Text: Matthew 25:14-23
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus says in Luke 12: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” He says these words in the context of talking about the end times. Jesus has been teaching his disciples that the servant who knew his master’s will, that is, that he was to treat those under his care in a godly manner, providing for their needs of body and soul, yet chose to treat them harshly after the master was delayed in returning, will receive a much more severe beating than another servant who did not know the will of the master.
That is, indeed the temptation, isn’t it? The master, that is, Christ Jesus, is delayed in his return. It’s been quite some time since he ascended into heaven after promising to return soon. It is certainly a daily temptation to assume that Jesus won’t come back today. Therefore, we can pretty much do whatever we want to do and live as we please, indulging in that which brings pleasure to our flesh. Jesus especially directed these words to those who find themselves in leadership positions. They have been given much. Much is expected of them.
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable where three servants are each given a certain number of talents by their master. A talent here is not something like juggling, it’s a unit of currency. It’s a lot of money, in fact. Silver talents were worth about 7,300 denarii and a gold talent was worth about 30 times that amount. A denarius was one days’ worth of wages. So, no matter how you look at, even one talent was quite valuable. The point of this parable was not how much each servant was given, but what each servant did with the money with which their master entrusted them. Two servants take the money their master gave them and they invest it. One digs a hole in the ground thinking he’s being wise by protecting what he’s been given.
We didn’t read the reaction of the master to the actions of the servant who simply hid the money in a hole, but given that he praised the actions of the servants who invested, you can imagine that he wasn’t very pleased. In fact, Jesus says that he was “worthless” and cast into the outer darkness. The two servants who actually did the right thing with what the master gave them are rewarded as they are entrusted with more of the master’s goods.
Each day God gives you everything that you need to support your body and life. What are you going to do with it? If you are wise and God-fearing, you’ll take what is given to you and use it. You’ll use it not just for your own well-being, but also for that of your neighbor. You have been given much. Much is expected of you. The servant who was given the one talent and buried it had been given much. Instead of using it as he should have, he wasted it by simply sitting on it.
Tonight we commemorate St. Nicholas of Myra. St. Nicholas was a bishop in the Church who served in Myra, a city in what is today the country of Turkey, during the 4th Century. There are two things for which he is known. First, he’s known for a being a staunch defender of the orthodox faith. The false teachings of Arius were running rampant in the Church at that time. Arius taught that Jesus Christ was not true God, but that he was only “like” God. It was because of Arius that the Nicene Creed was written. For it clearly confesses that Jesus is begotten of the Father from eternity. He is God of God, light of light, very God of very God, being of one substance with the Father. There is a legend that says that Arius was actually at the Council of Nicaea and slapped Arius in the face. While it probably didn’t actually happen, it’s a fun story that clearly illustrates where Nicholas stood on the issue. We give thanks to God for Nicholas and others who stood firmly against false teachers like Arius.
The other thing that Nicholas is known for, though, is for being generous. He was entrusted with much by his Father in heaven, and he used what he was given to the benefit of others. To him whom much is given, much is expected. On the cover of your bulletin tonight is an icon, a portrait, of St. Nicholas. In his hand are three bags filled with coins. The reason for this is that one of the most well-known accounts of St. Nicholas’ generosity is that he provided dowries for a poor man who had three daughters. The poor man’s three daughters were destined for lives of either slavery or prostitution since the man had no money to pay dowries. Nicholas, as bishop in the church, had been entrusted with the funds of the Church to use them appropriately. Nicholas went at night and dropped the bags of money into the house so that these three girls would not have to live lives of disgrace and hardship. Because of this and other acts of generosity on his part, St. Nicholas’ day, today, December 6, became known as a time for gift-giving. As you might have guessed, over the years, the accounts of St. Nicholas eventually merged with various other traditions to become the modern Santa Claus.
The Church, though, does not remember and celebrate St. Nicholas as large jolly man wearing red who flies around the world in a sleigh propelled by flying reindeer delivering presents, but as a faithful bishop in the Church who used what God had entrusted him with for the benefit of his fellow man. To him whom much is given, much is expected.
You, my friends, have been given much. Much is expected of you. In the Seventh Commandment, God says, “You shall not steal.” This means that you should fear and love God so that you do not take your neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help and be of service to him in keeping them. This commandment not only protects what we have, but it also governs how we use what we have. The reason, again, that God gives you good things is so that you can use them in service to your neighbor. Do not sit on the goods that he gives you thinking that you’re doing a good thing by preserving them! God gives you good gifts in order that these good gifts might be used.
This is true of material goods, yes, but it also true of spiritual goods. In Christ Jesus, you have been given forgiveness, life, and salvation. He won these for you on the cross. What will you do with these goods? One of the riskiest things about giving is that there is always that chance that you’ll give too much and won’t have enough for yourself. This risk isn’t there when it comes to the spiritual goods that Christ gives. For God will continue to send his Holy Spirit working through the Word of God to deliver his goods to you. The supply of God’s forgiveness is never-ending. Therefore, be generous with these goods. Bear witness to the hope that is within you in Jesus Christ. Forgive your brother when he sins against you. Just as the faithful servants were rewarded by their master, so shall you be. You have been given much. Much is expected of you.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Preaching Dutchman 