Preparing to take a long trip causes people to do things they likely wouldn’t pay much attention to otherwise. It usually begins with planning: a destination, a method of travel, accommodations, finances, activities, a departure date and a return date. Some check their insurance, update their wills, arrange care of their property and make sure the bills have been or will be paid. The longer the trip, the more planning is needed.
A well-planned trip is not a guarantee that everything will be perfect – there always seem to be surprises, some good and some disappointing. Just like life… there is no guarantee that everything will go as we had imagined, despite our best planning. But there are moments that make it all worthwhile.
I’ve been thinking about the story of a man who was planning a long trip. He entrusted his property to people he employed according to their special abilities. After a long time he returned, expecting a report on the state of his property.
We had the privilege of being taught by Rev. Sunder Krishnan several years ago. He talked about the ways our location and environment affects the way we understand the Scriptures. I recall reading a Psalm in a church setting and then being told to go outside to a green space under the trees away from buildings and to reread the same Psalm. I quickly realized that different things stood out to me from that Psalm. The words had not changed, I had not changed, but my location had changed – and this helped me to see and understand something more than I had seen in my first location.
The story of the man who went on a long trip is recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. It tells us what the Kingdom of heaven is like. Although our Master (Jesus) has gone away in the sense that He is no longer visible among us, He left us with His property and we are to take care of it and to multiply it to return to Him when He returns. I think that we have often thought that the talents that were left with the servants were token amounts out of the master’s wealth, and that leaving the talents was just a test of the faithfulness of the servants. However, I wonder whether the talents represented all that the master was leaving behind and that they must be properly invested to produce an increase.
It seems to me that our faithfulness as servants of the King is far more important than we ever realize. He promises to help us and give us the resources we need to multiply the talents, but He has left the talents with us – not just as servants, but as His children.
From the perspective of a traveler, I see this parable in a much different light.