Sunday, June 12, 2005
MATTHEW 25:14-30
All of Jesus' parables are metaphors which tell us something about various aspects of God's Kingdom. The parables provide us with insights that instruct us how to move along the road to the Kingdom of God. All the parables have relevance to our lives today.
What is the message of today's gospel parable? Simply this: the Christian is a person who must put himself or herself at risk. The Christian must take risks. The master gives money to two of the servants, they put the money to work, make a profit and make their master happy. These two men took risks. What kind of risks? Well, the investment they made could have failed. They could have had nothing to return to the master at all, not even the principal. They took the chance, however, succeeded and made their master happy.
It's precisely this willingness to take risks that the master finds lacking in the third servant. "You did not put the money to work because you were afraid you might lose it. Because of your fear, I received no profit. Now you will lose everything."
Why must a Christian put himself/herself at risk? The parable doesn't explain, but simple reflection on Christ's teaching shows us why. At the heart of Christianity is Christ's commandment to love God and neighbor. Is loving God and neighbor risky? God will demand of those who claim to love him that their lives, all aspects of their lives, be expressions of Christian values. This will mean very often `take up your cross, die to yourself, follow my son.' Is there any upper limit to what God might demand?" "Greater love than this no man has, than that he lay down his life for his friend." The demands of being a Christian can be very heavy.
In this matter, as in all others, it's Christ who shows us the way. The Son of God, entered our world thereby putting himself at risk. He put himself in the hands of sinful men, hoping that he might save us from our own selfishness, from our self-centered values. His risk- taking paid off, for where would we now be, had he not taken the risk?
What is the message of today's gospel parable? Simply this: the Christian is a person who must put himself or herself at risk. The Christian must take risks. The master gives money to two of the servants, they put the money to work, make a profit and make their master happy. These two men took risks. What kind of risks? Well, the investment they made could have failed. They could have had nothing to return to the master at all, not even the principal. They took the chance, however, succeeded and made their master happy.
It's precisely this willingness to take risks that the master finds lacking in the third servant. "You did not put the money to work because you were afraid you might lose it. Because of your fear, I received no profit. Now you will lose everything."
Why must a Christian put himself/herself at risk? The parable doesn't explain, but simple reflection on Christ's teaching shows us why. At the heart of Christianity is Christ's commandment to love God and neighbor. Is loving God and neighbor risky? God will demand of those who claim to love him that their lives, all aspects of their lives, be expressions of Christian values. This will mean very often `take up your cross, die to yourself, follow my son.' Is there any upper limit to what God might demand?" "Greater love than this no man has, than that he lay down his life for his friend." The demands of being a Christian can be very heavy.
In this matter, as in all others, it's Christ who shows us the way. The Son of God, entered our world thereby putting himself at risk. He put himself in the hands of sinful men, hoping that he might save us from our own selfishness, from our self-centered values. His risk- taking paid off, for where would we now be, had he not taken the risk?
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:30 PM 
