His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:21

Jesus’ Parable of the Talents, recorded in Matthew 25:14-30, has got me thinking about all the tests we take in life. When we are in school, life seems to be a series of tests. We study, stress out, lose sleep, and wait anxiously for the results. Our parents tell us that all that really matters is that we do our best, but we don’t believe that. We want to do well. Or, we choose not to care. We focus on other things, like winning the big game. But that is still similar to a test, isn’t it? 

When our school days are over, we are glad to be done with tests. For a little while. Then we come to realize that there are still tests in life; they just aren’t named that. Getting a job, buying a house, paying our bills, saving for our children’s education or retirement, and on and on. And let’s not even talk about all the medical tests we have as we get older! 

It is no wonder, when you think about it, that we often view life as a test. And even as people of faith, we often can’t help but think of life as an exam, a test to be passed. It’s common in almost every religion to think of God as judging us, or grading us, based on how we live our life. Even as Christians, we are sometimes tempted to think of this life as a test to be passed. Have enough faith, live a good enough life, and you go to Heaven. And if you don’t? You go where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Today’s Parable – A Test?

A parable like the one in today’s gospel reading seems to support that way of looking at the world. Jesus tells us this story about three slaves, two of whom seem to pass the test and enter into the joy of the master, and one who fails the test and is thrown into the outer darkness. 

This parable seems like it is Jesus’ way of reminding us that this life is a test. Use our talents faithfully and wisely and we enter into the joy of the master. Bury our talents, or squander them away, or use them selfishly, and we fail our heavenly exam. Again, that seems like what this parable is saying, but is that really what it is saying? Doesn’t that seem to contradict much of what Jesus teaches us elsewhere? What about grace and mercy and forgiveness? What about God so loving the world that he gave his only son? What about Paul’s teachings that we are justified or made right with God by grace through faith? What is really going on in this parable?

This Parable’s Setting

Something that has helped me to better understand this parable, is to realize when and where Jesus tells this parable. Jesus tells this parable in Jerusalem, toward the end of his earthly ministry. In fact, he tells this parable just two days before he is handed over and crucified. And he tells it in the midst of his denouncing the scribes and the Pharisees who are plotting to kill him. He tells it after he has driven the money changers out of the Temple, and he tells it after weeping and lamenting over the beloved city of Jerusalem, the city that he warns will be destroyed. 

And all of this background is really important to interpreting this parable correctly. Because it helps us to identify the one-talent slave in this parable, the one who is thrown into the outer darkness. The scribes and the Pharisees that are condemning Jesus are such a disappointment to him. They were given so much from God. They were entrusted with the Torah, or the teachings of the Old Testament. They were blessed with the Temple, that awesome reminder of God’s presence among them. These scribes and Pharisees were members of God’s chosen people. They were assured that God would bless them, and bless all the world through them. 

And what did they do with all of this? They covered it all up with rules and regulations. They buried it all in the ground. And now, they are even plotting to bury Jesus himself in the ground. It is no wonder that Jesus tells this parable about the unfaithful slave who will lose the one talent that he was given. 

This parable is really a warning to those religious leaders – God can and will take their talent and give it to those who prove themselves trustworthy – Those who are being entrusted with the good news of God’s love in Jesus. And it’s not the religious leaders! It’s ordinary people like you who are entrusted with the good news of Jesus. And this parable encourages you to let your light shine, and to share this good news with the world. 

You see? This parable is not trying to take away God’s grace and mercy and love. It is trying to teach us that these are gifts for all, and these gifts are meant to be shared with all the world. And it is only when we choose to bury these gifts, and refuse to share God’s love with the world, that we receive the condemnation of this one-talent slave. This parable, to put it another way, is not condemning those who bury their talents, so much as it condemning those who bury the gospel, and who try to hide God’s grace from the world. And that is very different, isn’t it? 

Jesus Has Already Passed the Test

To put it yet another way, this parable is not teaching us that life is a test that we must pass. It is reminding us that Jesus has already passed the test for us. And he just wants us to share that news with the world. His frustration is not with those of us who don’t pass this test, but with those of us who try to turn religion into a test. Jesus is frustrated with all those who get so caught up in who’s in and who’s out, that they forget the grace and mercy that is at the heart of our faith. 

Religion, in Jesus’ eyes, is not a test. It is not a study guide on how to get to heaven. Religion, in Jesus’ eyes, is about God’s love, pure and simple. Religion is about the grace and the mercy and the forgiveness and the love that we all long for, and that God shares with us so freely and abundantly. 

If you want to insist on thinking of life as a test, then we can think of it this way: We have all failed! We are all sinners, the Bible reminds us. None of us are perfect. And the only way to pass this test is to be perfect. So we have all failed the test. 

But the gospel teaches us there is one bright student who is perfect, and who has convinced the teacher to let him retake the test for us all. And that is what Jesus did. He took the test for us. And he passed it with flying colors. And he has convinced the teacher to give us all the same grade. 

So we don’t have to worry about life as a test. That is done. And with that out of the way, we can let our light shine, and we can share our talent with the world. And since we don’t have to worry about getting it all right, we can live boldly for the sake of the gospel. We can gamble with grace; we can make mistakes. We can do our best, and trust God to take care of the rest. And that is very freeing, isn’t it? It is the power of the gospel, and there is no more powerful force in our lives, or in this world. 

You Passed! Now What?

So, now that you have passed the test, the question really is: What are you going to do with your life? In the poet Mary Oliver’s words: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” If you don’t have to worry about your salvation – about passing life’s test – then, what are you going to do? 

Now we can get to work sharing ourselves with the world, just as those two slaves do in today’s gospel reading. Just like those slaves, we have all been given according to our ability. Some of us are entrusted with a lot; others little. And that is really true of our time, our talent, and our treasure. And it might even vary from season to season in life. Some periods of life we have a lot of time and no money. Other periods we have enough money but very little free time. But what Jesus says here is that it really doesn’t matter how much we have right now. What matters is what we do with it. We all have different amounts of talent, and different amounts of free time, and different amounts of treasure. And not only that, but we all have different personalities, too. Some of us take more chances and risks than others. And that’s okay. 

The only thing that is not okay, really, is to bury what God has entrusted us with in the ground. The way that we share all of this will vary a lot from person to person. But each of us has an important part to play in the kingdom of God. And we are being called through this parable to faithfully play our part. Not to pass a test, but to pass along the good news of the gospel. 

Closing

So, when you face a test in life, big or small, remember that Jesus has already passed the most important test for you. Now, you can let your light shine. You can share your time and your talent and your treasure. You can share the hope that is in you. You can love your neighbors near and far. You can live in the way that Jesus taught, but without fear of failure. Because you’ve already passed the test. Jesus made sure of that. 

So live this precious life every day for Jesus, without fear, until that blessed day when each of us will hear those amazing words: “Well done, good and faithful servant … Enter into the joy of your master.” 

Thanks be to God. Amen.