Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  

 

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone'?

"Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

 

- Luke 20:9–19 

 

On Saturday we read that it happened on one of those days, as Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  My study Bible comments that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, and the beloved son is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels:  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem; and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not those of His own "vineyard" (Israel, or the people of God).  The others who later receive the vineyard, my study Bible explains, are the Gentiles brought into the Church. 

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  Here Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22, a powerful psalm associated with messianic expectation and the coming Kingdom.  My study Bible comments that that stone is Christ.  It notes that, according to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their own sins while still in this life.  But those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment. 

 

 What does it mean to be ground to powder in this context?  Of course, as St. Chrysostom's commentary illustrates, this is about the final judgment.  "Powder" gives us a metaphor to think about.  A powder scatters.  If we look closely at Christ's own words about Himself and His power in one regard, we think about these words:  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matthew 12:30).  This is what a powder does, it "scatters abroad," and as such it has no being, nothing to hang it together, no substance.  When something scatters as a powder, it does so seemingly into thin air, and therefore nothing remains of it, perhaps not even a memory.  In St. Chrysostom's understanding of this saying, then, it is far better to stumble and be broken in this life, for in this place of brokenness we may seek to find what we lack, what will put us back together again.  Recently I've been listening to various individuals who have rather newly come to Christ and to faith, having followed various other ways to find meaning and spirituality.  Many have spoken of the brokenness they found in other practices, such as those who follow cults or perhaps pseudo-revivals of ancient pagan religions of various types.  Many speak of this type of brokenness, that the promises which seemed to beckon resulted in broken lives, tragedy, and difficulties.  Whether we speak of modern day cults around charismatic individuals, or those founded upon various practices such as drug use, or even worship of demonic elements, these are similar to addiction, in the sense that false promises of happiness turn to a kind of slavery, a disappointment in which our last state is worse than the first.  I have met people for whom a dabbling in the occult meant coming face-to-face with a force that seemed to threaten madness, with saving grace found in Christianity, a road back to security and a stable, organized life.  In the First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul speaks of one whose unrepentant sin is such that he advises, "deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:5).  What this means is that St. Paul hopes for the kind of worldly brokenness that may be an only path to salvation for this person.  There are times in life when one will find brokenness that seems to be purposeless and inexplicable, such as harm that comes from a parent, abuse that is simply cruel, and other unfortunate circumstances in life.  But every sort of brokenness is a potential opening to Christ and to salvation.  Sometimes our own heedless behavior leads us to come up short against God's powerful presence, stumbling over the stone that is Christ's word and His teachings.  Even when a self-destructive impulse is in response to hardship and bad circumstances, our brokenness resulting from such can be God calling us to know God's love, and to find that right path to being saved, one that does not harm our own dignity further, but gives us good insight, real humility, and the capacity for needed change.  So let us consider this image of the stone.  For some who run in the opposite direction, it is the brokenness that follows which can redeem.   In the parable of the Sower, Jesus speaks of the seeds of His word which fell among thorns.  These are "those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity" (Luke 8:14).  Such cares, riches, and pleasures of life can blind us, a way to powder that scatters into nothing.   Let us hope for all to find way to what is better, and be grateful even for the brokenness we might experience that leads to such.  For despite the world's appearances, we are the fortunate ones who are better off.

 

 

 

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them

 

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew 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 his your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said 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.  So 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.'"

 

- Matthew 25:14-30 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been giving a discourse to the disciples in the end times, and His Ssecond Coming.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servants; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew 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 his your talent in the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said 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.  So 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.'"  In the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (given in yesterday's reading; see above), the concern given was with the lamps which should have been full of oil, an image correlated with mercy and the grace of the Holy Spirit.  My study Bible says that today's parable illustrates the use of gifts given by God.  Even one talent was a huge sum of money (a talent was a certain weight's worth of precious metal, usually silver but also gold).  Here it represents the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  My study Bible notes that God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, for all are invited to share in the same joy.   But note that the wicked and lazy servant could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent; my study Bible comments that idleness is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness.  To bury a talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers, according to my study Bible, represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely.  As help was available to him in the Church, the man doesn't have an excuse. 

