33rd Sunday: Risk and Reward

I recently watched a movie “The Big Short” about the economic melt-down in 2007. The blame for the economic collapse was laid at the feet of speculators who created investments that had no real value. When the default rate on packages of poor mortgages reached the tipping point, our economy went into severe decline. Jobs were lost, houses were lost, businesses collapsed all because of the greed of some who were unworthy of the trust that they held. It wasn’t just business leaders who caused the debacle, it was the employees and government regulators that cooperated by putting profits ahead of the common good. In the end, the ones who profited the most, were the ones who were willing to risk it all. That doesn’t mean that we should admire them. But the Lord teaches that we should learn from them.
 
Business has become an easy target, just like government and religion, for social complaints. The reality is that these institutions are responsible for so much good in our society that it ill-serves us all if they fail. We should remember how important it is that we cooperate with each other for the common good of our community. In our economy as in the spiritual life, prudence and risk are in tension.
 
The Parable of the Talents
Jesus parable about the talents is all about greed. In the parable a boastful, wealthy man leaves for a ‘long time.’ As the story goes, he is a ‘demanding man’ who ‘reaps where he does not plant.’ He gives five talents to one man, two to another and one to a third. One talent is one year’s salary in the ancient world, a vast sum. The first two invest wisely and show a return for the master upon his arrival. The third buries the talent in the ground because he is afraid of the master. The two who invested wisely are rewarded, but the third is cast into the outer darkness. The third servant’s excuse is important. He was afraid of losing, so he did not invest. This is not a story about who God is, but it is a parable about big risk, big reward. To paraphrase the great quarterback, Ken ‘the Snake’ Stabler, God rewards those who throw deep.
 
Big Risk, Big Reward
Jesus often holds the unscrupulous out as an example to the rest of us. He likes to point out that if we put half as much energy into following him as the greedy do in making an extra buck, we would all be saints right now. Early Christians were asked to take a big risk by following Christ. The early church was asked to turn its back on the idol worship in their community and worship the God of Israel only. When a Christian convert was asked to refuse worship to the local gods and give that worship only to one God, it set them apart from the rest of the community. Much of the persecution that St. Paul suffered was motivated by his intentional undermining of the gods of the local community. In the eyes of the citizenry, worship was owed to the local gods, otherwise they would lose jobs, or face plagues or any number of fears.
 
The early Christian took a big risk by converting because they offended the cultural gods. If you are paying attention to the meltdown concerning sexual abuse in Hollywood and Washington, you will note that our local gods also require worship. On the New York Times website this morning a young gymnast correctly remarked that just because a woman dresses in a revealing way doesn’t mean that she should be sexually abused. Another young gymnast said that women should dress modestly. She was forced to apologize for that remark. Our local gods require worship.
 
Prudence and Industry
The first reading is not about risk, it is about prudence. Proverbs praises a woman for her skill and business sense. She works wool and flax and reaches out to the needy. Proverbs tells the young person that beauty is “fleeting”, but “when one finds a worthy wife, her value is beyond pearls.” In short, marriage and a good life is much more than sitting around and looking pretty. Wisdom is found in recognizing talents that are well used in both women and men. All of this is reminds us of the value of life and our accountability for how we use our gifts for our community and for our own benefit. The gifts that God has given us are to be used wisely and for increase, especially for the good of others.
 
Business has done so much for the well-being and prosperity of everyone here this morning. The wealth generated by useful commercial enterprises supports government, education and the non-profit world, including the church. Our community can be a stable place to raise a family and enjoy the goods of life if everyone cooperates with the sense of the common good. What the movie, “The Big Short” points out is that the financial world is very important to our well-being. But, when profit becomes the local god requiring worship, the effects are disastrous.  
 
Prudence and Risk: A paradox
The scriptures present a paradox. On the one hand we should be prudent in how we use our talent, especially for the good of others in creating employment, helping the needy or being good employees. Still, the parable tells us that God rewards the bold and in doing so we may offend the local gods. For the two that risked it all, they received rewards. For the one that played it close to the vest, he lost it all. Prudence and risk are two attitudes in life that exist in tension. We need to be prudent, but we will never succeed big unless we are prepared to throw deep.