TURNING LIFE UPSIDE DOWN #8

Risk It All!

She was known as the richest woman in the world. She was also known as the Witch Of Wall Street. And she’s best known for her miserly ways.

Hetty Green was born into a wealthy family in 1834, and she became interested in money very early in life. It’s said that when she was six years old she would read the financial newspapers to her father every day.

And her interest in money went far beyond just reading about it. She liked to collect it too. But she didn’t like to spend it. In fact, her miserliness has become legendary. When her son Ned injured his leg in a sledding accident, Hetty tried to have him treated at a charity hospital for free. When she found out she would have to pay a fee if Ned stayed in the hospital, she took him home and tried to treat him there. But apparently she wasn’t as good at saving legs as she was at saving pennies, because gangrene set in and Ned’s leg had to be amputated.

In later years, Hetty would go to her bank in New York City every day to check on her money. That’s when she got the moniker “Witch Of Wall Street,” because she always wore the same old black dress, hat, and cloak. When the long dress became dirty, it’s said that she would take it to the laundry and ask that—in order to save money—only the bottom half be washed, since that was the part that was the dirtiest.

If you go on the Internet to a web site called hettygreen.com, you’ll find this slogan: “The money gave Hetty great comfort, to have spent it would have caused great pain.”

But you have to wonder, don’t you, how much true joy Hetty found in all her wealth. Even though she was the only woman included in American Heritage’s list of the 40 wealthiest Americans in history, I still wonder: Did Hetty really enjoy having all that money?

Well, perhaps so, but think how much more joy she could have had if she had been willing to share it and invest it in other people’s lives. Fortunately, her two children were much more generous than she was. Many charitable organizations have benefited from their generosity.

When I read [red] about Hetty and her hoard of money, it reminded me of one of Aesop’s fables. The old Greek storyteller told of a miser who sold all his property and bought a mass of gold, which he buried in a secret place. Concerned for the safety of the gold, the miser would make regular trips to check on it. Of course some thieves soon noticed, followed him, and dug up his treasure and hauled it away. When the miser returned and discovered his loss, he wailed and tore out his hair in a frenzy of grief. Someone who saw him agonizing, after learning the cause, said to him, “Don’t grieve, my friend, just take a stone and bury it in the same place and think of it as gold in the vault. Even when the gold was there, you made no use of it.”

Kind of reminds you of part of the parable we are studying today, doesn’t it? The story, found in Matthew 25, of the man who went away on a long journey and left his assets in the care of three of his slaves. Here’s how the story begins: “ ‘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’ ” (Matthew 25: 14, 15, NRSV).

In the first two sentences, Jesus sets up the story according to the “rule of three.” It’s a well known story form that we still use today—often in jokes and humorous stories. Jesus’ listeners knew what to expect from this type of story. The third man would be the buffoon, or the one who made some mistake.

And Jesus doesn’t disappoint His listeners. The first two slaves “went off at once” and began to invest and do business with the money they had received.

But the third man is the odd man out. He went out and dug a hole and buried the money—just like the miser in Aesop’s story.

As the story unfolds, the first two slaves do very well in their business endeavors. Incidentally, the words used in the original language indicate that they didn’t just go invest in the stock market or something. They actually entered into business using the money as capital. The man with five talents doubled his money, and so did the man with two talents. When the master returned, the slaves were invited to bring the proceeds from their businesses. And of course the first two were richly rewarded for what they had accomplished.

But now comes the man the story is really all about. The third man in a three-part story. Here’s how Jesus tells it in Matthew 25, verses 24 and 25: “ ‘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 seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours” ’ ” (NRSV).

This fellow was a bit like Hetty Green, or like the miser in Aesop’s fable. He was going to play it safe.

But how does his master respond to his safe play? Here it is in verses 26 and 27: “ ‘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” ’ ” (NRSV).

The master is obviously not pleased. But what, really, did our poor “third man out” do wrong? He didn’t lose the master’s money. The man who went out and went into business with the money certainly could have done that. One can’t help but wonder how the master would have responded to a man who had gone into business and come up short.

But this man didn’t even do that. He didn’t have the courage. In fact all his actions were based on fear. “I knew that you were a harsh man,” he whines. (And so I took the easy way out!)

The master shows absolutely no appreciation for the fact that his slave has at least preserved the status quo. “ ‘ “As for this worthless slave,” ’ ” he says, “ ‘ “throw him in into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” ’ ” (verse 30).

So what, exactly, has the man done wrong? And what is Jesus trying to teach us about the kingdom here?

It’s important to realize that this parable is one in a series of three. The preceding parable tells about ten bridesmaids who were invited to a wedding. The five women who are commended in this story are the ones who have made adequate preparation by bringing extra oil with them. In the next parable, Jesus tells about sheep and goats and how they are separated in the judgment. The individuals who are commended here are once again those who have done something. They have visited people in prison, they have helped the hungry and thirsty. They have made good use of the time, talents, and resources God has given them by being a blessing to others. They haven’t sat around on their hands fearing God, they have gone out into the marketplace and served Him.

So in essence, what the poor chap in the story of the talents has done wrong is . . . well . . . absolutely nothing! And by doing nothing with the talents, He has failed to make good use of his master’s gifts.

This story challenges me, friend…. Am I anything like Hetty Green or the miser in Aesop’s fable, or the third man out in the parable?

Sitting around, being fearful of what will happen if I “go into business” with the time and talents God has given me is not the best way to honor God. Psalm 111 says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” But may I suggest that it is only the beginning—the one-talent man had the first thing he needed: A fear, or righteous respect for his master. But he needed something more. He needed the courage of his convictions. He needed to trust in his master, needed to be able to step out in faith as the other servants did and use the talent that the master had given him.

How is it with you, friend? What has God placed in your care? What sort of talent that could be multiplied in His service? Are you afraid to use it? Just remember, Jesus teaches us in this parable that we must “use it or lose it.” And if you’re using it with His guidance, how could you ever truly lose it?

What has God placed in your hand? What has He given you that may be used in blessing others and building up His kingdom?

Don’t sit on it. Don’t bury it. Use it—put it out there in the marketplace to be multiplied in God’s work. Risk it all for the glory of God!

 

 

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