The Other Side of Risk - 11/13/05
Matthew 25: 14-30
Sometimes a familiar text needs to be approached in an unfamiliar way. If familiarity breeds contempt in our relations with people, it certainly can breed boredom in our reading of scripture. With popular passages the sharp edges of truth can become dull and bright flavors of revelation can become stale. We are quite adept at defending against the familiar. Our pet blind-spots are often well guarded against the onslaught of the commonplace. Our tongue becomes callused when tasting the same verse again and again. So approaching an old text in a new way can sharpen its edges and brighten its flavors - empowering the hard edges of truth and enlivening the joy-giving tastes of story. (This is one of the reasons you should read new translations.)
So with that in mind, let's look at this story in a new way. Let's look at it as a screenplay. For this story has all the elements of a good movie. It has an archetypical power figure, and three potentially great characters: the good, the bad, and the average. Let's imagine that you are a casting director, and it's your job to find the right character actor for each part in this film.
Let's reappoint the story to our contemporary setting. A rich man is required to leave the country and conduct some business where he will be unable to be reached by cell, email, or fax. Where in the world this could be, I'm not sure. Let's imagine he's got a conference on the top of Mt. Everest. I know that this stretches credulity - but just go with it the way you do when you see a man flying around in leotards and a cape save humanity. So this man flies away in his private jet, leaves the country and he puts three individuals in charge of his investments. To one person he gives 10 million. To another he gives 5. And to another 1. And he leaves.
The first person invests in Google and doubles his money. The second invests in Microsoft and doubles his. The third one puts the cash in a safety deposit box - not wanting to loose a penny. The businessman returns from the top of Mt. Everest and is thrilled at the two who invested the money and he gives them more. And to the third one he says a definitive: "you're fired."
So, who would you cast? I know that what I said makes Donald Trump an obvious candidate for the rich man. But I think he's booked - and I'm not sure that he has the air of righteousness that we are looking for. And while Martha Stewart might have some of those same desirable characteristics - I'm not sure I'd go with her. There's nothing in our screenplay that would indicate our "master" has been to jail. So... who would it be?
How about Michael Caine? He can play a kindly yet serious, a wise yet gentle, a rich but unpretentious character. He's got that special trait that I think Jesus is indicating this Master possesses: a clear capacity for justice and an insight into a person's character.
OK, how about character one? Here is where I would put Martha Stewart. A person of humble background who has taken every possible opportunity and turned it into success. Now I don't know much about her acting ability. But, she's got what this person in the story had: an ambition to grow, and the ability to even take a prison term and turn into a success story! I read in this week's time that as a child she organized birthday parties for money, because babysitting was way underpaid. Now we might question her priorities, and I might think she could do something better with her time and money - but for the simple character trait that this story requires - Martha's the one.
And for number two? For me: Bob Newhart. For this character is just as average as they come. Who said: God must love common people, for he made so many of them. This character is not an extraordinary person with remarkable business acumen, or acting ability, or great looks, or any of those other qualities that some people are gifted with. He is an Isaac - a Mr. average Joe. The thing I've loved about Newhart, is that he's never attempted to be anything he's not - and yet all the emotion of everyday life register on his face, and gives you the permission to laugh at him and at yourself.
There is a recognition in this story of Jesus that life is not fair, not all are going to come out equal, and that this is OK. We aren't all given the same gifts, not all of us have the same capacities. Some will make millions and some will scratch out a living.
OK, how about the bad? This poor schmo who was so afraid of loosing, that he refused to play the game. This unfortunate soul caught in the web of his own fears, in the paralysis of his own analysis. He is the central character in our story. All other roles support his. For he is the point of the story. Without him, there's no punch line, no cliffhanger ending. So who do we get?
For me a cross between Barney Fife (Don Knots) and Tom Cruise. Maybe that needs some explanation. You see for our story to work, this character needs to have great potential. Things could have turned out differently. He has the brains, the looks, the je ne sais qua to turn his one million into profit. At minimum he could have put the money into CD's. And so you need a character that has looks, charm, and intelligence. But you also need one who can play extraordinary fear. For that is what this turns upon: fear. He is so afraid of loosing the money - he sticks it where it's sure to look exactly like what the man gave him when he returns. Why? Because he knew his boss was demanding.
