The Third Slave by April Alford-Harkey, M.Div.

Posted on 11/16/2014

April Alford-Harkey, M.Div.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Hartford, CT
November 16, 2014
Year A Proper 28

When I read the gospel for this morning, my first thought was, “You have to be kidding me. I’m going to find the good news in a parable about a harsh master who reaps where he doesn’t sow, a wicked and lazy slave, and weeping and gnashing of teeth? Really…Of all the days for a gospel like this to be read!” Once I gained my composure – or should I say once I stopped weeping and gnashing my teeth – I got to work. I remembered that one of my seminary professors had told us to find ourselves in the text… to find who we most identified with. I didn’t find any good news in that either, when I realized who I identified with the most. The not so good news was… I was the third slave in the narrative. Let me tell you how I came to this realization.

The parable of the talents is about a man who is going on a long journey. He entrusts part of his enormous wealth to three of his slaves. One source estimated a single talent was equal to thirty thousand dollars. That means the master gave the first slave one hundred fifty thousand dollars, the second slave received sixty thousand dollars and the third slave thirty thousand dollars. The first two slaves invested the money and made a profit. The third slave buried the money. When the master returns the first and second slave report they have made him a profit. The master is so pleased he calls the two slaves good and trustworthy. The third slave tells the master that he buried the money he was given. He tells the master he was afraid of him. He was afraid because the master was a mean, harsh man. The master calls the third slave wicked and lazy and chastises him for not making a profit. The master then has the third slave thrown into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. So… you could imagine why I was not excited to see myself as the third slave.

The first two slaves risked their position and power to try to make a profit for the master. Fortunately for them, their financial risks paid off. The slaves made money for their master, a man known for not having the best business practices. But the third slave also risked position and power by not multiplying the master’s money. Did the third slave’s actions warrant being thrown into outer darkness? And why would the third slave bury the money, knowing he would be punished for protecting the money and himself?

The hearers of Matthew’s gospel would have understood why the third slave buried the money. By burying the money the slave was not responsible for it being lost in a business transaction. It was a known fact that putting money in the ground was a safer bet than investing it. In addition, investing the money meant that the third slave would be participating in a corrupt system. The unethical financial practices in Matthew’s time left the poor powerless and vulnerable to the greedy.

The third slave’s story is much bigger than burying the master’s money. The third slave actually calls his master out. He tells the master he didn’t want to make money for him because of his unjust practices. The slave refused to participate in the corrupt oppressive system of the master where money and profits were made off the backs of the poor who were vulnerable and defenseless. The listeners would have seen the third slave as a hero and a whistle blower according to biblical scholar William Herzog. The third slave spoke his truth, knowing he would be cast out, losing his status and income… He was willing to become poor.

Nowhere in the Bible do we hear Jesus say, “Make all the money you want no matter how much you exploit others.” The parable of the talents exemplifies Jesus’ ministry. The third slave flips the paradigm upside down. Just like Jesus the third slave challenged the system that oppressed others. What if the third slave illustrates for us how we can be in the world? How we might behave while we await Jesus’ return?

The good news is that none of us needs to participate in the marginalization of others for self-gain. We have the choice to speak up when we see injustice. The third slave shows us another way of being.

Today we recognize the young people in the Rite-13 formation class with a rite of passage ceremony. Today we begin to see these young people as adults in the church. Moving into adulthood is more than a number for them. It is about maturing into a person who is able to make wiser decisions for yourself: decisions about relationships, friends, family and the world you live in. You can choose to be a person who speaks out and questions the status quo. This is a time to cultivate who you are in the world. What if as a community we continue to empower these young people who are celebrating adulthood? We can let them know that, if they choose, it is okay to be like the third slave in our gospel reading.

Let us pray: “Merciful God resisting the iron fist that which reaps where it did not sow: give us courage to accept your faith in us and compassion to stand with all who are cast aside; through Jesus Christ, who became nothing that we might have everything. Amen.” [i]