Deep in the Southern California desert, a massive drill rig taps into what could be the energy of the future. That’s the opening line from an NBC News article. But my question isn’t just about lithium and energy independence. No. I want to ask if, yet again, will God’s creation be destroyed in our rush to get that independence. In other words, are we ruling over the earth, or are our desires ruling over us?
Let’s be honest here. We don’t exactly have a good track record on this kind of stuff.
And while the image isn’t of what’s going on in the desert right now, it is a good indication of the kinds of things we do to get resources. And money from them.
Rule over the earth in this fashion isn’t what God had in mind.
But – will the self-proclaimed Christians in Congress stand up and be counted? What about those so-called religious right folks that are so pro-business? Or maybe the so-called godless Democrats that do seem to be much more concerned about the environment, God’s creation, than those on the right?
Or, will “we the people” finally wake up and realize that neither party is really all that concerned about God’s creation? That they’re much more concerned about their jobs, their own security, and remaining in power?
Sadly, I don’t hold out any hope at all that even one of those things is likely to happen.
What’s Lithium and energy independence about?
… under the lake lies lithium, a key ingredient for electric vehicle batteries, and the billion-dollar drilling project promises to not only transform an impoverished region, but also help the United States gain energy independence.
OK – car batteries, which means lots of money for the auto industry. And a billion dollars just for this project.
What about the impoverished region? Given out past, a few people will make buckets and buckets of money. Especially the ones that already have lots of it. The local people? Most likely, they’ll end up with various kinds of pollution, just added to the stuff that’s already there. We’ll see that in a moment. And since they’re poor, they’re probably not well enough educated to get the high-paying jobs. And so a likely scenario is that, by comparison, they become even poorer.
Sadly, that’s our past. And even more sadly, in a time when God’s name gets thrown out all over the place during elections and speeches, God’s wishes, both for His people and His earth, are likely to be ignored.
What’s there now?
Temperatures in the region can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and residents live under the threat of toxic dust caused by decades of agricultural runoff depositing chemicals into the Salton Sea, a saltwater lake.
Yeah – we haven’t exactly done a good job in the past, have we? Lots of chemicals there. Put there by the farm industry. Yea, to grow more crops. But mostly to make more money. And done by throwing more and more toxic stuff into the area where these people, God’s creation, live and work.
But in the brine of an aquifer under the lake lies lithium, a key ingredient for electric vehicle batteries, and the billion-dollar drilling project promises to not only transform an impoverished region, but also help the United States gain energy independence.
And there’s the money for the project. The auto industry. And the energy industry. We can see why these poor people have no hope. Their hope levels must be at slim to none. And Slim’s not home.
“You can bring that brine to the surface” said Jim Turner, chief operating officer for Controlled Thermal Resources, the company conducting the project. “You have a lot of energy in the form of heat that you can use to do work.”
More money for energy companies. More opportunities for the tragic accidents that always happen. And that those in power always ask, how could this happen? Yes, Slim is getting further and further from home. Hope is rapidly approaching an even more intense degree of none.
Geothermal energy production has been around for years, but this effort will double dip by extracting lithium from the brine. Much of the lithium used today comes from Australia and South America and is shipped to Asia, where it’s refined and used in batteries, which are mostly made in China.
I wonder. Will the lithium still be sent off to China?
If it is, there’s no energy independence. We’re still dependent on someone else. China. Just as dependent as we are for so many other products. Slim is almost at the border now.
If the lithium is processed in this country, guess what that means? More money. More pollution. More damage to God’s earth. And more taking advantage of God’s people that need help the most.
Maybe Slim is coming back inside the border. But if he is, it’s false hope. The choice between slim hope and no hope is no choice at all.
Lithium and energy independence. Will God’s creation be destroyed again?
So what do you think? Will part of God’s creation be destroyed again in the pursuit of lithium and energy independence?
It’s hard to believe it won’t happen. To the land where they’re working. and to the air near where the work is being done. As well as to the environment as a whole, since this stuff spreads around the globe. And let’s not forget about the people. They will suffer.