 

 In today's parable, there is a great deal of emphasis on the positive.  That is, on the positive action of doing something with the talents given by the man to his servants.  Again, it is imaged in St. Paul's expression of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  What do we produce with the things God has given to us?  How are we capable of expressing fruit of the spirit?  The word "talent," as one may presume, has come to have its present meaning in English from this story.  Its original meaning was as a weight measure for precious metal, value as currency or exchange.  But as we can see from the parable, the product of the talent(s) or investment of the master is all about what is a bountiful blessing for the estate of the master.  The servants don't keep the profit; it all becomes a part of the servants' profitable work for the master whom they serve, and the growth of that estate.  So we're mistaken if we assume that this is simply about doing something with the talents we're given, or making a profit or career for ourselves somehow; the parable is not directed toward a self-centered perspective.  With what does God invest us?  What gifts are we given from God?  We no doubt have many innate talents with which we might be born.  But we're also given a gift in baptism; and the greatest grace we're given is that of the Holy Spirit.  Certainly in the great communion of saints, some are blessed with particular gifts they're known for.  For example, St. Barnabas, one-time companion of St. Paul, who himself had brought Paul to the apostles (Acts 9:27), was named for his gift of encouragement or consolation (see Acts 4:36-37).  As he contributed this particular gift to the early Church and the growing ministry of the apostles, so the name they gave him reflected the great value of his contribution.  In this sense, we can come to understand the nature of the talents given by the master and what results we produce.  So often we confuse talent with something that is monetarily profitable, but this is not the point of the parable.  The point of the parable is how we share those gifts and make the estate grow, build it up and edify it.   Again, in these early passages about St. Paul, we read in the Book of Acts that when Barnabas first brought the then-named Saul to the apostles, no one would speak to him, for they were all afraid of him and his past history of persecution of the followers of Christ.  But Paul's testimony thanks to Barnabas, and his gift of speaking, soon came to the attention of the community.  Included in Paul's gifts was his relatively sophisticated knowledge of Greek, so that in the wider Greek-speaking world, and when Gentiles began to come into the Church, Paul would prove so greatly valuable.  In Acts 11, we read, "Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:25-26).  Of course, this doesn't simply mean formal gifts to the Church per se; to serve the kingdom of God, to serve our true Master, is in the ways in which we reflect the grace we're given and choose to live our lives with respect to the kinds of righteousness God wishes as part of God's will for our world ("Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven").  We can use our gifts as did St. Barnabas, to console and encourage others.  We can use our gifts as did St. Paul, to edify and spread faith in all ways, to help understand and explain, and to testify.  Note how it is St. Paul's very experience of conversion that become a part of the "talent" he's given to take out to the world and produce spiritual fruit, to expand the Kingdom in the world.  We can all participate in this kind of action -- of putting our faith and the love of God into action of our own in the world, in the ways in which we choose to relate to others, and the kind of gifts we reflect in the world.   Let us keep in mind that it is most important that it is a prayerful life that leads us to use our talents in ways that please God:  we may find that we're asked to contribute beauty to others through artistic talents of all kinds.  A beautiful garden can uplift even as we've seen many gardens dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, who through the Holy Spirit, gave birth to the greatest gift of all, the beauty therein reminiscent of what has been given to us all and reminding us of the prayer and beauty of Mary and her example to us.  There are an infinite number of ways in which whatever gifts we have -- even those which may be overlooked -- can be directed in prayer for the great fruitfulness of the spirit in this world.  For just as Christ was born into the world with the cooperation of Mary, this is how each of us may also cooperate with the Holy Spirit through our "yes" and our willingness to be profitable servants (Luke 1:38). 

 

 

 

 

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:

'The stone which the builders rejected 

Has become the chief cornerstone'?

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

 

- Luke 20:9–18 

 

Yesterday we read that, on one of those days of Holy Week, when Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel,  the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  "The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

 

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  My study bible explains that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard is a reference to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews, those to whom it has been entrusted to care for God's people.  It is they to whom Christ speaks, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders who have just questioned Jesus about His authority to teach, preach, and perform the works He has performed (see yesterday's reading, above).  Each servant who is sent by the owner represents an Old Testament prophet, who comes to call people back to God.  But the beloved son, finally, refers to Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard in order to be killed, it is traditionally understood on two levels.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (that is, on Golgotha, which was outside of the city walls at that time.  And second, that Christ was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not those of His own vineyard (the Roman soldiers).  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles who are brought into the Church, and by adoption are enabled also to become God's people, no longer an exclusive possibility.  

