The parable we just heard from the gospel according the Matthew is the second in a series of three parables that Jesus tells his disciples before he is arrested. This set of three parables represents the last teachings Jesus will impart to his disciples before he is crucified. So, with that setting in mind, what was Jesus trying to convey to his disciples through this parable?

This parable talks of a man going on an extended journey. Jesus was about to be arrested and crucified. The disciples would not know when or if Jesus was going to return to them. The man in the parable entrusted some property to three of his slaves. The parable talks of talents. A talent was an amount of wealth. One talent would be equal to what an average laborer would make in 15 years. So to the slave that he gave 5 talents, the master was giving the equivalent of 75 years wages. That’s a lot of money! The slave that received 2 talents received the equivalent of 30 years wages. Even to the slave that received only 1 talent, this equaled 15 years of wages – certainly not a small sum of money.

In the parable there is not only a difference in the amount of wealth given to the slaves but the major difference between is what they do with the wealth they have been given. The first two slaves take the wealth they have been given and trade it in order to multiply their wealth. But the third slave is scared and buries the wealth he has been given.

Then after a long time, the master comes back to settle accounts with his slaves. To the first two slaves the master gives the same response when he sees they have invested and multiplied his wealth. "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."

However, when the third slave comes to settle accounts with his master, the situation takes a different turn. The third slave admits to his master that he was afraid of the master and what he would do to him. So he takes out the dirty talent that the master gave him so long ago and presents it to his master.

It is interesting to note that the first two slaves seem to have a very different impression of what type of person the master is than the third slave. I was familiar with this parable and when I saw the heading in my Bible, I kind of knew what to expect from it. But when I read through the parable for the first time in preparation for today I had an interesting reaction. I read along thinking about how the master seemed to be a kind and trusting man. After all, he trusted his slaves to look after a vast amount of wealth in his absence. The first two slaves were praised by the master and welcomed whole-heartedly into his joy.

But then that third slave came along. I can remember the jarring feeling I had when the third slave described his view of the master. "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."

There was nothing in the master’s prior behavior to indicate that he was a harsh man or even someone to be feared. As I read the third slave’s description of the master, I had to look back over the first part of the parable to make sure I didn’t miss something that would indicate that the master was the type of person the third slave described.

These two different impressions of what type of person the master is greatly affected what the slaves did with the wealth entrusted to them. The third slave was so paralyzed with fear of the master that he was unable to do anything with what he had been given. He was so afraid that fear paralyzed his abilities to use what he had been given. The first slaves were not paralyzed by unfounded fear of their master so they were free to use what their master had given them.

Tom Long made this observation in his commentary on this passage, "For those who live in the confidence that God is trustworthy and generous, they find more and more of that generosity; but for those who run and hide under the bed from a bad, mean, and scolding God, they condemn themselves to a life spent under the bed alone, quivering in needless fear."

So what is our impression of the master? Are we able to see God as trustworthy and generous? Or do we see God as mean and scolding? Our answer to those questions will greatly influence how we live our life.

We have all been entrusted with a great gift. The traditional interpretation of this parable would say that we have all been given different talents from God and it is up to us to continue to share those talents so that they can grow and bring out more talents within us. The traditional interpretation of this parable would emphasize how we can share our talents both within and outside of the church. While that is a valid and faithful interpretation of this parable, I would like to challenge us to dig a little deeper and listen for what else this parable might have to say to us.

When Jesus was telling this parable, he was about to be arrested and taken away from his disciples. Jesus did not have a great deal of material wealth to give to his disciples to take care of while he was gone. Instead of giving the disciples money or talents to take care of, Jesus instead gave them the gift of the gospel. To some, perhaps like Peter, he gave not only the gift of the gospel but the ability to proclaim the gospel in various ways. To others, perhaps like Judas, he gave the gospel but fear prevented it from coming to fruition. So what if we were to read the "talents" in this parable as "gospel?"

To three of his slaves, the master gave the gospel. Two slaves went out immediately and began to spread the gospel they had been given. It grew and spread, multiplying before their very eyes. The third slave took the gospel and buried it in the ground where no one could find it. When the master returned, the slaves settled their accounts with him. The slaves who spread the gospel were praised while the slave who feared spreading the gospel was punished. What are you willing to risk for a return on the gospel?

The first two slaves were willing to risk what they had been given in order to multiply their efforts for the sake of their master. They viewed the risk of their investments with a keen eye on what the returns would be. But the third slave was so paralyzed by his fear that he was unable to risk anything.

There have been examples of Christians willing to take risks for the gospel from the very beginning of Christianity. In the early church one risked loosing one’s family relationships if one became a Christian. In the first century, there were many Christians who risked their lives by saying that they held Christ to be their Lord, instead of the Emperor. During the Second World War there were Christians who stood up to the Nazis proclaiming the gospel, as they understood it and not how Hitler had corrupted it. Even today, there are Christians in Palestine, Iraq, China, and other areas where hostility is prevalent who are standing up and witnessing to the gospel. What are you willing to risk for the gospel?

Though we are not living in a state that seeks to violently stamp out the gospel, we are living in a time and a place when it can be a risk to stand up for the gospel wherever we see the need. It can still be a risk to stand up for the gospel. It can be unpopular to talk to the kid who is lonely. It can be risky to put yourself out there to help those who are in need.

Our willingness to risk is greatly influenced by how we view the character of our master. If we view God as trustworthy and kind, then the risk is no risk at all. For example, as we have seen all too clearly in the past months, when you invest in the stock market you are taking a risk. Granted we try to make it a calculated risk, but it is a risk nonetheless. I have seen commercials for investing companies, prior to our current crisis, that talked about the great returns they get on their accounts but there at the bottom of the screen in small print there is a disclaimer: "No investment is without risk. Be sure to carefully consider the risks before investing. No returns are guaranteed."

Unlike the stock market we know what the returns will be for proclaiming the gospel. We know who owns the future. Though we might not be around to see the returns for ourselves, we know what the futures market is for the gospel. The question is what are you willing to risk for a known future return?

The gospel has been entrusted to us. Each of us had received the gospel and the ability to proclaim it. But proclaiming it just once isn’t the end. Even after the first two slaves showed their master what they had made with what they had been given, their task wasn’t over. They were praised and welcomed by their master but that isn’t all. They were then given even greater responsibility. What are the risks you are willing to take for the sake of the gospel?