Can you imagine a financial advisor taking his client’s money that he is supposed to invest and burying it in the ground? Or a car salesman going off to hide “in a hole” when a customer comes to him wanting to purchase an automobile? Sounds absurd, doesn’t it? Both would be without a job real soon. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells his disciples a parable that addresses this very issue.
Three servants were given various talents by their master. The first two who were entrusted with their master’s possessions, invested what was given to them, causing it to grow and multiply. The third servant, out of fear, dug a hole and buried what was given him. The master was very pleased with his first two servants calling them good and faithful and he invited them to share in his joy. As for the third servant, the master was very displeased; he cast him out into the darkness calling him wicked and lazy.
In ancient times, a talent was a unit of measurement for gold and silver, in comparison to today, in which a talent is considered a gift or ability. The lesson of this parable is not really about multiplying money, but a person’s gifts or talents and how they use their abilities.
We have all been given gifts from God and it is our job to share them, NOT burry them in a hole! Some people have the gift of leadership, others the gift of supporting. Some have the gift of listening others the gift of speaking. Some see the big picture, some are detail oriented. Some have the gift to be a musician, writer or artist. These are just a few examples. There are many, many more gifts!
When we share our gifts we grow closer to the Lord and we help his love and beauty to grow here on earth. What would the world be like if Michelangelo, Beethoven or J. R. R. Tolkien buried their talents like the third servant in the parable? We would not have the beautiful painting in the Sistine Chapel or the Pieta. There would be no 5th Symphony or Ode to Joy. No Hobbit or Lord of the Rings!
And think of how many lives were touched by Mother Teresa who shared her gifts of mercy and healing with the sick and dying.
Whether you can knit a blanket, tell funny jokes, or crunch numbers…fix cars, speak a foreign language, or bake scrumptious cookies; know you have talents and God wants you to share them to help his love grow. The choice is ours. We can be fearful and lazy and bury our talents or we can be responsible with the gifts we are given and be good and faithful servants, sharing in our Master’s joy.
Let us pray:
Loving Father, help me to share and grow my talents -NOT burry them in a hole- so that I may glorify your name, and others may experience your beautiful love through my actions.
Amen