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22.  The stone referred to is Christ Himself.  My study bible explains, through the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, that this saying is an illustration of the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their sins while yet in this life, thus leaving an opportunity and possibility for repentance.  But those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who become powder in the final judgment.  

It's interesting to think about all the "stones" that have been mentioned in various recent readings rather close together in the Gospel.  Jesus spoke about the stones that would cry out if the people were silenced in their reception of Him as He rode into the holy city, Jerusalem, at the Triumphal Entry (see this reading).  In prophesying what would come in Jerusalem within a generation, we were told in Jesus' lament that "days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation" (my italics; see this reading).  Jesus' prophecy quite literally came true, as Roman soldiers believed there was gold between the stones of the temple, and all that remained afterward was what still remains, one retaining wall of the temple now frequently called the Western Wall, but for many centuries referred to as the Wailing Wall.  And here in today's reading, we again hear of stones, this time the stone which the builders rejected but which has become the chief cornerstone.  Amidst all this talk of stones, we should also keep in mind St. Peter's allusion to the living stones who will build up Christ's church in the world.  He writes, "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:4-5).  All of these allusions to stones are tied together:  the destruction of the temple, the rejection of the stone which will become the chief cornerstone, and the living stones which not only would shout out praise should Christ's joyful followers be silenced, but which will go on to build Christ's Church, with Him as the chief cornerstone.  St. Peter himself, in his confession on behalf of all of the disciples, becomes the rock upon which the church would be built, "and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (see Matthew 16:16-18, John 1:42).   That is, to be explicit, the rock of faith.  But apart from the living stones who form the holy priesthood which builds up a spiritual house, the greatest metaphor regarding a stone is the one that Jesus offers today, that head cornerstone about which Jesus says, "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  For this is Christ's teaching about power and judgment, and it is in fact a response to the questions regarding His authority for His ministry which the religious leaders posed to Him in yesterday's reading.  Ultimately, a failure to recognize the true authority here will result in a judgment.  As St. Chrysostom's commentary elucidates meaning for us in this statement, we understand that one either falls on that stone during one's lifetime in this world, and thus are afforded an opportunity for personal change, or beyond that, the one upon whom it falls it turns to powder, an allusion to oblivion, the loss of all existence and memory of existence.  Then, questions of authority, quibbling over what "right" one has to ministry or healing or preaching become moot, because real authority is not one conferred only by human beings, regardless of what the world may say or think or believe.  A real authority is the same one by which John the Baptist preached and baptized a repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.  A true authority is one that works because God the Father, Son, and Spirit interact in our world, dwell among us and within us, effectively working with and through our faith to make us living stones, a holy priesthood, a Church that lives even where it isn't seen, a Kingdom that comes without observation (Luke 17:20-21).  It is this kind of authority we seek and we know, this authority that works in the human heart, in human affairs, seen and especially unseen.  And as we await now the celebration of our Lord's birth, our thoughts should turn to this Kingdom and the faith that dwells within us, for we need to be aware of it more than ever, or so it seems at least to me. 

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

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two,  and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and his his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and bought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  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.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew 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 on the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said 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.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So 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.'"

- Matthew 25:14-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave a parable about His Second Coming:  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight a cry was heard:  'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!'  But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two,  and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.  Then he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.  And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.  But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and his his lord's money.  After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  So he who had received five talents came and bought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.'  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.'  He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.'  His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  enter into the joy of your lord.'  Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew 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 on the ground.  Look, there you have what is yours.'  But his lord answered and said 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.  So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.  So 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.'"  My study bible tells us that this parable illustrates the use of gifts which are given by God.  We are all endowed with some capacities and gifts of various measure and type.   A talent, in the ancient world, was a great sum of money; it was a weight measure of gold or silver.  One talent of gold, by one modern measurement, would be equivalent to about $1.25 million.  One talent of silver, in modern equivalence, is estimated as being worth $7.5 billion in today's U.S. currency.  But here in the parable, it represents the goodness which God has bestowed on each person.  The amount each receives is based on that person's abilities (Romans 12:4-7).  God does not show partiality in the ultimate reward, because all are invited to share in the same joy.  By the same token, the wicked and lazy servant could therefore not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent.  Idleness in this deep sense of neglect is as much a rejection of God as outright wickedness, as my study bible puts it.    Burying the talent in the ground is an illustration of using one's God-given gifts for earthly pursuits.  The bankers are other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him to use his talents wisely, those who expertise is in the "investment" that God has made in us.  Since help was available to him in the Church, the man hasn't an excuse.

