Sunday 16 November 2008

Background

The 'Parable of the Talents', as today's passage is oftencalled, is one in a series of parables that focuses on judgementand the need for people to remain alert for the signs of God'skingdom. It is a strange economy and one that seems unfair: thosewith little lose even what they have and those with much gainmore.

Yet it is a good description of the economy of much of the worldtoday - 'the rich get rich and the poor get poorer'. But we areused to the parables of Jesus offering a different kind of economythan that of the world - an economy of grace and generosity, wherethe most vulnerable are the chosen and protected ones. So how do wereact to the idea of God being an absentee landlord who "was a hardman, reaping where he did not sow" (verse 24)?

Who was this parable aimed at? It is likely it was aimed at thePharisees, the Jewish religious lawyers of that time. They workedhard to keep the laws of Israel that they had received from theirancestors, and worked hard to keep them unchanged. The laws and themany clauses and sub-clauses of the law acted like a straightjacketand trapped ordinary people into cycles of debt because of thesacrifices required.

Jesus recognised that the law had value and was a gift from God,but that it was something that should be bearing fruit in the livesof God's people - if not, it may as well be buried as it would showno return. The complacency of the religious elite was only matchedby their fear of God. Their relationship with God was based on fearand the idea of God as a harsh taskmaster.

The spiritual 'talents' that are available to those who recogniseGod's love can only grow when used. The task for each disciple,each follower of Jesus, is to identify the gifts given by God andwork hard to develop them and use them to show others what God'slove is all about. The Christian has a relationship with God thatis based on love, and love takes risks. Such love dies if buried,but when celebrated and shared it produces a generous return on theinvestment put in.

To Ponder

How do you react to the idea of God being anabsentee landlord who "was a hard man, reaping where he did notsow"?

Meditate on the gifts that God has given to you.In what ways can you develop and use your God-given 'talents'?