The Hazards of Risking Nothing - Part 2

Text: Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the Talents)

Last Sunday, I offered some thoughts on risk and the life of the disciple of Jesus.  The idea in that sermon was that you will never experience the full benefits of the freedom that God offers you if you won’t take the risk of stepping out in faith when He calls your name.  The hazard in risking nothing is that you will never be anything more than a prisoner and slave of your attitudes.  You will never be free.

 

Today, I want to go down that road some more, with the Parable of the Talents.  This story is here to help us think about what it means to wait faithfully until Jesus returns – whenever that might be.

 

There is a term used in the business world that can illustrate how we interpret this parable: “heads and tails.”

 

This isn’t the “heads or tails” coin toss you see at a ballgame, where the winner decides who gets the ball.  This is a business term that refers to where a product is in the market.  If the product is at the “head” of the market, it’s the very well-known, very popular items.  The “tail” of the market is the product that is not currently in high demand, or high favor.

 

If you go to Blockbuster, or a big book store like Barnes & Noble, you’ll find the items that are at the head of the market.  All of the big sellers are there, and in good supply. 

 

The catch is, if you want something that’s not in the high-demand category, you won’t find it.  One of the “head” stores might be able to order it, but you’ll not find it on the shelves. 

 

The thing to remember about the places at the head of the market is that there are limitations placed upon you. You don’t have a lot of options beyond what is widely popular.  The odds of you being able to walk into a video store and get your favorite movie from the 1930s are not good, unless that movie is very popular – like, “The Wizard of Oz.”

 

At the head of the market, you have options like when you mom tells you can wear anything you like to church so long as it’s your blue suit and red tie with a white shirt.

 

Things are different at the tail of the market. You have options and choices.  The Internet is a great place to experience the tail of the market.  You can find not only the new and popular stuff, but the obscure stuff that you and only a few others are interested in.  At the tail of the market are very few limits and plenty of choices and opportunities.

 

In the business world, living on the tail instead of the head means living in a universe of abundance and choice instead of dead ends and scarcity.

 

Here is how this idea of “heads and tails” ties into understanding this scripture:  everyone has the opportunity to hear the message and be faithful.  Some will make use of this opportunity and some will not.  Why they don’t is not the point – the point is just that they didn’t.  Those who listen, pay attention, and actively seek to further the interests of the Master are the ones who will be rewarded in the coming Kingdom.

 

Jesus wants us to live at the tail of the market, where the opportunities and choices are – because that is where the abundant life is found.  At the tail of the market, you have more options for growing your faith and advancing the reign of God in the lives around you.  Jesus has entrusted you with some talents, and now you are the one who will choose your options.

 

It’s a powerful story, this parable.  A man goes on a journey, and before he leaves, he distributes his property among his servants. In modern terms, he gives one $1,000,000, to another, $400,000, and to a third, a mere $200,000.

 

The one with a million invests his million and makes another million.  Not bad at all!  The one with $400,000 turns it into $800,000.  Again, not bad.

 

Then there’s the servant with $200,000.  He digs a hole in the back yard, puts the money in a coffee can, and waits for the boss to get home.

 

Why didn’t he do something with the money?  He was afraid of losing the money; he was afraid that if he did, things would go badly for him.

 

His fears have driven him to limit his options.  He now has no positive possibilities.  By choosing not to choose, he has sealed his fate.

 

The servant with the million knew that he could multiply his master’s money if he were willing to take a few chances.  Risky, yes, but very profitable for one who is willing to make the leap.

 

So where are you living — at the head or on the tail? Are your spiritual talents out where they can grow, or are they in a coffee can in the back yard?

 

If you’re finding yourself in the place of the fearful servant, don’t worry:  Your own abilities aren’t the only resources you have to draw on.  God, the very one whose talents we’re playing with, will also give us tips on how to spend it.

 

In other words, there isn’t as much risk as you might be thinking there is.  You do need to risk stepping forward and trusting God to help you make use of the gifts that you have been given.  Whether you are called to teach children, cook food for hungry people, or fix tractors – God doesn’t require you to become someone you are not (or cannot be).  Be the person He has created you to be – and don’t limit your options!

 

Most of us will never be widely known for our efforts.  But, we can still make a lasting impact on the world around them by being willing to invest the talents we’ve been given.

 

The church is like the servant with the million who goes out and aggressively invests his resources – or we should be. Within our community of faith, we have a great storehouse of talents, and God calls us to live in a world of abundance by taking risks and being generous.

 

This means that WE MUST BE WILLING to try new things – by sharing our abilities in creative worship and innovative educational events, for example. It means that we look outward to a world in need, and do what we can to feed hungry children, house homeless adults, and welcome the strangers and immigrants in our midst. God doesn’t want us to live in a world of scarcity and conserve what we have; instead, he wants us to invest our time and talents and treasures in ways that multiply our effectiveness as ambassadors of Christ.

 

You have to live with the assumption that there is a need for the gifts God has given you! 

 

In the Bible, we see a cycle of abundance again and again.  In Genesis, God blessed the earth with plants and animals, and then urged them to “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22).  

 

By the end of Genesis, the image of limits and scarcity is introduced. Pharaoh dreams there will be a famine, and with a fearful spirit he takes steps to ensure than he and his people will have the stored-up provisions they need.

 

In Exodus, God gives manna to his people — he provides a dependable daily gift that can’t be hoarded, but only received with gratitude. But as the people cross into the Promised Land, they begin to battle for land and wealth and security, and start to live according to a sense of scarcity and limited options.

 

The choices are clear:  Abundance versus scarcity. No limits versus limits.

 

Jesus couldn’t be any clearer in today’s passage of Scripture. He says that when the master returns, the servants who invested their talents are described as “good” and “faithful,” and they are given additional gifts. But the servant who buried his single talent is not only negligent, he is described as “wicked” and “lazy” (v. 26) and “worthless” (v. 30). Jesus obviously wants us to embrace the world of abundance, and to live on the long tail by investing our peculiar talents in the work of the kingdom.

 

Won’t you live by faith, and to trust that God will give us what we need for an abundant life? Every one of us has an opportunity to hear Christ’s message, and respond with faithfulness by investing the gifts we have been given.

 

Of course, some will respond, and some will not. Some will be like the servant with five talents, and some will be like the servant with one talent. Some will take risks and be generous, and some will remain cautious and close-fisted. Some will accept the idea of abundance, and some will hold to the myth of scarcity. Some will sit at the head of the market, and some will venture onto the long tail.

 

The only question that matters this morning is: What will you do?

 

Sources Consulted:

“The Long Tail,” Homiletics, November 2005.

NIV Bible Commentary, Volume 2 (Zondervan, 1994)