Wednesday, February 10, 2021

 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’” (The Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25: 26 -30, The Message Bible)

                 You have been chopped!

                Those are the words that none of the four, young professional chefs want to hear about the dishes they have prepared for judging.

The Food Network show is called, not surprisingly, Chopped. There are three rounds:  appetizers, main entrée and dessert. For each round, each competitor is given a basket holding four or five ingredients which they must use in their dish. They can add any other ingredients of their choosing but the judges had better taste the basket ingredients – or else. Usually there is always one outlier in those ingredients; something from out of left field like pickled jelly beans or something weird like that. They are given a time limit to prepare, cook and present their dishes to three culinary celebrities chefs for their judgment, chefs like Martha Stewart. Those judges can be very critical and particular in their critiques.

After each round, one chef gets chopped. He or she is eliminated from the competition. A young, talented chef has his or her dish exposed as being not up to snuff. No excuses, no second chances. The cover is dramatically taken away from the offending dish and we, the viewers, watch the losing chef’s face as their pride and ego take an embarrassing hit. Most of them are gracious in losing. But you can usually see it in their eyes that being chopped has hurt.

Thank goodness life is not like that!

Oh, wait -  Jesus’ parable about the use of talents or lack thereof jabs us in the eye, stabs us in the soul,  takes aim at our actions. Dang it!

Two of the competitors in the parable take the master’s money and using their abilities, their smarts, their acumen, they doubled their boss’s investment. Pretty impressive.  But the third servant, taking no chances, simply digs a hole and buries the money safely away.

Guess who gets chopped?  “And get rid of this ‘play-it-safe’ who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.”

Why did the third servant do “less than the least”? Why did he give far less than his best effort? Why did he not in some way to take what he had been given and increase its benefit and use?

Why do we do less than the least? It is a worthy question for any of us to ask ourselves. Why do you or I cop out when there is some profitable enterprise, especially in the name of our Master, to be done? Some task that would benefit and enrich the day in which we live.  Some investment of our time, talents and treasures that might uplift, encourage and shape the day in which we live. Using our assets, abilities and capabilities to make a small but mighty difference in the day in which we live.   

There are three significant parables in Matthew 25. All three have  in common the message about the risks of neglecting to "take care of business” in active discipleship which is expected and commanded of us by the Master. Lazy and careless bridesmaids are shut out of the wedding. Chopped! A weak servant is cast into darkness. Chopped!  Followers fail to see Jesus in the needs of others and face “eternal punishment.” Chopped!

Now a loving, kind, gracious, understanding, tolerant God wouldn’t do that to you or me, would he?

Who does he think he is? Martha Stewart?

Dale