I
had a bit of déjà vu the other day.
I was going to Lexington to the Regional Assembly, traveling on US 60
between Frankfort and Versailles, when I noticed a state trooper coming up
behind me with the blue lights flashing.
Thankfully, he passed me by, but it reminded me of the time when, on the
same stretch of road about fifteen years ago, a state trooper pulled me over
for speeding. It was very early in
the morning and I was on my way to Central Baptist Hospital to see someone
before their surgery.
The difficult part of the entire encounter with
the trooper was the way he asked me questions, basically asking them in a way
that required me to admit my guilt.
His first question, after taking my registration, license, etc, was Mr. Charlton, did you not notice that I was
following you for at least a mile with my lights on? I didn’t think it was fair to expect me
to answer a question that would incriminate me, but to not offer an answer
didn’t help my situation any. His
next question was, do you know how fast
you were going? Again, I
didn’t think it was fair to ask me a question that would make my guilt
obvious. I didn’t actually know
how fast I was going, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea to say that I
knew my speed within a particular range. I knew I had been speeding; I just
didn’t know how fast I happened to be going. It turns out I didn’t need to do, as he had clocked my speed
with his radar gun. My speed was
82, in a 55 mph zone. That’s when
matters quickly got worse, because his next question was, Mr. Charlton, did you know that when you are more than 25 mph over the
sped limit I’m supposed to revoke your license on the spot. I did not know that, and I wish he
hadn’t told me. But then I
suddenly had a flash of hope when he moved on to his next question, which was, where in the world are you going in such a
hurry at this early hour? I
have never played the minister card when pulled over by a state trooper or a
police officer. I have minister
friends who have clergy stickers on their cars and clergy cards in their wallet
with their driver’s licenses. I
don’t do that, but it occurred to me that I had an opening. I told the officer that a member of my church is having surgery at
Central Baptist Hospital this morning, and I promised here that I would
have a word of prayer with her before the surgery. I was feeling much better at that point. Surely he would let me go, seeing as
how I was so badly needing to get on to the hospital to pray for this dear
woman. My hope quickly diminished
when he asked his next questions, which was, this surgery; was it scheduled or is it an emergency. To be honest, it had been scheduled for
a number of weeks, but I wanted to proclaim that it’s looking more and more like an emergency!
The officer did not let me go without a ticket,
but he did give me a break. He did
not take my driver’s license and he recommended me to traffic school, allowing
me to earn back the points I would lose because of the ticket. Although I should have been grateful,
but as I drove away I found myself grumbling about the fact that I had received
a ticket. But here’s the thing –
that’s what state troopers do, that is their nature, to stop speeding drivers,
so why should I have expected anything different?
As we turn to our Scripture passage this
morning, I want us to think about Knowing
God; that is, what it means to know the nature of God. In a moment I will read a parable that
is often misunderstood. It is a
parable that speaks to us about knowing the nature of God. The parable is found in the gospels of
Matthew and Luke. I will read the
version presented in Luke’s gospel.
Luke
19:11-26 –
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable,
because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God
was going to appear at once.
12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have
himself appointed king and then to return.
13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said,
‘until I come back.’
14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We
don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the
servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had
gained with it.
16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have
been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have
kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.
21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you
did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked
servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put
in, and reaping what I did not sow?
23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back,
I could have collected it with interest?’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give
it to the one who has ten minas.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given,
but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
I chose the version from Luke to read this
morning because Matthew’s version is one that is easier to misunderstand. Allow me to explain what I mean when I
use the word misunderstand. Matthew’s version uses the word talent, leading us to generally refer to
the passage as the parable of the talents. When we hear the word talent we define that word as an ability or skill, but that is not at all what the word means, at least not in
this context. The word talent, in the day of Jesus, was a
measurement of currency, not a reference to an ability or a skill. In Luke’s version of the parable the
word mina is used. A mina
was a measurement of weight, which became a measurement of currency as
well. Depending upon the type of
precious metal that was used in a coin, the weight would assign the value of
the coin. Reading Luke’s version,
with his use of the word mina instead
of talent, we are a bit less likely
to misunderstand the passage.
