The Parable of the Talents: Which One Am I?

In the past few months, I released Radical Stewardship, a book that I’ve been working on for a couple of years. But really, I’ve been working on it for decades.

I’m convinced that most Christians have some paradigm for stewardship. Thanks to fundraising pushes from nonprofits, building campaigns, Christmas offerings from mission organizations, and more, followers of Christ usually have some idea of what stewardship is. But let me offer a few additional ideas:

We don’t think deeply or widely enough when it comes to stewardship.

When we think of stewardship as an act, we’re not looking deeply enough at ourselves. And when we think of stewardship as a financial category, we’re not thinking widely enough.

The book is called Radical Stewardship, and it uses the Parable of the Talents, Jesus’ story about an owner who gives some of his assets to three of his employees (stewards) for a season, as a framework for thinking about stewardship. You can check out the parable for yourself here, but the short version is that, when the owner returns from his trip, he applauds the first two employees for their actions with his resources while he was gone and rebukes the third.

It’s a really compelling story that invites some self-examination—from Jesus’ listeners two thousand years ago and from readers in the modern world today. It’s natural to read it and ask the question, “Which one of the three am I?” Which leads me to the second big thought:

Many people think they’re one of the first two stewards but are actually the third.

Remember the term “practical atheist”? It refers to people who verbalize belief in God, but in their daily lives, the reality of God has no impact on their decision-making. This shows up big time in the area of stewardship. We have a cognitive belief in God, in Someone who is the source behind everything we have (money, relationships, skills, influence, opportunities, etc.), but we live like the third steward, hiding and protecting our stuff. 

I, too, am so often guilty of this. I want to think of myself as steward No. 1 or No. 2, wisely using what I have. But my motive and the outcomes depict a different steward.  

In the book, I summarize the owner’s response to the three servants in order this way:

• “Well done, here’s more.”
• “Well done.”
• “You’re done.”

Why do the first two get applauded and rewarded? If you read the story, your first response is probably that they get rewarded because they doubled their investment. “I started with five, and now I have ten.” Or “I started with two, and now I have four.”

At first glance, it feels like the owner’s praise is tied to success. But I don’t think that’s primarily it. I think (and this is the third big idea):

The praise is earned because they operated like the master.

They weren’t so much commanded to be successful as they were supposed to emulate the master. The idea from the owner/master was, “I’m gone for a while. I’m leaving you with my resources in my place. Do the things I would do—act like me.”

God is a God of generosity, a God of creating order out of chaos, a God of creativity, a God of using things for the good and healing and wholeness of others and of the world. So, when he gives things to his people (his image-bearers), we’re supposed to use them for the same.

The book is built around a four-part framework for understanding and living out stewardship: 1) Recognizing and being satisfied with what the Master has put in your bag; 2) Transferring ownership of your “stuff” back to the Master; 3) Multiplying and growing your assets and gifts; and 4) Answering back to the Master who invites you into his joy.

None of that demands success on my part or guarantees I won’t experience failure. And all of it carries with it some stretching—I’ve got to loosen my grip and let go of some control, I’ve got to fight for some contentment when I might yearn for more or different, I’ve got to use what I have and try for more when I might rather play it safe. It’s hard sometimes.

But it’s good. We’ve got a good and giving Master. And we get to look like him. 

If you’re interested, check out Radical Stewardship. It’s available here. Shoot me an email after you read it. I’d love to know what you think.