All of this suffering is a twisted version of something Jesus said.
Setting up the parables
We’re going to look at The Parable of the Talents and The Parable of the Ten Minas
The Parable of the Talents
25:14-30 Ref—Lk 19:12-27
Let’s start off by finding out what a “talent” is in Matthew’s Gospel. It’s not what we think of today, like the ability to sing.
5007 τάλαντον [talanton /tal·an·ton/] n n. From a presumed derivative of the original form of tlao (to bear, equivalent to 5342); GK 5419; 15 occurrences; AV translates as “talent” 15 times. 1 the scale of a balance, a balance, a pair of scales. 2 that which is weighed, a talent. 2A a weight varying in different places and times. 2B a sum of money weighing a talent and varying in different states and according to the changes in the laws regulating currency. 2B1 the Attic talent was equal to 60 Attic minae or 6000 drachmae. 2B2 a talent of silver in Israel weighed about 100 pounds (45 kg). 2B3 a talent of gold in Israel weighed about 200 pounds (91 kg). 1Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
So basically it’s some amount of money. Some of the more modern translations say bags of gold instead of talents. As you saw above, a talent of gold in Israel weighed about 200 pounds. That’s one really big bag! So let’s just say it’s a lot of money. If we round up to make the math easy, that’s 200 pounds times $22,000 per pound – for a total of $4,400,000.
Certainly not the kind of money the average person has. And the guy in the parable is going to give a total of 8 talents to the three servants.
Also, notice that there are two Gospels with similar parables. We’re starting with Matthew’s, but will look at Luke’s as we go through it. There will also be some references to other things Jesus said, when they seem to apply to the context that’s set up in the parables.
Next, let’s see what a “mina” is in Luke’s Gospel.
3414 μνᾶ [mna /mnah/] n f. Of Latin origin; GK 3641; Nine occurrences; AV translates as “pound” nine times. 1 in the OT, a weight of 300 shekels was one pound. 2 In the NT, a weight and sum of money equal to 100 drachmae, one talent was 100 pounds, a pound equalled 10 1/3 oz. (300 gm). 2Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
The amount in Luke is less than what Matthew recorded. Why? There are two possible reasons that come to mind right away.
The first possibility for the difference in amounts is that we’re reading two different events, with different social and/or economic situations.
Another is that the amounts are different because the message that Jesus wanted to get across was either different and/or the people had a different level of faith, commitment to God, or some other reason.
Either case, or something else entirely may explain why the amounts were different. Some people choose to say there’s an error, therefore the parables are to be ignored because one or both was wrong. Ultimately, I think whether we want to dismiss the parables entirely, because of the differences like that, comes down to a matter of faith for us. Are we looking for a clear error? Or are we just looking for an excuse to say the Bible is in error?
A socio-economic issue: Lithium and energy independence. Will God’s creation be destroyed again?
Let’s see what happens, and how it relates to the money and the people involved in this lithium and energy independence issue. As the heading says, lithium and energy independence really is a socio-economic question. But since we’re adding in God’s creation, it adds in the element of how a responsible Christian looks at the entire set of issues.
As such, we’re after a social commentary here more than what I normally do for Bible study. The cultures, then and now, are very important. And the application must be applied with the two cultures in mind. Therefore, the basis for what follows comes from Craig Keener’s The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Note – To make this more readable, I left out the references within Keener’s Commentary. Rather than have them as only footnotes, He embedded names within the text of the book. This makes it a rather difficult read for someone who’s not doing scholarly research. Since we aren’t doing that, but are focusing on what he wrote rather than what the sources were, I chose to not include them.
Because of those choices on how to proceed, let’s first read Matthew’s and Luke’s recording of the parable(s). I made the plural option because we really don’t know whether they recorded the same event, or if each recorded a similar parable told in two different events.
Matthew’s Parable of the Talents
The Parable of the Talents
25:14-30 Ref—Lk 19:12-27
Mt 25:14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Mt 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
Mt 25:21 “His master replied, ’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!’
