Risk

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.  But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. -- Matthew 25:29

Consider the KJV which skips the implied “more” -- For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance ….  That sounds strange to us because the verbs “give” and “have” usually involve possession and transaction.  We may have something in our hearts or give love.  It isn’t necessarily visible or tangible, but it is something. 

We might conclude from the text that there really are two kinds of people in the world:  the havers and not-havers -- a little different from the Haves and the Have-nots.  Not-havers are people who are not having any of this God-stuff, though they may be Haves in terms of wealth and prestige.  In fact, I would guess that not-havers are over-represented percentage-wise among the Haves.  Havers may have wealth and material possessions, even in abundance, but they will be tend to be counted among the Have-nots by the world. 

It’s kind of like weeds and wheat, and we don’t really know which is which.  We should be careful of judging too early:

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down.  Why should it use up the ground?’  And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure.  Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” (Luke 13:6-9)

Some of us are just late in revealing whether we have or do not have.  Some, like the fig tree Jesus cursed, look good early but are shown to be fruitless in the end.  It may be that our environment hinders us, or we could be genetically inclined to late-bearing.  I am no Calvinist, but we can’t dismiss determinism by arguing that people change.  This is what Jesus means when He said, “Judge not.”  If a woman is getting paid for sex, she is a whore.  If a man sticks a gun in my face and takes my wallet, he’s a thief – or from the government.  Jesus doesn’t have any problem with us saying that a present action is right or wrong.  He is telling us that we don’t know yet if the whore and the thief are havers or not-havers.  In fact, it may be our condemnation of their behavior which provides the necessary cultivation for them to blossom and bear good fruit. 

I am a one-talent man.  What I have is pretty basic.  I have a life God gave me.  I don’t have any gifts, any artistic or musical ability.  I’m not called to any ministry.  I am remarkably average.  The danger for a guy like me is that I would think what little I have is not worth investing for the kingdom.  It doesn’t matter.  I can sit here on the pew or in front of the television, and it is no big deal one way or the other. 

But I will give account to God for how I spent – that’s right, spent my life.  What did I gain?  Did I take a risk for the kingdom or did I hide my insignificant existence, keeping it wrapped up, clean and sterile, in a diaper somewhere?  Maybe I buried it – which is very different from sowing it.  There are people calling themselves Christians, living lukewarm lives, standing before the judgment and saying, “Here’s the life that You gave me, Lord -- just like it was.  I didn’t mess it up or lose it or even get it very dirty.  You can have back what is Yours.” 

I believe I would rather be on my knees crying, “Lord, have mercy on me.  I didn’t have much to work with, and I wasn’t smart enough or strong enough to do much with it.  I have nothing to show for the talent – the life You gave me.  I traded it for seed that I planted, but whether it will grow or not, I do not know.”