10/29/06 Partnership and Perspective, Part 2

The Parables of the Faithful & Evil Servants, the Wise & Foolish Virgins, and the Parable of the Talents* (Matt. 24) focus Jesus' continued narrative regarding both His place and our place in what Fr. Christopher calls the "Divine Economy."
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The Kingdom of God is not a democracy. The idolatry of the individual we see in our culture is not found in the Kingdom of God. Our culture deems it the ultimate respect of a person to allow them to choose their own destiny, though we childishly interpret that as license for any behavior without consequences. God, both as Merciful Redeemer and Righteous Judge shows ultimate respect for the decisions we individuals make and shows even more respect for us in that He does not shield us from the consequences of them. We like to think of ourselves as "Master of our Fate," or "Captain of our own Ship," or at least beholden to no one; the fact of the matter is we are servants waiting on the good pleasure of our Master

What we must understand is that God has created the order of things to operate by His rule, and in His rules, He rules as Master. He alone reserves the right of judgment, of separating the sheep from the goats (24:31ff). In Revelation 5, it is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ Himself, who is alone found worthy to open the seals on the scrolls of judgment. None other in heaven or on earth can do it. The English phrase, "Lord of Lords" could accurately be translated "Master of Masters." Jesus makes it clear in Matt 24: 29ff that His role at the closing of this age is that of Master, returning to close the era of human history by claiming His rightful place as Ruler of Creation, then naturally stepping into the role of Judge. The accompanying parables zero in on our place in this economy. We are told in no uncertain terms what our role is and what is expected of us.

All three of our parables consist of contrasting pairs of wise & foolish people, but they are all servants. All have been appointed tasks by the Master: one is given rule over the Master's house, "to give them food in due season (24:45), some are young women of the household whose task it is to wait for the Master's arrival & usher him into his house with his new bride (25:1-13), others are given specific financial responsibilities, charged with increasing the Master's wealth (25:15).

Jesus makes the point that each set of servants has been assigned their tasks, but regardless of the task, it is the obedience that matters. It appears that the task itself is less important than the attitude of the servant. This is consistent with Jesus' teaching about defilement coming from the heart, that it is "what comes from the mouth of a man that defiles." (Matt 15:1-20) Lest we think that we have only to make our heart right, and that nothing else matters (which I often see used as an excuse for not doing anything), Jesus makes it clear that the act of obeying the Master shows the inward attitude. "The tree is known by its fruit." The servant is judged by the act of obedience.

It is popular these days to assume that our "works" do not save us, but that God's grace is the sole source of the "currency" of what we consider to be a transaction of salvation. Our culture of obsession with material and legal matters has led us astray if we think that our relationship with God is so limited. In a transaction between buyer and seller, or in a legal contract for services or goods, there is a finite, limited relationship that comfortably defines the boundaries of the relationship. We like a neat, clean transaction. Unfortunately for our sensibilities, the Kingdom of God is not so comfortable.

When we consider ourselves as servant of the Master, we must recognize that our position is one of complete dependence on Him. Consider the song of the twenty-four elders/rulers of Revelation (commonly understood as the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles/churches) whose obedience in life led to them being crowned as rulers in heaven (as the faithful servants of the parable being given more responsibility -- see Mt 25:21). They cast their crowns at the foot of God’s throne and sing:

You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power,

For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

--Rev. 4:10-11

These mighty rulers who sit at God’s own throne acknowledge that God alone is the Creator whose will is the source of existence itself. We can do no less.

The miraculous thing about this aspect of God’s economy is that God actually cares about and respects us even ythough we are servants. He is not a cruel, uncaring master, as were many of the gods of antiquity (and as are some of the gods of today). We actually find ourselves in a relationship of mutual respect, a partnership of servanthood of which Jesus is the supreme Servant. As we progress in our study, we will see how much more than servants we will become.

* For those unfamiliar with the origins of the word "talent," it comes from a Greek word denoting a very large sum of money, equivalent to some thousands of dollars, perhaps as much as a year's wages. The word has come to mean a personal gift or skill in English due to the obvious link to the various gifts, spiritual and otherwise, bestowed by God upon His people for the continuation of the work of God on earth. Unfortunately, our age has completely divorced God as the source of any such gift from the gift itself, which, except for rare occasion, is used in our culture for selfish gain.