Mt 25:22 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
Mt 25:23 “His master replied, ‘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!’
Mt 25:24 “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
Mt 25:26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
Mt 25:28 “ ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Luke’s Parable of the Ten Minas
The Parable of the Ten Minas
19:12-27 Ref—Mt 25:14-30
Lk 19:11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
Lk 19:14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
Lk 19:15 “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
Lk 19:16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
Lk 19:17 “ ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
Lk 19:18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
Lk 19:19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
Lk 19:20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
Lk 19:22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
Lk 19:24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
Lk 19:25 “ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
Lk 19:26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’ ”
The Day and the Hour Unknown
When we get to the commentary, we’ll see a reference to a section the NIV titles The Day and the Hour Unknown. We’ll get to why below. But for now, let’s look at it. It’s in Matthew and Mark, but not in Luke. We’ll see especially the differences between Matthew and Mark.
Mark’s The Day and the Hour Unknown
The Day and Hour Unknown – Mark
Mk 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Mk 13:35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
Matthew’s The Day and the Hour Unknown
The Day and Hour Unknown – Matthew
Mt 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Mt 24:42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Mt 24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Here we go – Will God’s creation be destroyed again?
OK – with everything set up and the background explained, let’s get into this!
The Industrious and the Lazy Managers (25:14–30)
Cf. Lk 19:11–27; perhaps Mk 13:34. Many aspects of the parable depict social reality in a wealthy household. Householders going on long journeys might entrust their estate to slaves to oversee, since household slaves often held managerial roles. The Lukan version depicts a master who entrusts to slaves a much smaller sum (especially given the price of slaves themselves), but Matthew paints the story in much grander terms (portraying sixty to one hundred times Luke’s sum. 3Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 599). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Yes, the parables reflect aspects of social reality back then. Today, thankfully, slavery is illegal in most countries it does still exist. Many countries say it’s illegal, but have no penalties for it. The more common situation today is the boss/employee relationship.
But there’s another aspect of this parable to point out. It does, after all, represent Jesus and us. Of course, given the number of times I write about it, The Great Commission comes to mind for me.
The Great Commission
Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Here’s Jesus left us, Christians, to carry on the work of, as He called it, making disciples. Today we say bringing people to Christ. Converting people.
But given today’s topic, I must go all the way back to Genesis.
The Beginning
…
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Ge 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Ge 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Ge 1:31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Ge 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
Ge 2:2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Remember that? God created everything. And then He told Adam, and through Adam all of us, that our job is to take care of His creation.
Jesus’ involvement in creation
But what does Jesus have to do with that? Well, notice it said: Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Did you notice that God is plural? Then God said, “Let us make man in our image … Just to be sure, here’s the Hebrew word we read as God.
430 אֱלֹהִים [ʾelohiym /el·o·heem/] n m p. Plural of 433; TWOT 93c; GK 466; 2606 occurrences; AV translates as “God” 2346 times, “god” 244 times, “judge” five times, “GOD” once, “goddess” twice, “great” twice, “mighty” twice, “angels” once, “exceeding” once, “God-ward + 4136” once, and “godly” once. 1 (plural). 1A rulers, judges. 1B divine ones. 1C angels. 1D gods. 2 (plural intensive—singular meaning). 2A god, goddess. 2B godlike one. 2C works or special possessions of God. 2D the (true) God. 2E God. 4Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
Notice the underlined Plural above. There’s something that feels almost buried in the opening to the book of Hebrews. For that reason, I left out everything except the first three verses. See if you notice what I mean.
The Son Superior to Angels
Heb 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
…
Keep in mind, Hebrews was written for Jewish people who were converting to follow Jesus. So they knew about the plural form of God – ʾelohiym – from Genesis. So the author of Hebrews told them something about that word in the three verses above. There are just six words in there – through whom he made the universe – that tell us Jesus was one part of that plural Hebrew word they knew all along. I dare say, lots of Christians today likely don’t even know the word we read as “God” is plural. Of course, the entirety of the plural word we read as God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
So we’re now really set up to look at creation for Christians. Just in case there are some who think the Old Testament somehow doesn’t matter, Jesus is inextricably tied to creation. Undeniably part of the command to rule over the earth from way back in the beginning.
