This Just In: Stewardship

Up Front Apology: This one’s long, but most of it is a speech from May. Some of you heard this in person, but others have not. For those with an aversion to reading, *cough cough Nathan*, here's the Youtube link: http://youtu.be/IXp3x7VMus4

So I’ve got to interrupt the Paradox of the Week for a more pressing concern. For my birthday, my girlfriend, Desiree, gave me the book, The Hole In Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision U.S. This book has been weighing on me over the past few days, specifically reminding me of the duty that we as Christians have to the poor, the widow and the orphan. This admonition is one of those things that is unavoidable when you read the Bible in almost any capacity. It pervades Israel’s history. It pervades the prophetic literature. It pervades the wisdom literature. It pervades the teachings of Jesus. It pervades the teaching of Paul.* Needless to say, this was convicting to me. To make the situation even worse, I re-read my own words from the graduation speech I gave to the Black Senior Alliance at WashU. Reading this book reminds me to practice what I preach. I’ve attached a slightly edited transcript of my remarks. I pray that the Lord pricks all of us with an unfailing love for His people, wherever they are. While these remarks specifically touch on the enormous blessing and gift of education, in principle, it applies to financial blessing as well.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable that we now refer to as the Parable of the Talents. At the end of this parable, he says this: “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.” Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, “Outliers”, uses this verse to outline his view of success by using a sociologist’s interpretation of this verse, yielding what he calls “The Matthew Effect”. According to him, this verse means, very plainly, that the rich get richer and the poor will get poorer. He turns this verse into the fatalistic notion that successful people get and are given more opportunities, thus they are successful, while others, who have been given little, are destined to lose what they have. Thus the cycle is inevitable. Such an interpretation is patently false and ignorant of the parable’s content and context. Allow me to show why.

In this parable, Jesus tells of a master who gives his three servants five talents, two talents, and one talent, respectively. It’s from this parable that we get the meaning of our English word, “talent” meaning skill or ability. But in the time of the New Testament, it was a measure of currency, amounting to about 20 years of wages for a laborer. So needless to say, it was a ridiculous amount of money. The one with five goes out, trades and makes five more talents, The one who had two also went out and traded and made two more. But the one with one dug a hole in the ground and buried his. Upon the master’s return, the two who invested their talents were rewarded. But the one who buried his is rebuked as wicked and slothful and his little was taken away and given to the one with much. A plain reading of this text yields a different conclusion than that of Gladwell and his sociologist buddy. This is not a message of fatalism but rather a message of the importance of stewardship. In looking at this parable, the master says the exact same thing to both the servant with five talents and the servant with two talents. To both, he says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much.” Such a fact suggests that they are rewarded equally. The one who buried his talent, however, is rebuked and stripped of his blessing. It is this parable that I want us to keep in mind as we move on, fellow graduates. What we have received at this university is equivalent in worth to a New Testament talent: a world-class education. Our responsibility is the same as the servants in this first-century parable. We must invest these talents, these skills, this knowledge, this awareness that we have gained after four years at this school. To go out and not make this world a better place would be the equivalent of burying our “talent” and we run the risk of losing what we have. This can be done in every atmosphere you are going into. Some are going to be home for a few yea- months. Enjoy that time of transition (though parents will probably encourage you not to enjoy it too much)! Use that time to strengthen your personal resume before starting a life on your own.  Going onto graduate school? Buck the stereotype that graduate students spend all of their time alone mulling over their work. Enjoy the material! Enjoy the people you’re studying with! Going into the workforce? Don’t focus exclusively on your own success. Give yourself time to build relationships with your co-workers and neighbors. As a finance major, I gained a little bit of insight into the nature and atmosphere of that industry and I know that such a suggestion can seem daunting, but ultimately, money can be fleeting and your relationships with people can last a lifetime if you cultivate them. Remember, the ultimate test of your worth is not how much you’ve done, but rather whether or not you stewarded well what you were given. Stop comparing yourselves to those around you. That’s a game that you are destined to lose.

To the parents, continue to encourage your children. They will scatter but they will still need your love and support in their endeavors. I can only speak from personal experience and the patience, discipline and virtue of my dynamic duo parents are a standard that I will hold myself to and hopefully look to exceed. Thanks, parents. You have been and will continually be integral to my growth.

To all, remember this: “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” At first glance, this seems redundant, right? Ok, so if someone gives you a lot, you should give back, right? If we leave the lesson at that, we miss the richness of the admonition and we acknowledge a weak perception of our own blessings. I encourage you all to look at the education that you have received at this university (and beyond that, the life that you’ve been given) through this lens. What you have received over the course of the last 4 (or so) years by means of instruction, exhortation, friendship, encouragement, and hilarious foolishness is not merely yours to use for your own advancement. You have been given much, and of you, much is required. Not strongly encouraged. Required. But you have also been entrusted with much. This was not a thoughtless gift. Your parents, community, and teachers have entrusted you with, first and foremost, wisdom. Your education is not a gift to be hidden, but rather a lamp to be shone and a garden to be cultivated. People will ask much of you and I encourage you all to oblige. You’re all in my prayers. God bless you.

*When Paul talks about being a cheerful giver, he’s speaking to the Corinthian church, a relatively well-off church, and telling them to help support economically depressed churches. Throughout the entirety of Scripture, we are called to support the poor, the orphan, and the widow.