The Fear of Gaining

October 29, 2018

DAILY READING

Matthew 25:14-30
This weekend’s reading: Matthew 14:13-21

FIELD NOTES

The passage this morning is a part of a trilogy of stories about accountability. Three employees are given gifts by their boss to invest while he is away. Those who wind up receiving a promotion are risk-takers. One of our core values as a church is that we are to be risk-takers for Jesus’ sake! The gifts given us by the Master are gifts to be invested, not entitlements to be secured. They are extravagant assets. The safe thing in the first century would’ve been to bury these assets in the ground. In a culture of scarcity, you must play it safe! Minimize the risk! But the 2 servants who received commendation and blessing took big risks. The fearful servant was cast out. So it seems that the story is encouraging us to risk ourselves for the Master’s benefit. We often operate by the principle “it’s better to be safe than sorry.” But here the moral is, “it’s better to be sorry than safe.” The absentee landlord is metaphorical for the ascendant Christ. He’s going to return. And when He returns there will be an accounting. When he comes back, what will we have to show for the gifts we have been given? 

QUESTIONS FROM THE FIELD

PRAYER

Holy God, all of life is a gift. You have blessed me with numerous abilities and gifts. Help me to see my life today as an asset to be risked for your kingdom, that others might benefit from your grace at work in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.