TEN, FOUR, or ZERO
You know the phrase, “Sharing is caring.” Well, I’ll contend that the inverse is similarly true: caring is sharing.
On today’s podcast episode (ep 4) there is some personal narrative that I share that in this post I’ll tie in with the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25: 14-30.
For your reference (and mine!): 14 “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.’
In our capacity for awe, what do we fear the master will do? One servant among the three, through fear lacking in awe, demonstrably fails to make of his talent something more. He failed to care to share.
I don’t want to be that servant any more.
The Father cared enough about me to share His son, and His son cared enough for the Father to provide himself in exchange for us. That is the currency in the talents the servants have been handed by the Master — the good news that is meant to be multiplied. Burying it in the dirt demonstrates that there’s a shelf life for this good news, this currency of redemption. Multiple times Jesus says in Revelation that he is “coming soon.”
Proverbs 9:10-12 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.”
That fear in the proverb isn’t necessarily the terror at our God who is justice. The story of grace starts early in Scripture, and carries through to today in faith, hope, and love.
At some point in time, some other servant, whether it was from their 5 talents or 2, penned the song This Little Light of Mine. And it became part of the currency of faith shared where it somehow reached your ears, and with those ears you had the ears to hear what else had been said to you already, for His glory. If you find yourself in a place, like me, where you convinced you ought not be the servant who buries their one talent, start with that song… this little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine… and then you’re caring about sharing.