I heard a good sermon on this text some weeks ago. And the preacher did a nice job in conveying how this text teaches us about risk. Risk in all areas of life - without risk we rot in our shells filled with our rotting phobias.
But this text is not just about risk, it's about the other side of risk. The other side of risk is trust. It's about faith. No rational person risks where they know they are going to fail. We only risk when we are relatively certain of some measure of success. We know it might not come easily, or quickly, or possibly ever - but we know the chances of success are there. And moreover we risk when we know that it is better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. Those are the conditions under which we take risks.
Each parable of Christ has a central point. What is this one? You are not going to live well, if your view of the Master is tainted. Barney Fife-Cruise was so scared of his boss, so assured that he was a mean and demanding investor, that he lost out on what life is about. Look at the text: "I knew that you were a..."
Those living under the dictums of a legalistic understanding of God - are living out this story. This is why Luther's life was radically changed when he embraced the grace of the New Testament - he became a fearless advocate of the good news of God's love and a fearless fighter of those who would bind human beings with cables of religious rules and ritualistic obligations. You are freed of this - live out your freedom by taking the talents, the gifts, the uniqueness that God has given you and using those to bless the world. This is what life is about: being the best you that you might bring the world the best of God's gifting.
God made you, and God don't make no junk. Oh, but I'm a sinner. Yep, you got that right. You are, and I am, we are all filled with incompatible desires and incommensurate wants. We are capable of atrocious evil. But remember the Biblical story. Before there was sin God said his creation was good. And since there has been sin, God redeemed our lives in Christ. So sin does not have the last word. Unless your fear gives it permission to hinder you from being who God made you to be.
Hear the wise words of William Sloan Coffin: "Because our value is a gift, we don't have to prove ourselves, only to express ourselves, and what a world of difference there is between proving ourselves and expressing ourselves."
Sometimes a familiar text needs to be approached in an unfamiliar way. If familiarity breeds contempt in our relations with people, it certainly can breed boredom in our reading of scripture. With popular passages the sharp edges of truth can become dull and bright flavors of revelation can become stale. We are quite adept at defending against the familiar. Our pet blind-spots are often well guarded against the onslaught of the commonplace. Our tongue becomes callused when tasting the same verse again and again. So approaching an old text in a new way can sharpen its edges and brighten its flavors - empowering the hard edges of truth and enlivening the joy-giving tastes of story. (This is one of the reasons you should read new translations.)
So with that in mind, let's look at this story in a new way. Let's look at it as a screenplay. For this story has all the elements of a good movie. It has an archetypical power figure, and three potentially great characters: the good, the bad, and the average. Let's imagine that you are a casting director, and it's your job to find the right character actor for each part in this film.
Let's reappoint the story to our contemporary setting. A rich man is required to leave the country and conduct some business where he will be unable to be reached by cell, email, or fax. Where in the world this could be, I'm not sure. Let's imagine he's got a conference on the top of Mt. Everest. I know that this stretches credulity - but just go with it the way you do when you see a man flying around in leotards and a cape save humanity. So this man flies away in his private jet, leaves the country and he puts three individuals in charge of his investments. To one person he gives 10 million. To another he gives 5. And to another 1. And he leaves.
The first person invests in Google and doubles his money. The second invests in Microsoft and doubles his. The third one puts the cash in a safety deposit box - not wanting to loose a penny. The businessman returns from the top of Mt. Everest and is thrilled at the two who invested the money and he gives them more. And to the third one he says a definitive: "you're fired."
So, who would you cast? I know that what I said makes Donald Trump an obvious candidate for the rich man. But I think he's booked - and I'm not sure that he has the air of righteousness that we are looking for. And while Martha Stewart might have some of those same desirable characteristics - I'm not sure I'd go with her. There's nothing in our screenplay that would indicate our "master" has been to jail. So... who would it be?
