In this parable, Jesus talks about a nobleman, who goes away (think distant Rome) to be appointed as ruler. He is hated by his people, so they send a counter-delegation, which fails. In the meantime, he gives a significant amount of money to 10 senior officials, instructing them to use it while he is away. One makes a 1,000% profit, another 500%, and one refuses to use the money, and does nothing. When the nobleman returns, confirmed as king, he checks what has happened. The successful managers get appointed to run large territories, the one who does nothing gets roasted, the money is given to the most successful one, and at the end, the ruler executes all those who opposed him.
We can’t read every parable as a picture of Jesus at work. I think it’s better to rad this one as the exact opposite of how Jesus works. The kingdom he described was precisely what the son of Herod the Great did. He executed 3,000 political opponents when he returned as king. The same things happen today when regimes feel threatened. That is not the kingdom of God that Jesus ushered in the next day, when he rode into Jerusalem, on a donkey, not a war horse. By the end of that week, Jesus was hanging on a cross, in total darkness. Some king!
And yet, that is the kingdom we are part of. Jesus is there for all of us, especially when we fail or get things badly wrong. But failure and sin are never the last word. There is always resurrection – new life that comes out of dead and failed places. That is the grace and power of God at work in our lives.
When Matthew 25:14-30 tells this as the parable of the talents, we accept that God has gifted each one of us, and is excited when we use our gifts and abilities in God’s work. Luke is exactly the opposite – it is about not bowing down to the prevailing powers and working for them. It is about resistance, and about a new way of living in this world. The hero here is the servant who ‘failed’.
When we need to do and think differently from the prevailing culture around us, may the Holy Spirit give us strength, insight, and the support of life-minded good people. When we support family members or friends going through a hard time, may the Holy Spirit give us the right words at the right time. Where we have no power, but to wait until it all falls apart for someone we love, may the Holy Spirit give us patience and hope.
