Finding the Courage to be Faithful – Matthew 25:14-30

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew is one of many which speak about what we are to do in life to prepare ourselves to be part of the kingdom of God.  While we are saved by the grace that God has shown us through the coming of Jesus, it is still incumbent upon us to respond to that gift of grace by living the life of a disciple to the best of our ability.

God knows that we have our times of testing and we have our struggles with coming to fully understand and live according to the pattern for life revealed by God throughout time and especially as revealed through the incarnation in Jesus.  But over and over again we are encouraged to make every effort to live as people who are seeking for and expecting to be part of the coming kingdom of God.

This passage from Matthew’s Gospel is part of a larger discourse of Jesus which he is reported to have given prior to his arrest in Jerusalem. He had come to the city with the disciples and he was taking the time to speak to them about many things; but everything that he was sharing with them was leading them to understand that a day was coming when he would not be with them physically and they would need to be his eyes and ears, his hands and feet from the time when he left until his return.

How long he would be gone was unknown.  A search of the Scriptures – both in the Old and New Testaments – reveal much information but ultimately nothing that can actually point to a date that can be found within the bounds of time and space as we know them.

So, Jesus had to get the disciples thinking about what they could do, how they could get on with their lives and how they could be prepared for the time when he would come again.  Our belief in the word of God, our decision to accept the message from God about our life in the here and now, our decision to accept the gifts of grace, forgiveness, and life eternal from God, bind us as a people   determined that the ways of God are to be our ways.  We  have dedicated ourselves to living the truth of God through the decisions we make and the ways in which we conduct ourselves in our public and private lives.

And while other parts of this long discourse are encouragements to listen to the word of God and to be ever ready for the coming of Jesus again, this passage focuses on our use of the gifts God gives us to help us be the people of God and to ensure that the message of God’s love, peace, forgiveness, and grace are never forgotten.

Jesus describes the situation in this way.  The master of the house is going on a trip. He will be away for some time but can give the servants no firm idea of when he will return.  While he is absent, he entrusts some of his wealth to 3 of his servants according to their ability.

The first one receives 5 bags of gold, the second 2 and the third 1.  The first two servants take what is given and make wise use of it doubling what they have been given.  The third is so afraid of his master that he chooses not to take risks and instead buries the gold so that he can be sure of avoiding the master’s wrath.  Of course, the way the lesson plays out, the first two are successful and the third one still incurs the wrath of his master and not only that but he loses the faith of his master who decides that he will not be given any responsibility for anything.

The parable is a way for Jesus to encourage the disciples to make good use of the gifts of the Spirit which they will receive when he departs.  In his absence, the disciples will need to have the courage to step out in faith and live their lives in faithful expectation.  Those who are called to teach will need to be bold and faithful in teaching. Those who are called to be prayer warriors will need to be bold and faithful in prayer. Those who are called to give leadership are to be bold and faithful in leading.

Jesus asked the disciples in that day to make the conscious decision to show themselves worthy of his trust.  The arrest, crucifixion, and death of Jesus will shake the faith of the disciples and cause them to wonder if they can ever truly continue to share the message Jesus shared with them.  They will be challenged to be the people of God and to be bold in their living.

And while they would know fear and would dearly love to just find a place of refuge where they could preserve what Jesus had given them, they are encouraged to not stay to themselves but to spread the message of God by whatever means they have been given. Would they experience setbacks and failures?  Certainly, but they needed to be courageous and dedicated to faithfulness.

God’s love for us and God’s forgiveness are not dependent on how successful we are in living our faith in community and in the wider world. But that love and forgiveness are to give us the courage to live as God’s people making good use of whatever skills, abilities, and gifts we have within us by God’s grace.

All of us want to get to the end of this life and be received by God and hear those words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But we need to have the courage to trust God enough to make every effort possible within us to be faithful in speech, in thought and in action.

AMEN