How about Michael Caine? He can play a kindly yet serious, a wise yet gentle, a rich but unpretentious character. He's got that special trait that I think Jesus is indicating this Master possesses: a clear capacity for justice and an insight into a person's character.
OK, how about character one? Here is where I would put Martha Stewart. A person of humble background who has taken every possible opportunity and turned it into success. Now I don't know much about her acting ability. But, she's got what this person in the story had: an ambition to grow, and the ability to even take a prison term and turn into a success story! I read in this week's time that as a child she organized birthday parties for money, because babysitting was way underpaid. Now we might question her priorities, and I might think she could do something better with her time and money - but for the simple character trait that this story requires - Martha's the one.
And for number two? For me: Bob Newhart. For this character is just as average as they come. Who said: God must love common people, for he made so many of them. This character is not an extraordinary person with remarkable business acumen, or acting ability, or great looks, or any of those other qualities that some people are gifted with. He is an Isaac - a Mr. average Joe. The thing I've loved about Newhart, is that he's never attempted to be anything he's not - and yet all the emotion of everyday life register on his face, and gives you the permission to laugh at him and at yourself.
There is a recognition in this story of Jesus that life is not fair, not all are going to come out equal, and that this is OK. We aren't all given the same gifts, not all of us have the same capacities. Some will make millions and some will scratch out a living.
OK, how about the bad? This poor schmo who was so afraid of loosing, that he refused to play the game. This unfortunate soul caught in the web of his own fears, in the paralysis of his own analysis. He is the central character in our story. All other roles support his. For he is the point of the story. Without him, there's no punch line, no cliffhanger ending. So who do we get?
For me a cross between Barney Fife (Don Knots) and Tom Cruise. Maybe that needs some explanation. You see for our story to work, this character needs to have great potential. Things could have turned out differently. He has the brains, the looks, the je ne sais qua to turn his one million into profit. At minimum he could have put the money into CD's. And so you need a character that has looks, charm, and intelligence. But you also need one who can play extraordinary fear. For that is what this turns upon: fear. He is so afraid of loosing the money - he sticks it where it's sure to look exactly like what the man gave him when he returns. Why? Because he knew his boss was demanding.
I heard a good sermon on this text some weeks ago. And the preacher did a nice job in conveying how this text teaches us about risk. Risk in all areas of life - without risk we rot in our shells filled with our rotting phobias.
But this text is not just about risk, it's about the other side of risk. The other side of risk is trust. It's about faith. No rational person risks where they know they are going to fail. We only risk when we are relatively certain of some measure of success. We know it might not come easily, or quickly, or possibly ever - but we know the chances of success are there. And moreover we risk when we know that it is better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all. Those are the conditions under which we take risks.
Each parable of Christ has a central point. What is this one? You are not going to live well, if your view of the Master is tainted. Barney Fife-Cruise was so scared of his boss, so assured that he was a mean and demanding investor, that he lost out on what life is about. Look at the text: "I knew that you were a..."
Those living under the dictums of a legalistic understanding of God - are living out this story. This is why Luther's life was radically changed when he embraced the grace of the New Testament - he became a fearless advocate of the good news of God's love and a fearless fighter of those who would bind human beings with cables of religious rules and ritualistic obligations. You are freed of this - live out your freedom by taking the talents, the gifts, the uniqueness that God has given you and using those to bless the world. This is what life is about: being the best you that you might bring the world the best of God's gifting.
God made you, and God don't make no junk. Oh, but I'm a sinner. Yep, you got that right. You are, and I am, we are all filled with incompatible desires and incommensurate wants. We are capable of atrocious evil. But remember the Biblical story. Before there was sin God said his creation was good. And since there has been sin, God redeemed our lives in Christ. So sin does not have the last word. Unless your fear gives it permission to hinder you from being who God made you to be.
Hear the wise words of William Sloan Coffin: "Because our value is a gift, we don't have to prove ourselves, only to express ourselves, and what a world of difference there is between proving ourselves and expressing ourselves."
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