Enter Into the Joy of Your Master

Enter Into the Joy of Your Master

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

November 16, 2014; 23 Pentecost, Proper 28, Year A, Track 2

Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

Matthew 25:14-30 – Jesus said, "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, `Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, `Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, `Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, `Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, `You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

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This parable is not a story in praise of the Protestant work ethic – the notion that if you work hard and live frugally, you will make evident your virtue and your salvation, and God will bless you. Like the third little pig, who sternly built his house with brick and didn't waste his time with music or dance. You'll just have to go to another church to hear that sermon. More important: Jesus' listeners would have never heard that work ethic message from this parable.

This parable is a story about a harsh man who reaps where he doesn't sow and gathers where he didn't scatter seed – a man who can strike fear and intimidation into others so that they will do morally questionable things in order to further his wealth and power, in order to enter into the joy of their master. You might want to hear that last phrase spoken in the voice of the Dark Sith Lord of Star Wars, the Emperor Darth Sidious – "Anakin. Enter into the joy of your master."

So, a little background information: As far as we know, there was no banking system in first century Palestine. If a wealthy person needed to go on a journey and could not take all of his money with him, he would entrust his money to the safekeeping of a reliable friend or servant. It was called leaving the money on deposit, a very common practice. In early Christian worship, part of the liturgy included the congregation's making a pledge to deal honestly with money left with them on deposit.

Jewish rabbis taught that the best way to protect money left with you on deposit would be to bury the money in the ground. One who took such precaution would be free of any liability from its loss. The third slave in Jesus' parable followed the correct religious teaching.

Here are a few other related points: Roman law limited interest rates to a maximum of 12%. The book of Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Scripture forbids charging any interest whatsoever to fellow Israelites. Interest may be charged to foreigners, however. During the Middle Ages, the Christian church considered lending or usury as a particularly heinous sin. In Luke's gospel, Jesus said simply, "Lend, expecting nothing in return."

So, what about these other slaves who return the master's money doubled – a 100% return on investment. The crowd of Jesus' listeners would have murmured knowingly. For anyone to double their money in first century Palestine, they must have done something exploitative, probably illegal and certainly immoral. [i]

What the first two slaves did violated the religious teachings and the moral sensitivities that Jesus would have expected from those who listened to his parables and those who followed him. But what the first two slaves did was not uncommon, and it did not violate the expectations or practice of certain powerful and wealthy elites who exploited the occupied provinces for their ambition and avarice in the competitive world of the Roman aristocracy. In this parable, two worlds collide – the Empire's elite and the faithful, humble common person. Jesus simply exposed a reality that has not quite disappeared from our world today. It is as true today as it was when Jesus taught -- "to all those who have, more will be given and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. Still the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

I sat next to an interesting person at an out-of-town dinner this week. Allan is bright, gregarious, and a delightful conversationalist. He told me he used to live in Northwest Arkansas. He started out up here in sales. Allan was a good salesman. His product was a respectable one, but he offered some clues that implied that sometimes he realized that purchasing his product might not be in the best interest of all of his customers. Allan did well, though; well enough to be promoted into management, where he found himself mostly dealing with numbers rather than people. But he was making a whole lot of money.

Allan sensed that he was missing something, and so, at mid-life, he made a dramatic career adjustment. Part of his discomfort occurred when Allan's father became ill, and Allan was too far away and had too many job responsibilities to be very present and available to his father. His father had died, and now his mother was getting older. Allan missed the woods and the landscape of home. Also, there was something in his soul that wasn't being fed by his high paying corporate management job.

Allan jumped at the opportunity to move back home to direct a network of small, non-profit rural medical clinics focused on serving the poor and uninsured. He was glad to be working with people again. He was proud to be doing something he really believed in, a vocation that fed his soul. He was happy to be near his family and back in the woods, in touch with the energies that nurture a deep place in his heart.

When he talked about his son, it struck me that Allan's example might have rubbed off on the young man's character also. His son is a good athlete, and, like Allan, a pretty big boy. But when the consuming time and sacrifices of playing football competed with his love of hunting and the outdoors, the young man told the all-demanding football coach "good bye" and returned to his first love. Allen grinned ear to ear talking about some of their shared adventures in the woods. Underneath his narrative, I could hear a soft, gentle breeze through the leaves whispering to them, "Enter into the joy of your Master."

I know there are many in this room who are grateful to have a job, any job. There are others who are unemployed and need work, any work. Many people are not in a position like Allen was, to consider a change of employment as an adjustment toward a more wholesome lifestyle.

But there are others who may be in work that might prompt them toward some soulful questions. Is what I am doing something of deep value to common good? Can I be proud of the service or product I offer? Am I able to do my work with a sense of integrity and honor? Am I part of a virtuous business system? Does working in this job fulfill my calling to be a whole and balanced person? Does this work demand too much of me, too much of my soul, too much of my life?

There are harsh businesses environments which can strike fear and intimidation into employees so that they will do questionable things in order to further the wealth and power of the business. Their masters will often exercise control by rewarding their good and trustworthy slaves with great return on investment. But at what cost?

Does this parable speak to you and to your circumstance? Whose slave are you? If you are to enter into the joy of your master, who is your master? For some of us, Jesus' parable might be a poignant invitation to ask ourselves some soulful questions.

What does it mean for you to enter into the joy of your master?

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[i] Again I am thankful to my friend Paul McCracken, archeologist and scholar of the Jerusalem Institute for Biblical Exploration, for his weekly blog, Nov. 11, 2014 – bookncatz@msn.com

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