Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ’Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”
Homily: Don’t let fear stop you from serving God.
Last Sunday I pointed out that a parable is different from an allegory: Whereas an allegory has a lot of points to make concerning our human experience, a parable has only one. And "The Parable of the Talents" is no exception. Today Jesus offers us this single, yet crucial, point: Don’t let fear stop you from serving God! If fear truly is the main obstacle for us to overcome in serving God, let’s take a few moments now to find out what it really is.
First of all, fear, as unpleasant as it feels at the time, is actually a great tool to have. That’s because it alerts you to any possible danger. But fear has two stages: biochemical and emotional. The biochemical stage was designed to prepare you for action—either fight or flight—and it’s universal for everyone. But the emotional stage of fear is highly individualized, and that’s when fear’s two evil brothers come out to play: phobia and anxiety. Phobia is the fear of something very specific, like snakes or public speaking, while anxiety is the fear of nothing in particular, but of everything in general. Healthy fear gives rise to courage, which then leads to action, while emotional fear often gives rise to cowardice, which results in inaction. In "The Parable of the Talents" we see fear at work in all three servants. But the first two are able to overcome their fear and produce some amazing results, while the last servant gives into his fear, which ends in total disaster for him.
In this parable the master calls his servants in and gives each of them exactly what they need to accomplish his will. It’s quite clear that the master is well aware of the strengths and abilities of each of his servants. That’s why he gives one of them five talents, to another two, and to the last one only one. This is exactly how God deals with us. He would never give you just two talents when he knows you’re capable of handling five. And he would never give you five talents when he knows that you’re only capable of handling one. What happens next in the parable shows how each servant handled the trust that his master placed in him.
We’re told that the first two servants went out immediately and doubled their master’s money. They didn’t wait until later in the week when it would have been more convenient for them; they went out immediately. This action reveals two things about these servants. First, it shows the great love they had for their master in accomplishing his will without delay. When God asks something of you, do you obey without delay, or do you wait until it’s convenient for you? The second thing we learn is that these two had the courage to overcome their fear of failure. I know the fear I would have if my boss gave me a large sum of money and told me to invest it in the stock market. But these two don’t hesitate even for a moment. If you’re afraid of failure, just remember this great definition for courage: Courage is simply fear that’s caught up on all its prayers.
The last guy who received the one talent didn’t have much love for his master, and not much courage either. As a result, he allowed fear and inaction to rule his life. How hard would it have been to put his master’s money in the bank so at least it would have gained some interest? But he did nothing; he let his fear of failure paralyzed him. That’s why the master called him wicked, lazy, and useless.
Today the Master is once again calling you to serve him. He’s already given you everything you need to accomplish his will. All that’s left is for you to show your love for him by overcoming any fear you may have, especially the fear of failure. I’ll close now with these words from your Master: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, and I will certainly uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10) Amen!