The Risky Business of Following Jesus ~ Matthew 25:14-30

About two years ago, an unassuming woman by the name of Susan Boyle shocked the world when she stepped onto the stage to audition for the TV show Britain’s Got Talent.

With her ragged appearance and awkward personality, everyone expected her to be laughed off the stage.

But as soon as she opened her mouth to sing, she became a worldwide sensation.  Her first album became one of the fastest-selling records of all time.  Even today, her fame hasn’t subsided.

As amazing as her talent is, it took more than just raw talent for her to be so successful.  She had to take risks—huge risks—to make it to where she is today.

She didn’t know what the outcome was going to be.  She didn’t know how the world was going to receive her.  And with little experience performing in front of an audience, she couldn’t have known how she was going to handle the pressure.  She risked being humiliated and disgraced with the whole world watching.  Without that risk, her talent would have remained in obscurity; hidden away and buried… 

But taking that risk made all the difference for Susan Boyle…

Risk is certainly what makes all the difference for the three servants in today’s parable.

In the parable, a master hands over incredible amounts of wealth to three of his servants. 

The first two servants immediately get to work and they double their money.  But the third takes the money and buries it away for safekeeping. 

Now with today’s economy being what it is, that doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.  You’d probably be better off to stash your money away under your mattress than invest it in the stock market.

But the trouble here is that the master handed his money over to the servants because he believed all three were capable of putting that money to work and making it grow.  The third servant was no exception—but he was too afraid to take any risks to make it happen. 

When nothing is ventured, nothing is gained… 

So when the master returns, he’s not happy with the play-it-safe servant…  He takes his wealth and gives it to the servant with the greatest wealth—and throws him into the outer darkness…

As we consider this parable, we shouldn’t hear it as a description of what God is like or how God will treat us.  This is a parable about living as disciples under the reign of God.

Like the servants in the parable, God has given us great treasure; in fact, the greatest treasure in the universe—that is Jesus Christ. And when much is given, much is expected.  God expects us from us a daily commitment to live as disciples. 

·         We must love God above all else;

·         We must love our neighbors as ourselves. 

·         We must pray, study Scripture, and gather for worship

·         We must help those in need and share our faith. 

The trouble is that when we do God’s work, we have no guarantee that things are going to turn out the way we hope…  There is risk…

Loving others doesn’t mean that they will love us back…  People may not want to hear our testimony about Jesus; they may reject our invitations to come with us to church; our gifts and our good deeds may not be appreciated…

There is risk that comes by putting Christ first in our lives.  Even as we’re committed to Jesus Christ, we have other commitments, too….  We have our careers and our schooling; our families, and our own personal interests.  So often, we fail to do those things that matter most to God—because we’re afraid of depriving ourselves of the time and energy and resources we need to live a good life. 

Ultimately, following Jesus will mean taking risks—because we cannot be faithful disciples unless we follow Jesus out of our comfort zones.  We can’t always play it safe and expect to grow in our relationship to Jesus Christ.  We must do those things that make us uncomfortable; we must be prepared to venture out into unfamiliar territory where we do not know what to say or what to do or what will happen—because it is only then that we will experience the amazing grace of God.  We don’t need God to do what is easy and familiar.  We’re fine on our own.

Outside of our comfort zones, anything goes—and we have no choice but to trust the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  For when we are at are weakest, God is strongest.  And when we take risks and go out of our comfort zone, God is in a position for God to amaze us.  Our witness to Christ’s love will be at its strongest.  It is only by getting out of the boat that we will walk on water; that we will do and experience things we never thought possible.  It is there that we experience Jesus Christ as a true treasure. 

We are very much accustomed to an economy of scarcity.  With every risk there’s the possibility of failure; and with failure, we lose something that we cannot get back.  In an economy of scarcity, there’s usually never enough time and money and resources to go around…

But as disciples, we live in an economy of grace.  When we take risks for Jesus’ sake, things may not turn out the way we hope—but nothing we do for Jesus is ever a failure.  In the economy of grace, our failures are milestones of growth.  Very often, it is in failure that we come to a better understanding of God’s will.  God can take even our failures and do things greater than we can ever imagine.  

In the economy of grace, your gift of love may just be the turning point in a person’s life, even though that person didn’t appreciate your gift when you gave it…

Your personal testimony of Jesus Christ may just be the turning point in that person’s coming to faith, even though that person rejected your testimony and called you stupid for believing in God…

A new ministry of our congregation that ends in failure may just be one step towards a new ministry through which God will grow us in faith and numbers, and the love of Christ will shine forth into this community…

And in the economy of grace, we can be generous with the confident expectation that God will provide abundantly for all our needs—even in times of scarcity.  When we risk being generous, we see God’s hand providing.  When we don’t take that risk, all we see is scarcity.  There’s never enough…

When nothing is ventured, nothing is gained.  If we as a congregation and as disciples do not take risks, we will not grow.  For it is only by going out of the comfort zone, taking risks, trying new things, venturing out into the unfamiliar, that we will experience God’s amazing grace. 

There is nothing to fear when taking risks as disciples.  We can take risks to do what matters to God.  God can use us to do things greater than we would have ever thought possible.  God will guide us every step of the way, and provide all that we need to live according to God’s will. 

And ultimately, it is in taking risks that we enter into the joy of our master in daily life—a foretaste of the eternal joy that is to come.

You have been given the greatest treasure of the universe.  And with that treasure, you can do amazing things by the grace of God.  You can experience the treasure that is Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection.  You can take risks with the confidence that God is at work in you.  And above all, you can live a life that is free of fear, because Christ is with you every step of the way.