11/ 26/ 2000  Worship service            
         
"Do not ride in automobiles.  Because 20% of all fatal accidents result from automobiles.  Do not stay in your homes.  For 17% of all accidents occur in the place of domicile.  Do not cross the street using the crosswalk.  14% of all accidents occur on the crosswalk, when pedestrians are struck crossing the street.  Do not utilize planes, ships, and trains as your modes of transportation when travelling.  The reason is that 16% of all accidents occur while you are travelling.  However, accidents during church service account for only 0.001% of all accidents.  

The safest place you can be in is a church.  Therefore, try to attend all services offered by your church, if possible."
The aforementioned quote is from a book written by an American writer.  If we cannot go anywhere out of our fear of accidents and risks, the church, indeed, is one of the safest place we can be at.  Hence, we must all be happy about coming to church every week.  Today, I would like to talk about a theme that revolve around four topics:  Capital, responsibility, risk, and fear.

In the scripture we read today, Jesus talks of his famous "Talent metaphor."  A wealthy man, before leaving for a journey abroad, calls forth his three servants and leaves them several talents.  Talent was a monetary unit in old Israel, and it refers to a very large sum of money.  One talent was worth 6000 denaris in old Israel.  During those days, a laborer had to work an entire day to earn 1 denari; therefore, in order for an average worker to earn 1 talent, he had to work for 16 years without spending a cent--or a denari.  According to today's standards, assuming that an average worker earns about $70.00 a day, he or she would earn about $25,550 a year; over the course of 16 years, an average worker will earn about $408,800.  

One talent, by today's standards, equals about $410,000--which is an astronomical sum, even by today's inflated monetary standards.  When he left this huge sum of money with his servants, prior to his departure for his journey, the man did not leave any instructions with his servants regarding what to do with this money.  Upon his return, after spending a long period abroad, the man summons his three servants and calculates how his servants spent the talent.  Some servants receive praise, while another is chastised and reproached.  What is the spiritual meaning behind this metaphor regarding the talent?

First, according to verse 15 of today's scripture, the man left talents with his servants "according to their abilities," leaving one with five talents, another with two talents, and the last one with one talent.  The word talent, aside from its monetary meaning, has a more common meaning, referring to special powers or abilities; in Korea, the word "talent" is used to refer to a TV actor or actress.  This is because actors and actresses possess the unique and special gift in art--the ability to act; hence, they are called "talents," taking after this biblical term.

In the man's eyes, the servant who received five talents deserved the said amount since he possessed the requisite capabilities and potential.  The servant who received two talents had two talents' worth of capabilities and potential, and the servant with one talent also had capabilities and potential in line and consistent with the amount of sum he received.  No one received the amount that was beyond his capabilities or potential.  Likewise, God gives us responsibilities and workloads based on, and in accordance with, our inherent capabilities and potential.  Our individual responsibilities and lots in life, or the work we are destined to do, vary according to the gift--the endowment of grace--God bestows upon us.  The important fact is that all of us, regardless of what we do, have a special responsibility as God has apportioned to us according to our individually inherent capabilities.  

Second, although he had divided up the amount of talents each servant was to receive, the man did not leave any instructions or guidelines as to what they were supposed to do with this money.  This indicates that each servant had the latitude to freely spent this capital, to invest the money as each saw fit.  The method for proper investment of this capital was left up to each servant to decide.  Likewise, the talent, the special capital that God has left us--our natural abilities and inherent potential--is left to our own devices, for us to choose how we invest and develop this capital.  To reiterate, the method for applying, or using, our individual talents is left for each and every one of us to decide.  