How do we use our talents?  In the parable, it seems like the Master has invested His own gifts in His servants.  He trusts them to be profitable with the investment, to use His investments in them with prudence and wisdom, delivering a return and multiplying the gift.  And this is where we are.  Our lives are not at all static.  They are meant to have direction, one way and another.  They are meant for some sort of action, a choice.  We don't live in the world to merely exist.  We are here and equipped with talents, investments in ourselves by our Creator.  We're given wisdom, commandments, direction.  We are meant to take action.   We don't sit in one place.  We will always be confronted with choices that ask us which direction we choose to go.  How does God call you?  So much depends on what it is we think about, what we dwell upon, how we nurture ourselves upon His word, and most especially in prayer -- that is, in communication with the Master while He is away and before He returns.  Let this guidance be the principle by which we live; it will reap a harvest of returns in the sense in which the Master desires them. 

Everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him

 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.  Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.   So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'  And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'  And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master he has ten minas.')  'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "

- Luke 19:11-27

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was walking through Jericho, after having healed the blind man outside the city.  There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.  And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature.  So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."  So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully.  But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."  Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold."  And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."


Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.   Jesus has passed through Jericho, and is now outside Jerusalem.  The Apostles expect this arrival into Jerusalem to herald the immediate coming of the Kingdom, as Jesus the King receiving His kingdom.  All the way here, on this journey to Jerusalem through Luke's gospel, Jesus has been seeking to prepare them for the time to come, for His Passion, death and Resurrection, and the time to come in which we now await His return.  But they simply could not take it in (again, see the first verses in Tuesday's reading).

Therefore He said:  "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.   So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'  But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'"  My study bible says that a mina is a measure of money equivalent to about three months' wages.  Ten servants are given money and told to do business, to be profitable while the nobleman is gone.

And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.  Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.'  And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'  And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.'  Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.'  Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.  For I feared you, because you are an austere man.  You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'"  Out of ten servants, only three given an accounting when the nobleman returns, having received the kingdom.  What have they done in his absence?  Jesus has taught earlier in Luke's gospel:  "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."    So the idea of trust is also essential here, important to understand as those entrusted to be stewards of what He has given until His return.  This is giving the idea of servant-leadership, the gift entrusted to His Church for His flock until His return, and how His stewards are expected to spend this time awaiting it. 

And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant.  You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.  Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'  And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.'  (But they said to him, 'Master he has ten minas.')  'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "   My study bible says, "Rather than waiting for the Kingdom in lazy occupation, we are to anticipate and plan for the Kingdom to come through wise use of the King's resources."  Here, Jesus conveys to us the idea of Judgment, and what is to happen at His return.  He has left us with much treasure, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with His words and teachings, and countless ways in which He dwells with us (as with Zacchaeus in yesterday's reading).  Let us consider His investment and also how we live our lives and make good with it, increase the gift through our own lives.  In this sense, "to everyone who has will be given; and from him who doe snot have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

I get very frustrated when I meet people who approach faith with the idea that it is a kind of treasure locked up in a safe, and that somehow it must be kept inside that safe, like something stored away.  But Jesus gives freely.  He invests Himself and His teachings in all of us.  He sends down His Spirit to each of us.  Where two or three of us are gathered in His name, He is there with us.  Countless saints, known and unknown, are among His faithful, and with us in the communion of saints.  We have Scripture and endless possibilities for making some sort of profit from all of this investment in our lives.  When we pray, we are building His Church.  When we think about Scripture and put our lives in His hands, we are building the Church.  When we seek a way forward in His name, so we are doing the same.  When we reach out to others, even with a cup of water, so we are doing the same.  And this becomes a lifelong journey.  At the end of John's gospel, He will tell St. Peter, "Feed my sheep."  In the image of the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness, we have Jesus' teaching to the disciples what they are to do in His absence, how it is that we are to be profitable servants.  And finally, in recent readings, He has taught that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  With His help, with His investment, we grow the Church, the Body of Christ, and this is the way He expects us to await His return and the fullness of His Kingdom.  What has been invested in you and in your life?  What do you do with it?  Do we wait or do we act, live, and work for that Kingdom while He is away?  We remember its power, like the mustard seed that grows into a great tree, all through the power of faith.