What do you do with something that you want to save and be sure it does not get lost or destroyed through carelessness? Dig a hole and put it in the ground. At least that is what the parable of Jesus from Matthew 25:14-30 says someone did with something very valuable. Those of us who have been in church circles for many years recognize this as the "Parable of the Talents". If you are not familiar with the story, it goes something like this (paraphrase mine):
A rich man was going on a journey so he wanted to be sure his wealth was protected while he was gone. So, he called his servants and told them to take care of his riches. To one servant, he gave 5 talents of gold, to another 2 talents of gold, and to another 1 talent of gold. (Each talent was worth 10,000 days pay.) And then the man left on his journey. So, when he returned, he called the servants and asked for his money back. They were just the caretakers of the money but the servant who had 5 talents was shrewd enough to invest it and he presented 10 talents to his master instead of 5. The master praised him and told him he did a good job. The servant who had the 2 talents also invested the money and presented his master with 4 talents instead of 2. He also received the praise of his master. The servant with the 1 talent, though, was afraid of his master and so afraid that he feared if he did not have the 1 talent given to him that his master would be very angry so he dug a hole and put it in the ground for safekeeping. As he presented it back to his master, he explained this. Now, instead of the master praising him for giving him back his exact amount of money, he berated him and told him that he should have done as the other servants had and he would be punished for not investing and returning more than he had been given.
I have always felt sorry for the servant with the 1 talent. His master had not told him to invest the money and give him a return on his money. He had just told him to keep the money safe until his return, and he did what was asked of him. So, why was he being punished for doing what he was asked to do? The servants with greater sums of money had thought of investing their amounts and doubling the money but this servant simply was a good caretaker of the money and returned what had been given to him. Should he not at least gotten a gold star or a happy face for what he did?
The point of the story seems to be that God expects us to use the talents (not money, skills or gifts) we have to enhance the Kingdom of God instead of burying it in the ground. God has given us many gifts and talents with which to serve God and some who possess gifts or talents use them for God's Kingdom. They sing and teach and preach and do missionary work and expand God's Kingdom so that others come into it because they have used their talents. Others, though, are afraid to use their talents. They are either literally afraid, such as they have stage fright so they cannot talk or sing or teach in front of others lest they shake for fear in their shoes. Or, they cannot minister to those who are ill or living in poor conditions because they are afraid of germs or illness and think they may catch some disease themselves by exposing themselves to possible unseen dangers. Fear has kept them from sharing the good gifts God has given them.
The servant who did not invest his master's money told him that he did not do it because he was afraid of his master. He knew that his master was hard to get along with and he feared if he lost the money that had been given to him then his master would be angry and would punish him, and that is exactly what happened to him because he did not take a risk.
So, does God mean for us to stick our necks out and risk what could happen if we invest our talents on God's behalf and for the sake of God's Kingdom OR does he mean for us to dig a hole and fall in it for fear that we may not be able to do what we think we can and we would open ourselves up to public ridicule if we failed? I think that the parable teaches that God wants us to be brave and have faith that what we do on behalf of God's Kingdom will have positive results.
Mordecai told Esther in the book that bears her name, "What if God chose you for just such a time as this?" And today we ask the same question of ourselves and others as we work to bring about peace and justice and love in the world around us. What if God chose you and me for just such a time as this? What if we really are the only hands and feet that God has to do work in the world around us? Will we work on the master's behalf until he returns? Will we invest ourselves so that we will increase the value of our talents and present them to the master? Will we just dig a hole and save what we have so that it will be there just as it was given to us? The decision and the answer is only ours, yours and mine, to give.
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