Third, in verses 16 and 17 of today's scripture, the two servants--who received five and two talents respectively--started their own businesses, using the money they received as capital.  As a result, they were able to increase their capital by two fold.  The servant with five talents increased this amount to ten talents, and the servant with two talents increased his amount to four talents.  The two servants doubled the capital they had received from their master.  To the diligent and prudent servants who used the talents wisely, the man heaps praise upon them.  According to verses 21 and 23, "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  

Enter into the joy of your lord."  Here, the lord is referring to his two servants as "good and faithful servants," and since they "were faithful over a few things," he promises them that he "will make [them] ruler[s] over many things," and give them the privilege to "enter into the joy of [their] lord."  The servants who utilized their talents, or their gifts, wisely are faithful and good servants; since they were faithful and diligent in discharging their responsibilities, they are worthy and deserving of gaining greater responsibilities.  Most of all, they are worthy of entering and taking part in the great celebration and joy of their lord.  Likewise, if we are faithful in utilizing our own abilities and talents to the maximum, we will be considered by our Lord as being faithful and good servants, who are deserving of greater responsibilities and worthy of joy and celebration of our Lord.  

Fourth, let's consider the servant who received one talent.  In reality, the main character--or the subject--of this metaphor is not the two servants who received five and two talents, but the servant who received one talent.  Although he only received one talent based on his abilities and potential, his responsibility in investing and utilizing this talent wisely was no less than the other two servants' responsibilities.  However, in looking at verse 18 of today's scripture, we can see that this servant "went and jug in the ground, and hid his lord's money."  Looking at it from today's perspective, burying money in the ground is a foolish thing to do; however, in those days, in accordance with customs and habits of the day, it was a perfectly logical and legitimate thing to do.  During the days of Christ, the most secure way of storing one's valuables was burying it in the ground.  Further, in accordance with the Hebrew Rabbi tradition, a regulation existed that absolved the overseer of others' valuable from all responsibilities if the overseer buries the valuables in the ground.

From the perspective of the ancient Hebrews, the servant who received one talent from his lord was probably overcome with great fear and the desire to protect himself from the risk associated with the responsibility.  He probably thought that the only safe way to secure this one talent, or $410,000 in today's standards, was to bury it in the ground.  This servant did not like risk taking.  Those who fear failure can never succeed.  Whether we start a business, or partake in any endeavor, we cannot fear failure.  There is a phrase, "nothing to lose."  It means precisely that:  There is nothing more to lose.  We need this type of faith and confidence, that there is nothing to lose, in gaining necessary courage to embark on our endeavors.  

The servant who received one talent did not have the courage to expand this capital through investment; futhermore, he lacked faith and confidence in his own lord.  When the lord returned to tabulate his wealth, the servant with one talent confesses to his lord in verses 24 and 25, saying "Lord, I know you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  

And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours."  The term "hard man" means one with little sympathy and compassion, one who is austere and harsh in his dealing with others.  This servant believed that since his lord was the one who reaped where he has not sown, one who gathers where he has not scattered seed, he was afraid to do anything with the money but to safeguard it by burying it in the ground.  

This servant was so fearful of failure, that he even led himself to consider the freedom and responsibility bestowed upon him, vis a vis the one talent, as the trap that will lead him to failure.  Therefore, rather than utilizing this talent through investment, the servant chose to hide the money in the ground, choosing faithless inactivity over utilization.
As a result, however, the lord chastises and reproaches this servant from verses 26 through 30.  The lord says to him, "You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.  

Therefore you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.  For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  The servant with one talent is called, by his lord, a wicked and lazy servant.  The lord further derides him, saying that rather than burying the money in the ground, it should have been given to the bankers so that it would have been returned with interest.  The lord instructs the talent to be taken from the lazy servant and given to the servant with ten talents.  He further curses him by ordering him into darkness, where he will cry and gnash his teeth.

This servant represents those who cannot utilized their talents and discharge their responsibilities, as granted by God, out of fear of failure.  There is a phrase, "those willing to risk nothing actually risk losing everything."  Those who are unwilling to take risk ultimately leaving everything to chance.  God wants each and every one of us to be utmost responsible and faithful beings.  Let's hope that each one of us have the courage to maximize our God-given talents and responsibilities, like the servants with five and two talents.  I pray, in the name of our Lord, that each and every one of us become the faithful servant of the Lord, who maximize and utilize to the fullest the gifts and responsibilities that God has bestowed upon us.