Taking something out of context can change its meaning.
Nowhere is this more evident today than in watching our political arena. So tiring. And often misleading.
The same is true of these parables I am writing about. (Not the tiring part.) Maybe I am just a dense student. You decide.
I've heard the Parable of the Talents my entire life. It was certainly one that was taught in the Sunday School and Primary classes of my youth. The message I understood was that the Lord expects us to use our talents or we will lose them. And I felt motivated to develop my personal talents, that my efforts would be pleasing to God.
So when I realized that Matthew 25 was a continuing conversation about the Second Coming and read the Parable of the Talents in that context, I was confused. What did this mean? What did it have to do with the Second Coming? I was stumped. It was not obvious to me.
So I began to ponder. What does it have to do with the Second Coming of the Savior?
And then it hit me. In LDS parlance, "This has to do with the hastening!" All that means is that this parable has to do with our part in building the Kingdom of God.
God expects His followers to assist in building and strengthening His Kingdom. And by doing so we are spiritually "built" and strengthened ourselves, a good way to accumulate some of that spiritual oil that was discussed in my blog about the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
I decided to study the word 'talent' in the scriptures. 'Gift' and 'responsibility' appear to be interchangeable with 'talent'. Sometimes using synonyms can help broaden understanding. I love reading scriptures with a dictionary at hand because it often helps increase my understanding.
To keep this post to a reasonable length I will just share a couple of thoughts that came from this talent-study. Stay with me a minute.
The Gospel of Luke was enlightening. Gospel writers tell the same stories from their own perspectives. Luke calls his story the Parable of the Pounds in Luke 19. It has the same scenario. A nobleman calls his servants and delivers to each different amounts of his wealth and then expects an accounting upon his return. The words used in this narrative caught my attention, first in bewilderment. The nobleman says to his servants, "Occupy till I come." What's that suppose to mean? A footnote explains. It means, "Do business till I come."
Next, from LDS scripture, D&C 35:27 "Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly." (The emphasis is mine.)
And, "Therefore seek ye to bring forth the kingdom of God..." This is the Joseph Smith translation of Luke 12:31. (To see the JST version on this link, look for Show Footnotes.)
Combine these thoughts and you find that the Master has given His Kingdom to His servants to manage or bear responsible for until He comes again, with the injunction to "Do business till I come" or to "...seek...to bring forth the kingdom of God". Both parables give this message.
So, in the context of preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior which is the context of Matthew 25, how do we do that? How do we each go about His business and seek to establish His Kingdom?
That will be different for each of us since we have different talents and responsibilities. But have you asked yourself, "What can I do to help build and strengthen God's Kingdom here on the earth? What can I do to help prepare for His Coming?
Can we make it our personal responsibility instead of a church responsibility or a general Christian responsibility? What will doing the Lord's business look like in your world?
Who can I strengthen today? Who needs my love? Who needs kindness? Can I help to strengthen faith that is waning? Where am I spending my precious time? "Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known." Do we need to retire a few less-worthy pursuits in order to "Do business till I come?"
These are just some of the questions I have asked myself as I have put this parable back into context. Developing talents is a good message but the context of the message is preparing for our Savior's return.
"...may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come..." Love that prayer!
What is your part to play?
D&C 18: 15-16 My part begins with me. http://www.ripplemaker.com/pebbles.htm
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your poem, Drop A Pebble In The Water. So very true and so very well said. Thanks for sharing that link. I enjoyed it.
DeleteI have sometimes struggled to know just where my part is. But I've had some experiences in the past few years that have given me a better sense of self and mission. I can't change the world but I can make a little difference in my own little orbit.
I love this post and your spiritual insights. I taught at a Stake Activity Day a couple months ago about developing our strengths and used this parable. After reviewing the parable I asked the girls "Whose talents were they? Who did they belong to?" We then discussed the fact that they belonged to the master, to the Lord. All that the Lord gives us is to be used in His work, in building the kingdom. I also pointed out the fact that the one who was given 2 talents worked just as hard as the one given 5. But, after all his hard work he still had less the the one with 5 had to begin with. I told the girls,don't compare yourself with anyone else. We each have our work to do in the Lord's plan. If we are faithful with what we are given then the blessing is the same, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things, i will make thee ruler over many."
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