18 Days until Easter

18 Days until Easter

I’ve reached a place in scripture where Jesus is telling His last parables.  I know what’s to come, but for today I’ll sit and have story time with my Savior.  As I read through the passage, I couldn’t help but picture this story being told with an old school flannel board.  The background flannel piece draped over the board is the landscape of an ancient Israeli estate.  The first paper piece to go on the board is an illustrated picture of a man with his belongings gathered as if he’s leaving for a journey.  He’s the owner of the estate and decided to entrust portions of his estate to three servants.  Next to the illustrated picture of the owner, three men are placed on the board.  The illustrations of the men are simple. They have no possessions of their own and it’s evident that they are in their work clothes.  The owner of the estate gathers the men to tell them of his journey and that he’ll be entrusting them each with talents according to their own abilities.  Upon his return they will give an account of how they have managed what he gave them.

Now this is the part of the story that at some points in my life, I had great misconceptions about the parable due to a lack of understanding about the word “talent”.  Of course when I think of talents I think of God-given abilities such as music and athletics and art.  I would have pictured the owner passing out pianos and skateboards and paintbrushes and unicycles.  But in biblical times, a talent was a monetary unit of measure.  And it was no small amount either.  It was quite large.  And quite heavy.  Today a talent would be worth thousands, probably at least a year’s wage.  

Now back to the flannel board.  In front of the first servant, 5 large bags of gold are placed.  In front of the second servant, 2 large bags of gold are placed.  In front of the third, 1 large bag of gold is placed.  As we look at the board, we see the scene of the beautiful estate that is owned by the master,  and the three servants who have been entrusted with the master’s belongings.  Jesus has painted a striking picture for us that illustrates our entrustment.  These men had nothing.  Everything they have was entrusted to them by the owner.  We are stewards of everything He has given us.  

At the next part of the story, the master leaves for his journey and everyone comes off the board except the first servant and the five bags of gold.  This servant works hard and invests well.  He doubles what the owner has entrusted him with and now has 10 bags of gold.  Next, the second servant is placed on the board with the 2 bags of gold.  This servant works as hard as he can and works to the best of his ability, ending up doubling what he was given as well and so he has 4 bags of gold.  The last servant is placed on the board with his one bag of gold.  Then a shovel is placed on the board.  The third servant buries the bag of gold, hiding it. 

After a long while, the owner of the estate returns for an account.  The background scene changes to a room that is inside the estate with a large desk for the owner to sit at.  The first servant enters the room with the 10 bags of gold filling the room.  The owner responds with great joy, telling him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share in my happiness!”.  The second servant comes in with the 4 bags of gold and the owner responds the exact same way.  He didn’t compare the second servant's return with the first.  The owner was just as happy that the second servant had done his very best with what he’d been entrusted with.  Then the third servant enters only carrying the one bag of gold that was originally given to him.  And right away he starts defending his actions.  He accuses the owner of being a hard man who can’t relate to how difficult things are for him.  And then he proceeds to tell the owner that he decided to hide what the owner had entrusted him with, having nothing to show as a return on the investment (well, because there was no investment). The owner holds the third servant accountable and takes the gold, giving it to the first servant.  The third servant is scolded for not knowing the character of the owner and for choosing to do nothing with what he’d been given.  The servant is then thrown into the darkness.  

The perspective that each servant had of the owner dictated what they did with the entrustment.  It is evident that the third servant had not taken the time or effort to know the owner and so he had developed his own conclusions and misconceptions (which were more like delusions) about his master’s character.  The first two servants knew the master and looked forward to his return.  They lived out their lives as good stewards and wanting nothing more than to please their merciful master. 

The gifts and mercy and life we’ve been entrusted with aren’t meant for us to hold or hide as our own.  They are meant to be given away and multiplied.  When God pours out His love and grace on our lives, we are to then pour it out generously on others as we live life looking forward to His return.  As we spend that love and mercy on others, the return on the investment multiplies.   When we share His love, when we share His goodness, when we share His blessings, we share in His happiness.

Back to the flannel board for one last scene. The master invites the first two servants to join him in sharing the most immense joy. They have been faithful with what they had been given. They knew the master and lived according to his good will, knowing they'd meet again. As I think about what I've learned from the flannel board story, there are certainly some take-aways. Whatever it is God commits to me, whether it's mercy or talents or responsibility or blessings or knowledge, there is an opportunity to invest them for growth. The things I'm given aren't meant for me to keep as possessions. Rather, I'm to make the absolute best of what I've been given by spending it in the most meaningful ways. Instead of a flannel board scene with paper subjects and objects, He’s given me a real life with real people and real attributes and real responsibilities.  And there is an expectation that I will pour into those entrustments the love and grace and forgiveness and goodness that He has so graciously poured into me.