Now, let’s add one more piece to the puzzle.
Jesus at a Pharisee’s House
14:8-10 Ref—Pr 25:6, 7
Lk 14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
Lk 14:5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they had nothing to say.
Lk 14:7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Lk 14:12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Let me repeat that last part, yes, to emphasize it.
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
As Christians, when we’re in positions that have responsibility and power, we should remember passages like this.
When the jobs are given out, when environmental decisions are made, when anything is done that has an impact on the surrounding communities and the people, we must take into account the things Jesus taught us. The things Jesus commanded us. We aren’t Christians on Sunday and corporate mercenaries the rest of the time.
If anything, Christian leaders should be working with our Christian beliefs in mind, and if not outright proselytize at least work on impressing others in the company the importance of acting in a manner that shows care for the people and our environment.
Was money really the point of everything Jesus said in these passages?
Because Luke’s figures for the money are probably more accurate and he says that each received the same amount, Matthew may here make a special point in noting that the master gave “each according to his ability”—he already knew which slaves would be most industrious, but expected all to show some industry. In the Roman Empire, slaves could earn wages and bonuses and could acquire property (Apul. Metam. 10.13; p. Yebam. 7:1, §2; Buckland 1908: 187–238; Finley 1973: 64; Cohen 1966: 179–278), hence they would have more incentive to look out for the master’s property than slaves in many cultures do. Thus the servants understand very well what is required of them. 5Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 600). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
So far, pretty much everything we’ve looked at has to do with money. Whether it’s talents, minas, or the so-called almighty dollar today, there’s a lot of talk about money.
However – there is that one short passage about The Great Commission. And there’s the one about Jesus at a Pharisee’s House. Yes, I referred to jobs as money there as well. But now it’s time to ask you – did you think that was weird? Of course, given the apparent context of talking about lithium and energy independence, money was the central focus.
Where did we go wrong in our analysis?
But there was kind of a U-turn in there. Back when we looked at Jesus being involved way back, even before the beginning, There was u U-turn. But we didn’t take it. We crashed and burned. Did you notice? Or did you also crash and burn?
Remember, Jesus told some people to sell everything and give the money to the poor. But hey – even there – the money wasn’t the object lesson! No. The money was the problem. The object lesson was to remove the problem, and then to do the right thing. The right thing, for Christians, is to follow Jesus’ teachings, examples, and commands.
Where else did we go wrong?
Did we make any other wrong turns? Well, it wasn’t so much a wrong turn. It was more like a missed turn. Do remember we included passages about how no one knows the day or the hour? We didn’t really talk about them. Why not? Well, they aren’t really about money. But now we know this whole thing wasn’t really about money either. Well, other than to say that money is the problem, not the point.
But let’s pick up the point about the day and the hour not being known. It’s got to do with the second coming of Jesus. We don’t know when He’s coming back. It could be before I finish writing this. But if that’s true, you won’t be reading it.
Or, Jesus could come back right while you’re reading this. And if that’s the case, it’s too late to do anything about what I’ve written. And that’s the point about the day and the hour being unknown.
If we wait for the last minute, we’ll miss it. We’ll be focused on the money right up until the time that we can’t correct the U-turn problem and we can’t go back and take the turn we missed entirely. We won’t be able to undo the problems caused by our focus on money. And we won’t be able to correct the wrongs we did while we were too busy focusing on the money.
What are we supposed to do about: Lithium and energy independence. Will God’s creation be destroyed again?
Let’s return to the socio-economic commentary to see what we should consider instead of money.