So
for this morning, let’s forget about most of the sermons and studies you have
heard from this parable, as most of the time they miss the real point of the
passage.
It’s not that they were wrong in the sense that they gave erroneous information as much as they
did not provide the most accurate
information. Most of those sermons
and lessons provided good and helpful information, but they probably did not
offer the real point of the parable in this week’s Scripture passage.
This is not a passage
about practicing good stewardship, at least not in its primary meaning. There are plenty of passages in
Scripture that tell us of the importance of good stewardship but that is not
the point of this passage. Neither
is this a passage about wise investing, as is often taught. Wise investing is important and prudent
advice, but that is not the primary point of this parable.
The point of this
parable is the ability to understand the true nature of God. There are a number of secondary
interpretations that are valid to make – such as using our talents wisely,
being a good investor, etc. – but it is important that we understand the real
point of the passage. The real
message of this parable comes in verses 22 and 23, in the words you knew, did you, that I am a hard man,
taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then
didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have
collected it with interest?’
There it is – the
servant, knowing the nature of his master, did not do what his master expected
of him. The master expected the
servant to use the money entrusted to him in order to earn more money for his
master’s bank account. Thus, the
point of the parable is not about investing what God gives to us as much as it
is understanding God’s nature and, because we understand his nature, doing what
he expects of us.
I think it is safe to say God expects the same
of us. God’s kingdom, though
present and visible in some ways, has obviously still not fully arrived. God wants us, however, to be about his
business, doing the work of his kingdom.
If we understand God’s nature we will understand that is what he is
about – bringing about his kingdom.
So I want to ask three questions related to
this passage and the work of God’s kingdom, and I’m going to put it in the
singular –
1. What does God
expect of me?
I believe, first of all, he expects us to be
faithful.
The king in this parable was gone for an
undetermined amount of time, but he expected his servants to be faithful in the
task with which they were charged. The context of this parable is told to us in verse 1, and it
is an important context – because he was
near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to
appear at once. Jesus was
telling his followers that the kingdom of God was not going to suddenly appear, as if by magic, and because it was
not, they needed to be faithful in doing the work of God’s kingdom. This is what God would expect of them.
As I move further and further into life I look
at many things differently. My
expectations are different. My
hopes are different. What I want
out of life is different. When it
comes to thinking about reaching the end of life – which I hope is still a long
way off – what I hope most of all is to remain faithful; faithful to God and
faithful to the call he has placed upon my life.
My faith has always meant a great deal to me,
and it is one of the absolutely great gifts of my life. My mom and dad provided many things for
my siblings and me, but as I look back I am most grateful that they raised me
in faith. I am extremely thankful
they did.
Paul was a mentor to Timothy, both in faith and
in ministry, and in II Timothy 4:7-8 he writes those immortal words I have fought the good fight, I have
finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his
appearing. Paul wanted to be
faithful, and he was, to the very end.
2. What am I doing?
This is not a question of vocation. We ask many, many questions related to
our vocations. In fact, we
probably obsess over vocation more than we should, and we think less about our
mission and purpose in life. The
question is, what am I doing for God’s kingdom. And that’s not just a question for a minister or an elder;
it’s a question for anyone who claims to know God.
We can look to the life of Jesus and find
plenty of examples of what we should be going. What did Jesus do?
How did Jesus treat people?
When we examine the life of Jesus we find a template for what we should
be going.
Sometimes, we sell ourselves far too
short. We tell ourselves that we
don’t have any ability or gifts and that we don’t have much with which to work,
but we all have some resource.
Some have many, some have fewer, but it doesn’t matter what resource it
is or how great or small it may seem.
It doesn’t matter. At all. We all have an ability. We all have something we can offer.
Where am I investing my life? What am I doing with my life? Am I simply wandering through life,
working through the week and then occupying myself on the weekend with some
entertainment? Life is so much
more.
3. What should I be doing?
What am I
doing and what should I be doing
are two very different perspectives.
Take a few minutes this week and put these two questions at the top of a
sheet of paper – what am I doing? What should I be doing? How well does our life match up with
what we say is important to us?
All of us are very busy. All of us are doing a lot. But what should we be doing? Are we doing what we are called to do?
Knowing what we know of God’s nature, are we
being faithful?
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