An Abundance of Talents?

You can listen to this sermon here

Gate Pa – Year A 33^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, 2023  

Readings:
Psalm                         Psalm 123                                                                  
First Reading:            Judges 4:1-7
Second Reading:        1 Thessalonians 5:1-11                        
Gospel:                       Matthew 25:14-30                

What I want to say:
Parable of the Talents invites us into the utterly outrageous gift of God’s mercy, love, life; and urgently requires us to live riskily and extravagantly that beatitudes might come to be.

What I want to happen:
What do the talents represent for us, and how might we live them?

The Sermon

1.     Introduction - Parable of the Talents
For most last year listening most weeks Matthew’s understanding of who Jesus is
-         How Jesus reveals nature of God
-         What reign God- kingdom of heaven looks like
o   taught by Jesus in sermon of Mount and particularly Beatitudes
o   teased and lived out – rest of gospel
In light of that how do we read the parable of the talents we heard this morning
What do you think it is all about?
ð Discussion
ð Plenary
 
2.     Put it back
I wonder what happens if we first of all put this parable back
ð Back into Matthew’s gospel
Where Jesus teaches that reign of God is
è where the most important people are:
o   the poor in spirit,
o   those who mourn,
o   the meek,
o   those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice,
o   the pure in heart,
o   the merciful,
o   the peacemakers,
o   those who are persecuted for the sake of God’s justice,
-         a world where all flourish
o   Where the common good is held as paramount
o   A world where the needs of the poor are placed first
o   Where ALL are treated with honour and respect
o   And given what they need to thrive
o   Relationship between us and creation is restored
ð Back into this last block of teaching
-         Begins with statements and questions about temple
-         Includes teaching about destruction of temple
-         Teaching about waiting faithfully
o   Faithful and wicked servants
o   10 bridesmaids
o   This parable
o   Parable of sheep and goats
è Then Jesus is arrested
ð I wonder what happens if we ask
-         What is Jesus saying to his disciples
-         What is Matthew saying to his community
-         What is this saying to us.
 
3.     There are some problems.
ð Talents here do NOT mean our natural abilities and gifts
-         Money
o   1 talent = 20 years wages for day labourer
o   Amounts here in Matthew are absurd
o   Made Jesus disciples laugh
o   Incredible abundance
o   But an incredible abundance of what?
ð Stories about masters and slaves – common way illustrating points
-         Means that master does not have to be a god figure.
-         Number commentators remind us that we need to stop seeing every powerful figure in Jesus’ stories as representing him or God
o   They don’t
o   Lucky
o   This god figure sucks
o   more like Herod the Great or Herod Antipas or any despot rather than Jesus
ð A lot about this parable that would have and should still grate
-         Economics appalling
o   Powerful had became super wealthy at cost of poor
o   used Rome’s debt burden to increase their land holdings as expense of small land holders Judea and Galilee
§  against torah
§  against honour system
·        Honourable act – maintain families land and honour
·        not adding to own land and honour
·        that takes away from others
·        do so is dishonourable
o   Jesus just been jousting with several groups who had done just that
§  including chief priests, Jerusalem elite, some of Sadducees and pharisees
o   only way that first two slaves could doubled wealth was use these kinds of practices
§  jarred and grated both Jesus’ and Matthew’s readers
o   only third slave acts honourably
§  hiding master wealth
§  Common at that time and still today by some
o   Not charge interest – banned by torah
-         some commentators
o   and African American, African and Asian  preachers
-         suggest that 3^rd slave is one we should emulate
o    one who is like streetwise virgins wating faithfully
o   Not taking part in economic system that impoverishes
o   who like Jesus is rejected, cast out, - about to happen
o   Suffering consequences that Jesus warns the faithful of in Matthew 24:9
o   He is one lives beatitudes
 
4.     But wait there is more!
Brings me back to question
What might the image of the talent represent?
What might God give us in a super abundance?
?????? (ask)
And what then are we to do with that superabundance?
-         Live same generosity
-         Not live fearfully
o   as disciples did after arrest and crucifixion
o   immediately after resurrection
-         live riskily.
Some suggest that this parable is so jarring
-         both by Jesus to his disciples
o   Matthew to his community
-         Jar them out of their complacency
o   Their despair
o   Their fear
Recognise urgency and need of this living abundantly
That the stakes are high
Cost to those we live with and all creation is too great
If we don’t live God’s abundance especially for
o   the poor in spirit,
o   those who mourn,
o   the meek,
o   those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice,
o   the pure in heart,
o   the merciful,
o   the peacemakers,
o   those who are persecuted for the sake of God’s justice,
-         a world where all flourish
o   Where the common good is held as paramount
o   A world where the needs of the poor are placed first
o   Where ALL are treated with honour and respect
o   And given what they need to thrive
o   Relationship between us and creation is restored
As we look around our world today
-         War
-         Climate crisis and biodiversity loss
Need is urgent
 
5.     Conclusion
What might the image of the talent represent?
What does this parable invite us to?