GodSprings - 28, March, 2018

Using My Talent is Directly Proportional to My Trust In God

‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?
Matthew 25:24-26 

John Chrysostom, the Arch Bishop of Constantinople is considered to be one of the most gifted speakers in church history. His name Chrysostom means “golden mouthed” in Greek and lived up to the name given to him. The gift of public speaking that God had blessed him with, he used it for his glory till the end. I would like to bring one of the instances from his life.

He was sent from Antioch to what was then Constantinople where he preached fearlessly in the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. His denunciation of the lavish extravagance of the rich and the ruling class infuriated many. When he was told of his fate Chrysostom responded: “What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness is the Lord’s. Will it be the loss of wealth? But we brought nothing into the world, and can carry nothing out. Thus all the terrors of the world are contemptible in my eyes, and I smile at all its good things. Poverty I do not fear. Riches I do not sigh for. Death I do not shrink from.”

In the parable on which this meditation is based we see that three individuals are entrusted with talents. All are not given the same amount of talents. One is given five, other two and the last one. The word talent does not have the same meaning as we have it today. We need to understand the meaning of talent so as to understand the parable in full.

The talent mentioned in this parable is a sum of money equal to about 15-20 years of wages of labour. If this is the case then one thing is clear that the master is very generous and he has a trust on all the three slaves he has entrusted his talents with.

The ones who were give five and two double the talents given. But the individual who was given only one does not double the talent but buries it in the ground. Understanding the value of the talent we cannot say that he was irresponsible. In many ways he was responsible with the money given to him as he did not gamble it away or lose it. But Jesus is not happy with his reaction and that tells us that it is not just about money.

The difference in the attitude of the three slaves is in the way they believed their master to be. How I perceive God decides how I am using what I have been freely given. Why did the third slave bury the talent and the other two did not. The third slave considered his master as a wicked man who was quick to punish anyone who did wrong. He accuses the master of two things – hard and ungracious. He is blind to his master’s kindness and grace. But the other two understood the Master as being joyful and generous.

When God gives us a talent, he expects us to use it. Rick Warren says that talents are like muscle. If you use it, it will grow. If you don’t you will lose it.” 

With regard to the third servant we can see that he buried his talent or did not use it because he was afraid of losing it. For the fear of losing everything, he did nothing. When we fear to step out and invest the gifts and abilities God has given us we are not only missing the opportunities to use and develop our talents but on the contrary shouting out loudly we don’t trust in the master who trusted in us to give the talents.

God has entrusted us all with talents according to our abilities. Using it is directly proportional to our trust in God.