The Gospel for WEDNESDAY, June 8, 2005
Luke 19:11-27
While the people were listening to this he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God was going to show itself then and there. Accordingly he said, ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to be appointed king and then return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds, telling them, “Trade with these, until I get back.” But his compatriots detested him and sent a delegation to follow him with this message, “We do not want this man to be our king.” ‘Now it happened that on his return, having received his appointment as king, he sent for those servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what profit each had made by trading. The first came in, “Sir,” he said, “your one pound has brought in ten.” He replied, “Well done, my good servant! Since you have proved yourself trustworthy in a very small thing, you shall have the government of ten cities.” Then came the second, “Sir,” he said, “your one pound has made five.” To this one also he said, “And you shall be in charge of five cities.” Next came the other, “Sir,” he said, “here is your pound. I put it away safely wrapped up in a cloth because I was afraid of you; for you are an exacting man: you gather in what you have not laid out and reap what you have not sown.” He said to him, “You wicked servant! Out of your own mouth I condemn you. So you knew that I was an exacting man, gathering in what I have not laid out and reaping what I have not sown? Then why did you not put my money in the bank? On my return I could have drawn it out with interest.” And he said to those standing by, “Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has ten pounds.” And they said to him, “But, sir, he has ten pounds . . .” “I tell you, to everyone who has will be given more; but anyone who has not will be deprived even of what he has. “As for my enemies who did not want me for their king, bring them here and execute them in my presence.” ’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
Hard Men
Jesus seems comfortable telling a story that could come right out of one of the Prophets' books in the Hebrew Bible. The razor's edge between getting along and getting fired are depicted as being even tougher then than we think things are now.
A Reflection
Excuses are cheap.
The man who would be king had undoubtedly created the expectation in his men that he wanted them to take prudent risks on his behalf. It seems that two did, and one took what he thought was a "safe" path.
"Safe" has a good dimension that we can appreciate. There's something almost seductive about watching a blizzard from behind a triple-glazed window inside a well-heated home. Our mother, who as a child was terrified of thunderstorms, always took my brother and me onto the screened porch during our south Alabama toad-stranglers to point out "the pretty lightning." To this day, I gather great emotional support in watching a thunderstorm: the nastier, the better!
But we can also be "safe" when we walk past the man lying in the gutter. We can be "safe" when we ignore dangerous behavior that is within our power to correct, as when seeing a neighbor child dash into the street to "scare" the cars coming down the road. The thought that the neighbor might get upset at someone correcting his child would prevent some from taking care to challenge the child's naive -- and dangerous -- behavior.
We can be "safe" when we keep doing the same old thing in our walk towards faith. "After all, it's what the church offers," we smugly say as we spend our one hour a week sitting in church thinking about the golf game that afternoon. Nasty slice, you know.
Jesus was never one for safety. He ate with people that were held in contempt by the "right people." He healed on the Sabbath. He drove out the money-changers from the Temple courts. He spoke to women, even foreign women!
When we are content to be safe, we have earned our meager rewards, Jesus says. It's only when we come close to the edge, and take that step Jesus is showing us, that we test our boundaries, and begin to earn the Master's true reward.
A Collect
Grant us faith, Father, to trust in your never-failing love for us, and give us courage to invest your love in our sisters and brothers, to your greater Glory. Amen
5:34:32 PM 
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