Musical Prelude and Service.

Matthew 25:14-30 & Judges 4:1-7
It sometimes gets lost in our earnest and careful reflection on and study of scripture, but I really need to believe Jesus had a sense of humour.
It is important to me that Jesus – the revelation of God’s love, the human incarnation of God’s presence in humanity, was capable of laughing; of finding the humour and joy in the life we lead and able to laugh in the face of the great many challenges and heartbreak that life throws at us. I see it as important that Jesus was capable of telling a good story that not only challenged the way we see the world but also helped us to laugh.
So it was with great interest that this past week I had the chance to listen to a sermon one of my favourite writers, Diana Butler Bass, delivered last Sunday on the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids.
In that sermon, Diana Butler Bass suggests Jesus is sharing a bit of a joke, upending some expectations and challenging us to consider the difference between earthly wisdom and divine wisdom.
The writer points out a few things I sort of hinted at, but also some things I didn’t explore. She points out that this particular wedding party seems just awful: The groom is late. He then closes the door on half the bridesmaids. And finally, where exactly is the bride?
Furthermore, where exactly are these bridesmaids expected to find and purchase lamp oil so late at night?
So, yes this can appear to be an absolutely terrible party.
Scripture spends some time comparing earthly wisdom; how to live safely and prosperously in the world; and divine wisdom, how God acts in the world can seem very different. Divine wisdom can often seem foolish. It often leaves one at odds with the world.
And so, the apparently foolish bridesmaids find themselves locked out of what now seems an absolute bore of a party. But as Butler Bass also points out in an earlier parable, Jesus describes a king sending his servants out to invite everyone they can find to share in his wedding feast. And so, she wonders if perhaps those left out of this mess of a party find themselves invited to the rousing party put on by the ruler.
I find myself wondering if once again Jesus is playing with conventions and expectations. In my modern sensibilities I may miss the joke, if there is one. But again, the treatment of the people who seem to lack the courage or imagination to take a risk is difficult to fathom when compared to the values of love, compassion, and mercy we associate with Jesus.
Yes, the message typically associated with this parable is pretty solid. Don’t hide the gifts God has provided for you. Be ready to take risks. Love and give boldly.
But we are still left with a cruel punishment for the servant who is too afraid to take those chances. He is cast out into the darkness, all on his own.
As I continue to reflect on the need for hope in our divided and war-torn world, how do I work with this?
Well, that notion of reactions to worldly wisdom and divine wisdom come to mind once again. Perhaps Jesus is holding up a mirror to how the world tends to work. The landowner uses the resources of others to increase his wealth. He is a harsh and demanding master.
Some writers suggest the first two servants, or slaves, go along with the program; exploiting others to increase the master’s wealth. The third refuses to go along and is punished.
Debie Thomas, a writer with The Christian Century, wrote a column titled The Good Kind of Worthless, based on the writing of William Herzog. In that essay she notes that Talents were large bars of precious metals that weighed somewhere between 80 and 130 pounds. They tended to be valued at around 20 years of one labourer’s wages.
People like the landowner would have gathered that kind of wealth by loaning money to poor farmers and charging huge rates of interest. They would not be able to get out from under the debt and would eventually forfeit their property.
So, the third servant makes the choice to carry the cross of speaking truth to power and resisting the continued exploitation he has been commanded to be a part of.
The powers of this world cast him to the side or outside. In this interpretation for the story, we are reminded that a few days after telling this parable, Jesus is arrested, tried, and nailed to a cross where he will say the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
We are left to reflect on a world where the common wisdom tells us our value is measured by how productive we are; how much we increase the wealth of our masters. If we can’t or won’t participate in that system, we are easily cast aside.
If we choose that reading, then we need to hold onto the understanding that the story does not end with what we read today. Jesus continues to the parable of the sheep and the goats. We are expected to see Jesus in the faces of those who are alone, those who are oppressed, those who are hungry, those who are in jail. And further, even though the rulers of this world will put Jesus to death, Jesus will rise and remain with us all. We may feel abandoned by this world, but God does not abandon us.
Finally, theology professor David Lose notes that sometimes we do a really good job of seeing the God we expect. The third slave tells the landowner that he knows he is a harsh master. He fears him, and knew if he lost the money entrusted to him, he would be punished. Therefore, he buried it and left it untouched. He got the treatment he expected.
On the other hand, the other two, celebrated the gifts provided for them and took chances. They did not act out of fear. Did they see their relationship with the landowner in a different way? Not one dominated by fear and the threat of punishment; but one of freedom and empowerment?
I have often said how I read scripture depends upon the day; the circumstances, and how I am seeing the world at a particular time.
I will confess that right now, I see a world that is demanding that we make some unpleasant choices. I see a world dominated by threats and fear. I see a world that can tempt us to bury our heads in the sand and wait for something new to come along, for fear of being punished.
I do believe we need to take stock of the ways God has blessed us and asks us to be a blessing to the world. But I also think one of the ways God has blessed us is to be aware of the real injustices of this world; to name them and to resist being a part of a system that exploits and dehumanizes so many of our fellow children of God.
No matter how we read this story, it strikes me that we are encouraged to live our lives with courage. To live ready to take chances and to risk the possibility of difficulty in our lives.
But we can do so knowing that God is always with us. Jesus continues to walk with us in the way, guiding us, supporting us, as we work with them to bring to reality the vision of a world where all have enough. Enough food, enough shelter, as well as the freedom and safety we need to thrive and live lives of peace and compassion. And so, we can say thanks be to God for the gift of imagination, the gift of courage and the gift of hope.
Amen
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789