Thomas J Parlette
“Entrusted and Afraid”
Matthew 25: 14-30
11/15/20
Let me pose a question. If you could choose to visit a famous site somewhere in the world, like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or the Colosseum in Rome or the Great Pyramids in Egypt – which would you choose? I know that’s not an easy question to answer. There are so many beautiful places in the world to visit – that’s why Juliet and I like to watch the Amazing Race!
British photographer Oliver Curtis has created a very successful career in films, television and fashion photography. His success revolves around capturing the perfect picture at the perfect moment. But he also has an odd side project. He likes to visit famous places and monuments around the world, and then point his camera in the opposite direction, away from the famous site. So he’s taking pictures of the scenery around these world-famous monuments, like the Taj Mahal in India, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but ignoring the monuments themselves. He has published these pictures in a book titled Volte-Face, or in English, About Face. (1)
We use the term “about face” to refer to someone who experiences a complete change in attitude or opinion.
Think about Oliver Curtis’ project for a moment. This photographer is in the presence of a well-known monument, but he wants to gain a new perspective – a perspective gained by focusing on its setting. And, as a consequence, he sees things most people never notice.
How often do you stop and question why you notice the things that catch your attention? Generally, we follow the crowd. We fit in with our peers and our cultural expectations. We rarely question our priorities or our choices. What would it take for you to make a complete “about face,” a reversal in your choices, ideas or priorities? What if you could see your life from God’s perspective? That’s a question to consider as we approach this text from Matthew today.
The story goes that a man went on a journey and entrusted his wealth to his servants. The man represents God, we are the servants, and the wealth – well, we’ll get to that in a minuet. There are two keys words here that we have to consider if we’re going to understand this story and apply it to our lives. Entrusted and Afraid.
You’ll see some reference to entrusted or trustworthy at least three times in these verses. The man entrusted his wealth to his three servants. He presented them with a big responsibility and a big opportunity. This man obviously had great faith in his servants, he believed them to be trustworthy. He saw great potential in them, and great opportunities all around them. He saw them as God sees us – great potential and great opportunities to excel in the world. Why else would the master have entrusted his wealth to them?
The first and second servants invested the wealth of their master as he hoped they would. When the master returned, they presented him with a considerable profit on his money. And the master praised their efforts and invited them to share in his happiness.
But the third servant hid his master’s wealth and did nothing with it. Why? Because he was afraid. He was afraid of the master. He was afraid of the opportunity. He was afraid of the responsibility. And when his master returned, the third servant dug up the wealth and gave it back to the master. No return on the investment. Just one big lost opportunity. And the master condemned the servant for letting his fear override his responsibility.
Perhaps the saddest and least productive emotion in life is fear. It is the least fruitful emotion. Fear’s only fruit is regret and lost opportunities and an increased focus on self and your own security.
Over the last year, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a new vocabulary for many of us. We are now familiar with “PPE”, and “social distancing” and “flattening the curve.” I read that in Germany, a new word was created to describe the hoarding of food and staple items brought about by the pandemic – Hamsterkauf. The German word for hoarding is “Hamstern,” which comes from the image of hamsters storing up food in their cheeks.
During the Cold War, the German government published a list of items that the average German household should have on hand in case of emergency – like pasta, painkillers and, of course, toilet paper. Germans referred to this list as the Hamsterkauf list. (2)
The third servant in this parable was guilty of Hamsterkauf. He was afraid and hoarded his master’s money because he didn’t trust his master’s character. Just like us, he’d had a few heartbreaks and setbacks in his life. And he no longer trusted the master’s goodness or the master’s priorities. So he decided to focus on his own security. Dig a hole in the ground, bury the wealth, take no chances, and wait for the master to return. No risk, no responsibility – but also, no reward.
Think of all the things in life we miss out on because we are afraid. We don’t trust God’s goodness and God’s promises. Think of all the opportunities we could harvest with our God-given talents and opportunities if we were just bold enough to base our goals and priorities on God’s promises instead of our own security.
Amy Purdy was a typical 19-year-old with a bright future ahead of her when she came home early from work one day with what she thought was the flu. She woke up from a nap, and her hands and feet were numb, And purple. Her blood pressure began falling. She was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest. Amy had contracted an often fatal form of meningitis. The nurse attempting to put an IV in her arm announced that Amy had only a few hours to live.
When Amy awoke from a coma, her doctor explained that they would need to amputate her legs below the knee to save her life. You would think that someone facing that situation would not only be in despair at the loss of their legs, but also consumed with fear about what life would be like moving forward.
