Everyone is "IN" before Anyone is "OUT"

Matthew 25:14-30

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. At once the one who had received the five talents went off and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What I just read is called a “Parable of Judgement”.  

They’re called that because they all end with someone weeping and gnashing their teeth in outer darkness.  

It’s because these parables end that way, that people are forever reading into them a “you better get right with Jesus or he’ll send you to hell” kind of message.  

But if we can set aside that kind of theological malpractice, there is really Good News in these so-called Parables of Judgement.   

The first bit of Good News is that everyone is “IN” before anyone is “OUT”.  

“IN” is where every character, in every parable of judgement begins.  

Why?  Because “IN” is where God created each of us to be!  God’s preferred place for all of creation is “IN”… not out!  

That is Good News. 

The next thing to notice is that in each of the Parables of Judgement there is a time where the main character is absent, 

BUT… they all show up again eventually!  

There’s the king who had not yet come down to his guests, 

There’s a bridegroom who hadn’t yet arrived at the reception, 

and there’s an investment banker who goes on a trip.  

There are times, this parable seems to be telling us, when God feels absent, but as Maya Angelou reminds us, “every storm runs out of rain” and we will once again feel God with us again. 

That too is Good News.

The third thing to notice is that in each parable of judgement there is either a culturally understood WAY that folks are supposed to wait for the main character to return, OR 

there are explicit instructions given for waiting.  

At the King’s son’s wedding, the culturally understood way to wait is in the proper attire.  

With the bridesmaids, it is having sufficient oil for their lamps.  

And in today’s parable, each slave is told explicitly, that they are to do with the Master’s money while she is away, what the Master herself does with her money when she is at home.   

So to recap:  

Everyone starts “IN” before anyone is “OUT”.  

There are times when the Big Cheese feels physically absent, BUT, 

there are either culturally understood, OR explicitly told, ways we’ve been given to wait for the Grand Fromage to return, 

AND the Queso Grande always returns!  

Good News so far?  Right?  Good!

Now, in today’s parable two slaves took the Master at her Word and waited for her by living the way she told them to live, and it was living that way that lead both of them “Into the Joy of their Master.” 

The third slave did not take her at her word or wait as he was instructed to wait.  He believed she was lying to him.  So he chose to wait his own way, live his own way, and in so doing he buried himself in the same kind of darkness in which he buried the coin.  

So!  What does all this mean?  

It means that:  You and I… begin this life “IN” as far as God is concerned.  Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, was in part, meant to make our “IN” status with God abundantly clear to us!  There is nothing… not even death itself… that will put us “OUT”.  

It means that You and I… we live in a time where it sometimes feels like our Master (that’s Jesus by the way) has not yet come down to the royal feast, or has been delayed arriving at the wedding reception, or is on a multi-millennial long business trip.  

BUT… You and I have been told HOW we are to wait and that means we don’t have to guess!   

You and I are meant to wait like the prophet Micah says, “You know, O mortal” how to wait.  Wait by doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.  

It means You and I are meant to wait like Jesus himself told us to wait.  

We are to wait caring for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.  

We are to wait healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked.  

We are to wait by being peacemakers, being merciful, and being pure of heart.  

We are to wait forgiving others, not just seven times, but 70 times 7 times.  

We are to wait, loving God and loving neighbor.  

And remember…  Jesus has told us how to wait, NOT so that he can send us to hell when we don’t, but because Jesus knows that when we wait the Jesus Way we experience a

joyful,                    abundant,                 and meaning-filled life!  

We are told to wait the Jesus way, not because God will GET US if we don’t, but because waiting the Jesus Way is THE Way to get God’s eternal party started… right now, even while we wait!  

There’s one last thing we need to notice about these Parables of Judgement and that is, while it IS God’s preference that everyone be “IN" the party, 

God does not MAKE anyone party against their will.  

If anyone wants to wait another way, as the third slave wanted, God will not stop anybody from dragging their grumpy butts out of God’s eternal party to have a good, long, snot-filled cry in the outer darkness, if that is what they really want.  

And while this last bit isn’t explicitly in the text, I very much suspect, that for those who choose a dark and snot-filled waiting, God will perpetually crack the door open to see if they’ve had enough weeping and gnashing AND REMIND THEM, that when they are done with all the tears, and all the snot, and all the darkness, they are still very welcome “IN” at the party.  

Because after all, “IN” is where God created all of us to be…

and “IN” is where God has decided each of us truly belongs.  Amen.