The Slave Is Neither Wicked Nor Lazy

This passage is known as the Parable of the Talents. Which is unfortunate, since it sometimes gives us the wrong idea. We think that it has something to do with investing our talents and treasure in the Kingdom of God. That’s what we normally preach. And we’d be wrong.

We also preach that this has to do with punishment; that God punishes the weak, the ignorant and the lazy (hide it under a bush? NO!). But that’s wrong too.

It is something much more sensible than either. When we get a strange vision of God from Scripture, what makes us think that we shouldn’t question that vision?

2 responses

David Lackey

November 14, 2011

I enjoyed your comments. That is one of the scriptures that has bothered me also. Jesus comments over and over about the trap of collecting wealth, and here he is saying the opposite. It reminds me of something your father said when I was reading a book about the Christian, Jewish, Muslim , take on Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Each religion typically praises Abraham for his willingness to obey God. My, and every parent I know, has a gut feeling to reject that teaching. Then your dad said look at the context of the times. The other religions of the time thought human sacrifice was a normal practice. The spotlight isn’t on Abraham. The spotlight is on God. The point of the story is that God doesn’t want human sacrifice.

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1. Drew Downs
  
  November 14, 2011
  
  Man, my Dad is smart! Now I don’t need to hate that passage so much!
  Thanks, David for your comments. I think it was Amy Jill Levine who said in a lecture I attended that Jesus doesn’t teach in only one way. He uses a variety of methods. I would assume so that different sorts of people could understand him. I hope that’s the case!
  
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The Slave Is Neither Wicked Nor Lazy

go ahead, share it!

2 responses

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