Christians should be ready and faithful
As in 24:45–51, readiness for Jesus’ return here demands faithfulness in doing the work he has called one to do. This warning applies to all disciples, but perhaps most severely to church leaders: “A Christian leader who does not lead is damned” (Meier 1980: 300). That the householder is on a journey and will return unexpectedly may imply a possible “delay” of the parousia, although it is clearer in Luke (“far” country—Lk 19:12). “Settling accounts” again becomes a figure for the time of judgment (cf 18:23). 6Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
I’ve written about this one before. One article that’s specific to how we treat poor people is at Do Christians know who is poor? I believe this is about more than church leaders. Yes, the warning is probably stronger to church leaders. And I can’t get away from thinking it’s probably also stronger for those of us who choose to teach. And yet, I also can’t ignore that, to some extent, every Christian is called to teach by example. You know – being a light to the world?
In any case, since we don’t know when Jesus is going to return, we must be faithful all the time. I submit that after everything God did for us, Christians should want to be faithful all the time. Not that we’ll achieve 100% success, but we should desire it and strive for it.
The thing here is about the U-turn we didn’t get right. The work Jesus called us for is not money. It’s also not about ensuring everyone lives what we call “the good life”. Jesus’ intention for us is, remember, saving souls. Performing the Great Commission. But also caring for God’s creation. Whether it be our world, or the people in it, everything and everyone is part of God’s creation.
And no matter who we are, if we’re Christian, we promised to do what Jesus called us to do. And to the extent we fail to even try, we’ve failed to fulfill our promise. And as I’ve written so often, I do not believe Jesus’ death can be “used” by us to say some magic words, and then think we’re saved just because of that. Please see Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God? for more on that.
The rewards were commensurate with their faithfulness in pursuing the master’s interest (25:20–23). Elsewhere one encounters the principle that one untrustworthy in what was his own would not be trustworthy in what concerns others (Lk 16:10–12; m. Dem. 2:2; Rhet. ad Herenn. 4.18.25); here one encounters the principle that only those proved in small leadership positions would be prepared for bigger ones.219 Similarly, only those who were wise would receive further instruction (Sir 21:12), for as a later rabbi put it, God pours more into a full vessel but not into an empty one (b. Ber. 40a). Although Matthew may know that the Aramaic word translated into Greek as “joy” can also mean “feast” or “wedding feast” (Jeremias 1972: 60n.42; Gundry 1982: 506), purely Greek-speaking readers would lose very little: the term “joy” can connote banqueting with the master (cf. 25:10), and the context of the preceding parable supports this interpretation. Some of Jesus’ contemporaries stressed the “joy” of the righteous in the world to come. 7Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
I think we need to pay very close attention to something in there:
as a later rabbi put it, God pours more into a full vessel but not into an empty one
That totally lines up with what I just wrote about magic words and promises we don’t intend to keep. We cannot play God for a fool.
Saying we’re Christian, and then ignoring the people and the things in God’s creation comes pretty close to, if not actually being, playing God for a fool. If we add our love of money into the equation, we’ve got the potential for huge problems. For instance, in our rush to get rich from something like our lithium and energy independence example. And then we add the question of will God’s creation be destroyed again? Make the answer yes, including the planet, the people, and especially the poor and the helpless among us, and the problem just got even bigger!
We need to ask ourselves something as Christians. Am I playing God for a fool? If the answer is yes – do something about it!!
The lazy servant does nothing with his resources because he does not care about the master’s agendas. Temples, including the Jerusalem temple, functioned as banks, and moneylenders were also common elsewhere in the Gentile world. Most people lacked capital, but those who had it could multiply their investment fivefold or even tenfold (Lk 19:16–18); doubling one’s investment (Mt 25:20, 22) might be regarded as a reasonable minimum return to expect in the ancient economy (Derrett 1970: 24, though citing here Hammurabi; cf. Hock 1988: 140). Burying money (Mt 25:18; cf. Hor. Sat. 1.1.41–42) at least kept that capital safe; ancient law viewed merely wrapping it in a napkin, however, as disrespecting its safety altogether (Lk 19:20; Derrett 1970: 24; Jeremias 1972: 61). But the money would have been no less safe with bankers (m. B. Meṣ 3:11; Gundry 1982: 509; on ancient bankers, see Lewis 1983: 147–48). When the lazy servant declares, “Here is your own money back!” he refuses to acknowledge responsibility (see Derrett 1970: 25 on a possibly corresponding mishnaic phrase); by failing the master’s trust, he insults the master. His excuse is hardly acceptable: knowing the master’s reputation for sternness, he was paralyzed with fear (25:24–25). The master rightly responds, “On the assumption that I am hard and merciless, you should have been all the more diligent!” (25:26–27). 8Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
When we become a Christian, every one of us is given some sort of gift. Some ability to work for God’s Kingdom. TO care for His people. His creation. Save souls.
