on no limbs, and hides the money so it will be there when the master returns. He thinks the money alone is what is important to the master.
When the master returns, the first two slaves give back double what they had been given. The master’s investment in them has yielded mighty dividends. Too bad the cautious third slave had to follow those two! He could return only exactly what he had been given. The master is furious that the man wasted the opportunity to invest it or even draw interest on it. He seems lazy and ungrateful.
Every human being is given gifts by the Creator, gifts not for that person alone, but for that person to take risks with, to fling into the world and see what can be made of them. If we do not invest those gifts or risk performing those skills, Jesus is telling us we will be seen by our gracious heavenly father as ungrateful, having wasted the gifts given to us at our birth and throughout our life. So when you are challenged to do something, risk! Try! Invest in your relationships using the abundance you have been given. That is why you have that abundance. And by the way, the same can be said about congregations. Risk! Try! Invest in relationships in our community using the abundance we have been given. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THAT ABUNDANCE.
Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us abundant gifts. Help us to risk and try and invest – for that is what the gifts are for! Amen.
