Sermon on Matthew 25:14-30

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

We’re in the process of reading through some of Jesus’ teachings to his disciples during Holy Week.

He was preparing them for his death, the writer of the Gospel of Matthew recorded these teachings to help early Jesus followers endure the violence and persecutions by the Roman Empire in the decades after his death, and we can learn from them as we wait for Jesus’ return at the end of time.

Today’s parable is part of a series that has to do with what people were doing while the person in charge was away: whether it was how they treated their coworkers, whether they prepared sufficiently for a delayed arrival, or whether they used the resources entrusted to them wisely.

Jesus was preparing the Church for how to wait for his return. Though the parables can get uncomfortable and even scary, they’re important, because we need to learn how to wait. Despite some things Jesus said that made it sound like he was going to return right away, it’s been two thousand years, and we’re still waiting.

However, today’s parable is tough and scary. What are we supposed to learn about waiting from this story?

The rich man sounds more like a mob boss than God. The description of the rich man—"a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed”—does not sound like someone I would want to work for, let alone a God I would want to worship.

And the punishment the rich man inflicted on the fearful third enslaved man was out of proportion, vindictive, and cruel.

So, why would Jesus tell a parable like this?

It sounds rather modern: you’re working for some less than ethical rich guy who wants you to create a ridiculous amount of value to appease him. Your worth only exists insofar as you earn money for the company. If you take the safe route instead of risking everything and getting lucky, then you’re fired.

But if the punishment for the third enslaved person sounded harsh, can you imagine what the rich man would have done if one of the workers had taken what he had given them and lost it all in bad investments?

Because this boss was all about results, not the humanity of his employees.

Though there are some legal protections in place for workers today, thankfully, people’s humanity is still all too often ignored for the sake of productivity.

That’s tough enough to survive at work—surely God isn’t like that boss?

No, the point of this parable is not that God is like the rich man. Far from it. God’s not an enslaver—God made us all free, and anything else dishonors God’s image in us.

God isn’t vindictive or cruel—God isn’t a petulant, entitled deity who throws tantrums when disobeyed. God is loving and merciful and just and patient.

Instead of making this parable into an allegory where the rich man is God, it might be helpful think of this parable more in the vein of Jesus’ teachings that say things like:

“Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?

Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake?

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

So, this parable would be something like, ‘if even this cruel, greedy enslaver can lavish resources and rewards, how much more will God?’

And “lavish” is the right word. The talents the rich man doled out are each worth about 15 years’ wages. In today’s currency, we’re talking millions of U.S. dollars! That’s more than most of us are ever likely to see at one time, let alone be entrusted with increasing.

If the rich man entrusted others with that much money, how much more will God entrust followers of Jesus with what is needed to help the Beloved Community flourish?

God isn’t like the rich man. God created and sustains you in love. You are safe in God’s love, because Jesus was willing to die for you out of love. It’s already done. There’s nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less.

So, you’re free to use what God has entrusted you with to love and serve your neighbor.

Money, yes, of course. Money makes the world go round, as they say. We can’t get very far in our society without some access to money. Money pays for the food Caring Hands feeds our neighbors with. Money keeps this beautiful historic building in good repair, with lights and heating and air conditioning—a space set aside for sacred gathering and hospitality. Money pays for a pastor (thank you!), an amazing pantry director and office manager, an incredibly talented pianist, and now support staff for our technology.

But God has entrusted us with a lot more than money.

Our modern understanding of the word “talent” comes from today’s parable. It shifted meaning from an amount of money to an ability or skill. God asks us to use our talents to bless the world around us.

And our God who created time asks us to use ours for our neighbor’s sake. Jesus was using these parables to prepare his disciples and future followers to wait well for his return. And that involves a lot of time. We still don’t know when he’ll return, but with God, chronos time (what we measure as chronological time in minutes, hours, and days) can become kairos time, or God time.

Kairos time operates differently. A week spent helping a friend recover from surgery can pass in an instant, lost in the love and care offered. Or a hug shared between people grieving the loss of a loved one can hold eternity. Sharing our time doesn’t have to involve a clock. It can be measured by the amount of God’s love demonstrated.

Waiting well for Jesus’ return doesn’t mean we have to fear that our cruel boss will find us lacking. It means that we can offer gratitude for what God has done for us (and it’s a lot) by embodying God’s love for the world through our time (chronos and kairos), talents, and treasure.

We have so much to be thankful for. Let’s share God’s abundance with the world.