God's Fiduciaries

I like a good story. Do you? I’m guessing yes; because I haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t. Remember, we’re made in God’s image, and God is a storyteller. Some might call the Bible a collection of stories. Almost half of the Bible is narrative. Narrative is another word for story. And a good part of the rest is connected to one of the major stories of the Bible. Our passage today is a story; a good one. I don’t have to tell you that what we read a moment ago is a parable. Jesus was good at parables. He told more than 30 parables. But if you include the similes, allegories, and other types of narratives that are similar to a parable, it’s upward of 50. Why? Why did Jesus teach in parables?

It’s not just because Jesus knows we like stories, it’s because stories are powerful. Think about how many different types of people Jesus encountered during his ministry on earth: the 12 disciples, other disciples who followed him, Pharisees and Sadducees, rich people, poor people, Jews, Gentiles, strangers, family, men, women, old, young. Jesus needed to engage wildly different groups of people, so he told stories that were able to draw in diverse crowds, with a variety of worldviews, and point them to the one Big Story that every story in the Bible points to: God’s kingdom.

The purpose of a parable is to use familiar things about life to make something unfamiliar become so. The idea is like this: if I understand that though I can’t see the wind but can hear, observe and even feel its effect, then I can understand how God’s Spirit moves and works in the world around me, and even in my life. So, to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was struggling to understand that salvation is being born again by the Spirit, Jesus spoke a kind of parable: “The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

So, when we read a parable, one of the first things we need to do is ask the question: What is it that the listeners are struggling to understand? Then the second question is: How does this parable help them understand? Then there’s a final question: Do we understand?

With that, let’s get started with this parable: the parable of the talents, as it’s usually called.

What is it that Jesus’ listeners do not understand, are struggling to grasp? Actually, Jesus makes that pretty clear; but we have to look at the broader context. If we go back to Matthew 22, and start there, we see a pattern.

Matthew 22:31

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.

Matthew 21:43

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.

Matthew 22:1-2

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.”

Matthew 23:13

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in.”

Matthew 25:1

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom.”

Do you see the pattern? This parable is among a series of parables and teachings about the kingdom of God. What did Jesus want to teach his listeners about the kingdom of God in this parable?

The story starts rather abruptly with “For it is just like” without any explanation of what it signifies. But since the story follows on a parable explicitly said to refer to “the kingdom of heaven” (v. 1), there is no reason for doubting that it carries on the teaching about the kingdom. The preceding parable has taught the importance of being ready; this one carries on that theme by showing what readiness means.

Distributes the money (14-15):

a talent is a large sum: 60 denarii, which was equal to 60 days wages (more than $2,500) by today’s economy. Entrusted according to ability: 5, 2 and 1 — “entrusted” implies that the money still belongs to the master; implies an expectation of a return. In other words, not just given them for safe keeping. He was a successful business man. Left to their own initiative — no instructions were given

The servants’ actions (16-18):

The first servant: immediate action; put the money to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second servant: “in the same way” implies the same urgency and the same diligence; he also doubled the master’s investment. The third servant: “but the man” hints a difference: no urgency, no diligence; in contrast to the first two, who “put the money to work”, this man’s work was to dig a hole in the ground and hide it.

We don’t know how the first two put the money to work; and we don’t know why the third servant dug a hole and hid it; not yet. As Jesus tells the story, he lets our imaginations go to work: fear of failure? Wanted to avoid risk? Didn’t know how to put it to work? Laziness?

The master returns and settles accounts (19-30):

“After a long time”: no specific time, but it seems he was gone for a while — It’s been almost two thousand years since our Master, Jesus, ascended into heaven, but he is coming back. And we he does, he will do exactly like the master in this story: he will settle accounts with his servants. First servant — Notice that the servant took the initiative. He didn’t wait for the master to ask, but “approached” him with the ten. There’s a sense of joyous excitement in his steps. There is real joy in doing well/obedience. And there is also reward: since he was faithful with a few things, the master is confident in entrusting with him more. PLUS! He is invited to “share” the master’s joy. Second servant — same pattern exactly: for a point. Faithfulness is always rewarded; more trust and opportunity, and joyful fellowship with the master. Third servant — “But” hints that something is different with this servant; we’re about to see a contrast.

Wow! What an opinion of his master: a cruel, unethical, fearful man Now we know why he dug a hole in the ground and hid the talent: FEAR. He took the foolish and cowardly route: rather than risk it, he would secure it. The master’s response

Doesn’t dispute the servant’s characterization, but that doesn’t mean it’s true. His words sound sarcastic, as he points out that even if it were a true description of his character and demeanor, he should have known better than to bury it instead of putting it to work. Wow! Now see the description of the servant’s character and demeanor: evil (worthless); lazy (hesitating). The talent given to the one with ten: faithlessness is also rewarded

Verse 29 is the meaning of the parable:

“everyone who has” — a return on investment — receives more than enough “BUT from the one who does not have — faithlessness/laziness — taken away

Good stewardship of little things brings greater privilege and responsibility. Poor stewardship leads to losing even what one has.

Verse 30 Those who are offered salvation but simply bury it in a hole of their heart face eternal judgment.

APPLICATION

Like the master, God entrusts all people with a portion of his resources, expecting them to act as good stewards of it. Like the two good servants, God’s people will be commended and rewarded when they have faithfully discharged that commission. Like the wicked servant, those who fail to use the gifts God has given them for His service will be punished by separation from God and all things good. This final point seems appropriate both for those who are overtly hostile to God and his revelation and for those who profess commitment to him but show no evidence in their lives of the reality of their profession.

Call to Action: We are God’s “fiduciaries”.

A fiduciary is a person or organization that acts on behalf of another person or persons, putting their clients’ interests ahead of their own, with a duty to preserve good faith and trust. Being a fiduciary thus requires being bound both legally and ethically to act in the other’s best interests.