This morning, I read the parable of the talents that is found in Matthew 25:14-30. 

When I have heard sermons based on this passage, the emphasis has always been on not wasting the resources that you’ve been given. This is indeed the most obvious lesson from this parable. 

In the context of the church, we learn from Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 that we have all been given gifts that are to be used to build up the church. These gifts should be developed and not wasted.

But, this morning another emphasis struck me. The three different servants were given three different levels of opportunity. One got five talents, one got two and the third got only one. 

In the west, and particularly in America, our culture tells us that we can be anything that we want to be. All we have to do is put in the effort and never quit. This ethos is helpful in that it shakes off artificial norms and helps people be the best that they can be at their chosen calling.

But, that same ethos can lead to frustration when there is a gap between what we desire and what we are able to achieve. Not everyone can achieve all of their cherished goals in life.

In our parable, it was the master who determined how the resources were doled out. The three servants didn’t get the opportunity to help in the decision making process. The servants were not pitching ideas as to how the resources were to be allocated.

I find encouragement in this. There are things that I would like to do but are prevented from doing for one reason or another. This does not take the Master by surprise. The opportunities are under his control and not mine. 

Ramon Presson outlines three comparison traps that are “guaranteed to set us up for discontentment. They are:

1. What I have now vs what I should have
2. What I have now vs what I once had
3. What I have vs what others have

God is the one who controls our opportunities and resources like the master controlled how the talents got distributed. Things often don’t work out how we would like them to. It is when things don’t work out that we are susceptible to the comparison traps listed above.

The antidote to the comparison traps is to take comfort in the fact that if your dream remains beyond your reach, it is not a surprise to God. If you feel that your talent is being wasted, take it to God in prayer to see how he wants to work in you through the frustration. 

My experience is that God uses my circumstances to reveal to me how out of whack my priorities are. My frustration is usually due to pride or selfishness, neither of which are things that God will tolerate or support.

I am appalled and a good bit chagrined at the gap between what I believe and how I act.

For example, I readily acknowledge the theological truth that there is nothing good in me that caused God to choose me as one to be saved. I fully believe in the Reformation idea that salvation is by grace alone and is unconditional. In other words, I did nothing to deserve God’s favor.

But, when I am confronted with my own failures, I become defensive and bristle at the idea that I fall short of what I am trying to achieve. I am irritated when someone points out my flaws and failures.

I am flawed and fail frequently. I know this and acknowledge this. The question is, why then do I try to hide what I know to be true? .

My attitude and actions are more consistent with the belief that I can make myself better and that all that is lacking is sufficient effort to move toward perfection. This is not consistent with what I claim to believe.

The knowledge of my inability to earn God’s favor should free me up to be who I really am. I don’t have to strive to be something that I cannot be. I am certainly not fooling God and most probably not fooling anyone else either.

Oh, maybe that’s why the Psalmist tells me to “cease striving and know that I am God.”

While walking out of the temple, one of the disciples saw the buildings and said, “Teacher, look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” (Mark 13:1) The disciple was clearly impressed with the grandeur and seeming permanence of the architecture of the place.

Jesus’ response should be instructive. He correctly predicted that the temple would be destroyed. The destruction at the hands of the Roman army come some 40 years later.

I recently read these verses after reading a news story about the decline and possible bankruptcy of Sears, Roebuck and Company.

For baby boomers, Sears was an institution that no-one would have thought would ever fail. Seemingly every shopping mall had a Sears store in which just about anything that could be needed was available for purchase. How could they ever fail?

Similarly, in the Northeast US, where I live, there are many beautiful church buildings that are now museums, restaurants or art galleries. 

My initial reaction is sadness that the church could fail in these locations. But then I am reminded of two things.

First, the church is not a building or an organizational structure. The church is a gathering of people redeemed by our Savior. The local organization may fail, but the church lives on in the believers that take up the legacy.

The second thing I need to keep in mind is that Jesus has taken on the responsibility for the building of his church (see Matthew 16:18) and no-one will be able to stop what Jesus wants to do. As a church leader this is comforting, because even if I mess up as a leader, I cannot derail God’s plan for the church.

So whether it is a seemingly indestructible temple that falls or a seemingly perennial institution like Sears or a beautiful old church that goes away, we don’t have to have our confidence shaken. 

Jesus will build his church.