David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 25:14-30

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no 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 answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

When I was 18 years old my parents went on vacation to Europe. They took my sister and left me in charge of the house. I didn’t do too poorly in taking care of things. No wild parties, or broken furniture. Part of that had to do with the fact that long before my parents turned over the house to my care, they had entrusted me with our family motel. I would occasionally stay there for a week or more when we were between managers. I would have charge of 23 rooms, a pool, the cash register and all that goes with it. For whatever reason it never occurred to me that I would benefit from being anything other than faithful and careful with the charge of the motel.

To be honest, however, there may have been one or two things I did at my parents’ house while they were gone that do not fit in the category of faithful care and keeping. I won’t go into detail, but for some reason their absence did offer me an opportunity to abuse – ever so gently – my parents’ house. I don’t think they ever got onto it, but I do admit to the possibility that not everything was done as it would have been had they been present.

Jesus tells us this parable because he knows what is in the hearts of men and women. It’s too easy for us to get distracted when the master is away. As the old saying goes, “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” Meanwhile…the cat isn’t going to be away forever, nor will the master fail to return.

I learned that in a sudden appearance of my parents – returning from their European trip a day earlier than I thought they were supposed to arrive! Again, fortunately for me, I hadn’t hosted any wild parties, nor counted on being able, on the next day, to clean up the evidence of an inappropriate experience. Things were for the most part in perfect order.

Jesus speaks of the master putting servants in charge of his house, with the expectation that they would do something for his gain in his absence. If we are to be true to the message of this parable we will seek not only “to do no harm,” but we will seek to do that which would accrue to the master’s goals and benefit – even in his absence. Jesus will one day return. He will gather us all before him to give an account of his blessings to us. It is not sufficient to say, “I did no harm.” We are called to bring a return on his investment in us. He welcomes those who are faithful into his joy. Truly that is a worthy joy.