Don’t you just love it when you read something that affirms what you know in your gut is true? And when it is couched in the context of God, well, that’s all the better. Right?

Sorry. Nope. It doesn’t happen that way. That’s what theologians call “proof texting,” looking for proof of what you want to find in the Bible. Just pick out a small passage or a few verses that hint at what you want it to say and go nowhere else. Beyond theological positions, it’s also known as leverage. Use the power of one group or belief and transfer it to your position. That’s how Jesus’ message has been twisted and diluted for centuries. And this is one of them.

Financial Leverage

Three servants are given bags of gold by their master as he is preparing to take a long trip with instructions to invest it. The first servant had five bags, immediately invested the money, and soon it doubled. The second servant had two bags, and likewise, his investment doubled. But a third servant, with only one bag, hid it in the ground for safekeeping.

The two servants who invested and doubled the money were lauded by the master when he returned. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!”

But the third servant was harshly reprimanded and dismissed for being too scared of failure and the wrath of his master if he’d lost any of the money. He misjudged that his master meant it when he had said to invest it, at least get some interest in a bank account, not to let it mold away in the dirt.

Now some read this as affirming good financial planning and growth strategies. Certainly, as any stock market investor will tell you, risk is part of the game. But do your homework, put your money in good accounts, give it some time, and there will be a decent if not very good return. The problem with the third servant was his risk tolerance was too low, and while he didn’t actually lose any of the money, he didn’t have any growth either. He’d never be a good candidate on Shark Tank, that’s for sure.

Step back a minute though. Jesus talked a lot about money, some say more than he did about prayer. It was important to him, but not for the accumulation of revenue funding the good life. Thus, for him to tell a story with money as a central part of the plot, we need to take notice.

First, money always gets people’s attention. To hear about a boss giving huge sums of varying amounts to his servants means we should listen up. Where is Jesus going with this? But if you think he is espousing a spiritual capitalism, take a back seat. Any student of literary form would know to look for deeper meaning.

Aptitude Leverage

Some translations of the Greek make it easy. Instead of saying the master gave out bags of gold (though that is a great visual), the translations refer to the master’s distribution as five talents, two talents, and one talent. That’s an idea you can run with. If you subscribe to blessings as gifts from God, then talents, skills, abilities (and by extension, all good things) are to be developed, expanded, utilized in such a way that one gets better because of it.

Yeah, you can still throw money into this pile, but there’s so much more. Intellect is another example; there are a lot of smart people out there but proper education, exposure to ideas, training in critical thinking are vital to brain function and thought processing.

Personal Leverage

Health, for instance, is another blessing that needs to be maintained by good diet and exercise. Your body was made to move; otherwise, you rest, you rust. So get out there with the right fuel in your belly and build that muscle tone and cardio rate.

Want more? Relationships. We all have them. Still, it takes understanding family and social dynamics with effective communication skills to have successful and supportive relationships. These and so much more are blessings which require attention and development to be all that God meant for them to be in our lives. In short, God wants us to use them so there’s more of them for us and others.

Fine, but….

Well, we moved Jesus from a supporter of capitalism to the realm of sociology and individualism. While there’s some validity in each point, take another look at this. Jesus began his story with, “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by…” The problem with the visual of money or the concept of talents and blessings is they fail to fully grasp what can bring meaning and significance to life. Sorry. While a measure of wealth, health, mental power, and even the bonds we form with others are significant and need our focus and care such that they last and enrich our lives, Jesus is saying there is more.

The master gave out of his own wealth and riches to his servants. He entrusted them with the best he had. See the allegory here. Jesus’ life and message are to give to others what he brought from God and as God. He lived and died to embody Love and to be known by his servants in that Love. It is more abundant than five, ten, a thousand bags of gold. In the Kingdom of Heaven, it is known as grace.

The third servant who did not do as asked by his master was useless and dismissed. Regret for what could have been, regret for what blessing and affirmation would have been showered on him, regret for not realizing the gracious acceptance and generous love of God was his fate. That’s the meaning in the visual of “outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Use It or Lose It.

Invest your life working for and growing the full love and grace of God that Jesus brought. Be included now and forever in the Kingdom of Heaven. Good and faithful servant, receive the blessing and enter into God’s celebration:

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given,

and they will have an abundance.”

Matthew 25:14-30

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