We’d best better believe that if we don’t do anything with those gifts, we going to have issues. It means we lied to God. Don’t you think that’s a problem? And do you really think God’s required to save your soul when you lied in order to “be saved”?
Even in a lesser situation, when we promise to do something, but then we decide we want to do something else instead, isn’t there a problem? At what point does our commitment to Jesus turn into just magic words?
Disciples who neglect the resources entrusted to them in this life will be damned. As in the preceding parable, the exclusion of the unfaithful, who insult their patron’s trust in them, is explicit: hell’s darkness (8:12; 22:13) and wailing (22:13). The master accepts the servant’s portrait of his severity—supplying both a mark of the parable’s authenticity (the church would hardly have portrayed Jesus thus; Gundry 1982: 508) and, more importantly, a warning not to take the impending judgment lightly. Whereas the other servants are rewarded by the master’s benevolence, this servant, fearing the master’s harshness but unaware of his benevolence (cf. Patte 1987: 346), experiences the very wrath he knew about. This is the punishment for a professed disciple who failed to invest all his or her resources in the work of the kingdom. 9Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Here’s one more passage to bring all this together
That last excerpt gets to the heart of what I’ve been writing here. And why did I say all that? Check this out. One last passage.
Living as children of light in God’s creation
Living as Children of Light
Eph 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Notice, we are supposed to be different. Our agenda should not be making more money, no matter the cost to anyone or anything else.
Rather, our agenda should match God’s agenda.
Eph 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
If we are true and committed Christians, we will know the truth about Jesus. We will put off our old selfish desires to make more money. We will put down our agenda, pick up God’s, and follow Jesus’ example.
Eph 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Therefore, as Paul wrote, we will not give the devil a foothold. In our example today, when we’re tempted to give in to the riches from lithium and energy independence, we will hold strong to our Christian beliefs. We will not allow God’s creation to be destroyed. And that includes watching out for the people He created.
Eph 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
This paragraph sets out some of the “simple” things that we don’t think much about. But they creep in. And one thing leads to another. The next thing we know, the U-turn is messed up. We miss a turn. And we’re making tons of money while totally forgetting about God’s agenda.
Especially notice here: do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. You may remember, there is one, only one, unforgivable sin. The unforgivable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Grieving the Holy Spirit, refusing to do what we promised when God gave us the Holy Spirit to enable us to fulfill that promise, is an example of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
And it is unforgivable. Thinking we are saved just because we said some magic words is taking God for a fool. And it will not lead to our salvation.
Eph 5:1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
So live like Jesus taught us. Modeled for us by His own example. And let our lives be like a fragrant offering to God. A life that supports His agenda.
Eph 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
more warnings of things that might lead us astray.
Eph 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, 14 for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
We must remember where we were. How far we’ve come. And the reality that it’s only through God that we were able to do this.
Eph 5:15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Conclusion – Lithium and energy independence. Will God’s creation be destroyed again?
Need I say more?
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity …
We must live as if our very souls depend on how we live.
Why? Because they do.
Image by Chris LeBoutillier from Pixabay
Footnotes
- 1Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
- 2Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
- 3Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 599). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- 4Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
- 5Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (p. 600). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- 6Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- 7Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- 8Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
- 9Keener, C. S. (2009). The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (pp. 600–602). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.