The Great Risk – Part 3

DAILY BYTE

Over these next few days we’ll be looking at the difficult truth contained in the parable of the talents, particularly for the ‘little ones’ in this life who prefer to play it safe. Today, let’s walk through the first part of this challenging parable.

A man was heading out of town, and so summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. He knew they had different abilities, and so apportioned his property accordingly. To one he gave five talents, to another he gave two, and to the third slave, the little one amongst them, he gave one. Notice he didn’t give all eight talents to the one with the most ability. All the slaves, from the greatest to the least, were entrusted with the master’s property. And then he leaves, for a long time.

To get this parable, it’s essential to grasp that a talent was a unit of money that was big big bucks. We’re talking lotto jackpot here. In Jesus’ day, one talent was the equivalent of 15 years’ wages. So for us to hear this story as the original hearers did, we could say that a talent was roughly a million rand, and we’d be more or less in the right ballpark.

So there we find these three slaves. One is holding in his shaking hand a cheque, with his name on it, for a million rand. Eish! The other is blinking his eyes as he stares at his cheque for two million. The third has one for five million rand. He’s the first to make a move. “I think I’ll take this off-shore, “ he says, “and play the stock market.” The little guy looks at him with disbelief, “Are you out of your mind?” he says. “We’re in the midst of a global economic recession, and the Eurozone Debt Crisis still hasn’t been resolved.” But the first slave isn’t listening because he’s already got a broker on the line.

The second slave then says, “Hmmm. Two million... I know. Property development. KZN North Coast.” And again the little guy grabs his hair and says, “Don’t be crazy. The property market is hugely deflated at the moment. And what if the master returns and his money is all tied up? Or the developer goes bust? Or…” But the second slave has already gone.

So there the little guy stands, cheque for a million rand in his hand, terrified.

The master had given no instructions as to what he should do with the money.

The decision is all his.

Don’t you feel at least a little bit sorry for him? I reckon he felt pretty sorry for himself. I reckon he felt sorry that he had such a master, who would take such a great risk as to entrust him, no… burden him with so much.

And so he wraps it up. And goes outside. And digs a hole. And buries it.

Which is not just to say that he did nothing with the money, but that it had to be hidden away. Maybe because he could not bear to look at the audacious invitation for him to risk himself in a wild and prodigal way.

I think that this little guy in the story represents all of us, at some time or another in all of our lives. For who of us can say that there haven’t been times when we’ve turned away from life’s audacious invitation to risk ourselves in wild and prodigal ways?

Maybe right now you’re aware of something that you’ve buried, for fear. Maybe it’s your heart. Maybe you loved someone, and it didn’t work out, and it hurt so bad that you made a promise to yourself that you’ll never allow yourself to get hurt like that again. And so, rather than risking yourself in vulnerability and love, you’ve buried your heart.

Maybe you’ve buried a lifelong dream. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that it could never happen for you anyway and that you’re crazy for even thinking it might. And so, rather than risking yourself in a great, soul-stirring venture, you’ve settled for mediocrity, as you’ve buried even the possibility of trying.

Can you feel the deep sense of disappointment, and waste, and regret that this kind of response ultimately generates. Is that what you want for your life?

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew 25:18

But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.