the Grapevine 7/24/09

[Mark Jackson]

the Grapevine

July 24, 2009

the e-newsletter of NewLife Community Church

 

When A Parable Bites Me In The Rear End
 
I like parables... I'd much rather learn something as a story than as an outline. (This may go a long way to explaining why I was an English major at Baylor and had real difficulty with my systematic theology class in seminary.)

So it's no real surprise to anyone that I've been teaching & preaching the parables of Jesus for a long time. I have fond memories of doing dramatic pieces (don't call them "skits", btw - ask me to explain this pet peeve some other time) in college based on parables - the stories lend themselves to theatrical interpretation.

It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.

After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.'

The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'

The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.' (Matthew 25:14-30, The Message)

I've taught this parable who knows how many times. (Well, God does - the whole "hairs on my head are numbered" thing - though based on my growing forehead & the general thinning going on up top, He doesn't have as many to track as He used to.) I've used it to illustrate how we should give generously in financial ways. I've explained that the "talents" in "The Parable of the Talents" aren't the things that get you on American Idol, but still proceeded to make the point that our skills/talents/spiritual gifts can either be used or buried.

But it wasn't until a month or so ago that I re-read the story as part of my time with God and felt like I'd been hit upside the head with a two by four. This time around, I thought about the parable in a relational context - that we can bury ourselves, our hearts so deep in order to keep them safe that we never manage to invest ourselves in the lives of others.

Hence, the title of this post... because in a relational context, I'm the third servant. I'm the guy with dirt on his hands and nervous flop sweat on his brow because I've spent far too much time perfecting ways to look like I'm close to people while maintaining a safe emotional distance.

I don't know how this is going to get fixed... but I know I don't want to make another trip around the sun and find myself in the same place next year. And if it's going to change, I'm going to have to risk friendship. Jesus, help me dig up my life & invest it for You.
 
When A Parable Bites Me In The Rear End: Reactions
 
I posted the article to my blog last Monday... and I received some interesting responses that I want to share - maybe they can help you figure out how to apply this to your life.
 
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Thanks for this. It opened my eyes too. I also am guilty of this behavior. I, too, hope and pray that I can change and begin engaging people for Jesus more. (tomg)
 
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You've posed a challenging interpretation with this twist, Mark. It's hitting home for me right now a little bit as well. I'm finishing up with 8 students right now and one of the issues they're struggling with is that whole emotional investment vs. emotional distance in creating an appropriate professional relationship with clients. It's an incredibly difficult thing to teach, much less practice.

 

I think I have a pretty good handle on this with my clients, and then today I went ahead and crossed one of my own lines and when I got home I'm kicking myself for doing so... until I read what you wrote and wonder if you haven't thrown a monkey wrench into how I teach the termination phase of a therapeutic relationship. And whether I didn't do such a bad thing after all.

 

Vague response, yes, and I won't get more detailed. Thanks for giving me the benefit of your two by four to the head. Hopefully I can figure out how to apply this both in my professional practice and personal life. (Dave Vander Ark)
 
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And then a Jewish friend of mine & began a conversation based on this... here's an excerpt:
 
ANYE: Although I don't have a problem with the message, I think the parable is missing a key data point. One of the servants should have invested the money but had it lose half its value - I would like to see what the master's response to that would be. It is very easy to reward risk that is in itself a reward, but not as easy to reward a risk that didn't play out as desired.
 
MARK: Anye - part of the joy of parables is that they are almost always missing what we think are key points. For example, what does the older brother end up doing in "The Prodigal Son"? (And the answer is not "providing ample wiggle room for preachers for nigh on 2000 years...") :-)

 

Too often, we treat these stories as allegory rather than as illustration. The idea, according to C.H. Dodd, is that a parable should leave "the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought."
 
ANYE: Interesting premise. I never thought of the prodigal son as ambiguous but I could very well be forgetting some details. Risk is an interesting one, since there are situations where it makes sense to take risks and others where it doesn't. If the master's children were relying on the money to feed them, then wouldn't it become a little less morally desirable to risk gambling it away than it would be if this were say the fund he was going to use to buy some new furniture?
 
MARK: Again, I think you're asking the parable to be taken more literally than Jesus intended. You're looking for details & interpretation that the story doesn't supply.
 
And the ambiguous part of the Prodigal Son story is the fate of the older brother - does he agree with his father & join the celebration for the return of the lost son? Does he continue in his anger & bitterness?
 
Here's what I think: leaving the story unfinished forced Jesus' first-century 99% Jewish audience to exam their own reactions to the story. It does the same 2000 years later for those of us who are heavily "churched."
 
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Please keep praying for me as I have opportunities to share the truth of Christ through social networking sites like Facebook & email groups.
 
Quote of the Week
 
Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle.
     Soren Kierkegaard 

 

Making A God-Sized Dent 

We're just a few weeks away from one of the most important weekends in the life of our church... and, yes, I realize that's a pretty bold statement.

 

Here's the deal: we desire to be a place that helps people not only become followers of Christ but also grows people up into fully developed followers of Christ. We long for a spiritual community that cares for each other & the people who live and work around us.

 

So, how do we set NewLife Community Church up in order to do those things... to fulfill the Great Commission & the Great Commandment?

 

That's what Making A God-Sized Dent is all about.

 

Friday night, August 14th: 7 pm - 9 pm

     Come & Go Worship/Prayer

 

Saturday day, August 15th: 8 am - 4:30 pm

     A Day of Learning, Dreaming & Planning

 

Childcare will be provided... as will a continental breakfast & lunch on Saturday. We'll need you to RSVP for Saturday.

 Keep watching & listening for more information!