But Amy faced her new life with determination. She wasn’t going to give up, even without her lower legs. She tried to return to snowboarding, one of her favorite hobbies, but she couldn’t find prosthetic legs that allowed her to snowboard well. So Amy did a lot of research, partnered with a doctor who provided her prosthetic legs, and they created new legs designed especially for snowboarding. And Amy Purdy became the first woman to win a bronze medal in snowboarding in the Paralympic Games.
Amy and her husband also founded Adaptive Action Sports, an organization that helps athletes with disabilities to participate in the sports they love. Amy even competed on “Dancing with the Stars”, and she had the opportunity to share her story on television and at major speaking engagements.
Amy says that when she lost her legs, she set three new goals for her life: “I’m never going to feel sorry for myself, I’m going to snowboard again, and that whenever I figure this out, I want to help other people do the same.” And that’s exactly what she’s doing. Her sports organization helps athletes with disabilities to reach their full competitive potential. Her best-selling book and speaking engagements inspire people who face unexpected losses. Amy Purdy’s challenges could have caused her to live the rest of her life in fear, watching out for her own security and comfort. Instead, she is investing her life in helping others. She is pursuing opportunities to do good works. She is living with Holy Boldness. (3)
The saddest and least productive emotion in life is fear. Amy overcame her fear and she is having a fruitful life.
Think how often the scriptures say “Don’t be afraid.” As I’ve said before, it could be a subtitle to the Bible. Could it be that the opposite of faith is not unbelief, but fear? That command – to live without fear – isn’t linked to some promise that nothing bad will ever happen to you. It’s not linked to some promise that God is going to answer your every question and always work according to your expectations and your timeline. The command is linked, however, to the promise that God will be with you through every challenge.
This story from Matthew tells us that Christ is looking for people with Holy Boldness. The boldness to let God direct your talents and energy toward good works that bring glory to God. A mind-blowing responsibility, yes. A mind-blowing opportunity, also yes. Notice that the outcome of this story rests on faith in God’s character and obedience to God’s commands. Both faith and obedience require the boldness to let go of your own security and comfort, and let God use you for something bigger.
Robert Young was a successful businessman in Seattle when, on a business trip in New Mexico, he noticed a newspaper headline that read: “Elders Freeze to Death.” The article detailed the crushing poverty on local Native American reservations, and the horrible living conditions of many elderly Native Americans. Robert couldn’t explain why the news story grabbed at his heart, but it did.
A few weeks later, when Robert learned of an “Adopt-A-Grandparent” program for Native American elders, he called the number and signed up. Robert was paired with a 78-year-old Native American woman in South Dakota named Katharine Red Feather.
Katharine welcomed Robert into her family as her newest “grandchild.” In spite of her poverty, her letters to him were full of joy, proudly sharing news of her large family. When Robert asked Katharine if there was anything he could send her, she asked only for a bottle of shampoo and some aspirin. Robert couldn’t imagine living in such poverty that shampoo and aspirin were such luxury items. He determined to visit Katharine Red Feather and see her living conditions for himself.
Robert and his wife, Anita, were shocked by the poverty they saw on Katharine’s reservation. And he was humbled by the joy and love of Katharine and her family. When he returned home, Robert couldn’t find satisfaction in his work. He worried all the time if his adopted grandmother was safe and warm and had all she needed. That summer, Robert, Anita and a handful of friends travelled back to South Dakota to build a house for Katharine. As news of their project spread on the reservation, Katharine’s family and friends showed up to help, and they had a big celebration when the home was complete.
Now Robert could relax and get back to his ambitious and successful life, right? Not exactly. God had given Robert a new vision and Robert knew he couldn’t bury his talent in the ground and do nothing. So after a lot of research and thought, Robert Young sold his half of his successful business. He and Anita moved to Bozeman, Montana, and started the Red Feather Development Group, to provide affordable, secure housing to Native Americans. (Americans. (4)
Remember the two words that we had to consider in order to understand this Bible passage? Entrusted and afraid. God has entrusted you with great wealth. Your life. Your talents and energy, your intellect and influence. God can’t use you if you are afraid of investing your life in good works for God’s glory. So now is the time to ask yourself, what do you want to hear at the end of your life? What will it take to hear God say “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 your master’s happiness!”
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Dynamic Preaching, Vol. XXXVI, No. 4, p37.
2. Ibid… p38.
3. Ibid… p38-39.
4. Ibid… p40.
