YOUR QUESTIONS
PLEASE! #4 8/24/2014
Jesus said, ‘When someone has been given much, much will
be required in return;
and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more
will be required.’
This passage haunts me.
Do we know when we have returned as much as Jesus
requires, or have we entrusted as much as He required?
Do most religions read this passage and act on it?
Peter asks if the parable about keeping watch for the
coming judgment (Luke 12:35-40) applies to everyone or just for the apostles.
Jesus answers with another parable, that of the faithful and wise manager (Luke
12:42-48):
And
the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom
his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at
the proper time? Blessed is that
servant whom his master will find so
doing when he comes. Truly, I say to
you,he will set him over all his possessions. But if that
servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat
the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of
that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and at an hour he
does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant
who knew his master's will but did not get
ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who
did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a
light beating. 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.
The meaning
of the parable seems to be that the apostles (the twelve disciples whom Jesus
chose to be his nearest disciples and who were sent out after the resurrection
to preach in Jesus’ name), because they have given this honor, are also given
much more responsibility and will be held accountable.
They are given a position of authority over the Church. They therefore are to
be diligent in doing the work of ministry among the people. However, if they
focuson the delay of the final judgment (which, of course, continues to our own
day) they might be tempted to abuse their positions of power for their own
personal benefit.
One might think of those who have used their positions in
ministry to enrich themselves financially; to draw others into adulterous
relationships with them, or to abuse children. Jesus seems to answer Peter’s
question in the affirmative, saying that the judgment will be more severe on
those who knew the master’s will than for those who did not know. Because the
apostles have been given such great treasures, they are expected to use them
well and will not be spared if they abuse them.
Of course, many of us have been given knowledge of God
and many gifts of time, talent, and treasure to use for God’s kingdom, and we
need not necessarily excuse ourselves from the parable’s thrust simply because
we do not have an explicit position of authority in the Church. A similar
message of responsibility is given by Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46 in the parable
of the sheep or the goats. A parishioner in my last congregation would ask me,
‘How do I know if I have passed Jesus by in disguise and have not done what is
required?’ This seems to be a similar question to ‘Do we know whether we have done what was expected of us?’
This question can be ‘haunting,’ as you say. It is the
kind of question that tortured Martin Luther, but he found grace in the Gospel.
We have to hold this warning of judgment together with Jesus’ promise of
forgiveness.
Jesus does not tell parables to make us feel guilty about
the past and doubtful about whether God will forgive or accept us – that we
might be haunted by the idea that it is too late for us. Jesus tells the
parables to exhort and motivate us to make choices and adopt behaviors that
glorify God. None of us will have used our gifts in the right way all the time,
and none of us will use them perfectly in the future either. But by telling his
parable, Jesus wants us to hear the Word so that we recommit ourselves each day to seek as best we can to be
wise stewards of what God has given to us. He also may wish us to focus not on
what others should be doing (the
slaves who do not know what their master wanted and did what was wrong), but on
what we who do know the Father’s will
should be about.
So Jesus does not
tell this parable to make us ruminate about our past, but to orient us toward
the present and the future. He wants us to hear, and then to act!
Finally, you ask whether world religions follow this
teaching. The specific teaching, about the responsibility of the apostles
toward the Church, is unique to Christianity. But teaching about duty and
acting properly toward God or the gods according to one’s station in life is
found throughout world religions. Of course, individuals of whatever religion follow
or do not follow their Scriptures to varying degrees.
Thank you for the question!
Pastor
Frontz
