33. Gold, Darkness and Dwarves [Matthew] - Tim Mackie (The Bible Project)

responsibilities. Did she have any qualms about saying anything about it? No, this is the same Jesus who had a heartbeat for the people who were crushed by the powers that be, you know, this is theThis is a merciful and compassionate Jesus, the person I would love to even try to be like the merciful and compassionate which it was, but what was its mission? Because all these stories are about what he's doing there in Jerusalem, his mission was to announce the kingdom. of God and bringing God's kingdom and government to the world first to the people of Israel, God's covenant people, and thanks through the story that Jesus grew up in the Hebrew Scriptures and that he believes about who God is and who excites Israel in the The story of the Hebrew Scriptures is the most resourceful servant, just that the God of Israel simply by his justice and generosity rescues the slaves from Egypt and brings them provision through the wilderness, even when they complain, etc. he gives them all the laws of the Torah, he is justice and wisdom, he brings them to the Promised Land and what was the point of that story, the point was that this covenant people of God would be so shaped by their closeness to God that they would become They become these priests to the nation or in the words of God, Abraham, they become a blessing to the new and different types of humans in the nation who become a blessing to all these other humans and that's not what happened.

Well, and Jesus looks at the Jerusalem leaders of his day in the Israel of his day and he says, yeah, that's not what's happening at all. Israel and the mind of Jesus have received the ultimate set of gifts, millions of bags of

gold

and instead of becoming a blessing to the nations, what are they going to do? In reality, they are preparing to start a rebellion against Rome. I mean the temple, instead of being the source of God's presence and blessing, becomes a hotbed of tribal nationalism and that the treasures in the temple treasury are going to finance a military rebellion against Rome, they are going to do the war on the nations instead of blessing them, so think about what Jesus was doing: He is forming a new covenant, a people of people who bless their enemies instead of killing them, a people who work harder. in spreading peace, people who love their neighbors as themselves, people who truly become the blessing to the nations he called them to and that is why Jesus is in the business of forming this new people that will come under his reign as king and who will truly do what God made his people to do, which is to be glorious humans who reflect his image and become a blessing to others?

Therefore, Jesus like this is what is not only going to live and can be raised so that people can sit down. Come back and say: Yeah, great. You know, I got my ticket to the good place after I died. That is not the story at all of what the Bible is trying to tell us. The point is that humans become what God made them to be. become a blessing to others and it is in that environment that Jesus tells a story about what it is like to be part of his kingdom and one of his disciples and says that it is as if a teacher were going on a journey. right, we have this gap, something is going to go down in 40 years and then I don't know when the kingdoms will be ready in the meantime and then that time is like a master is just giving resources to his dis to his servants and we have three examples here five bags of

gold

sheesh Louise talks about generosity, true, but not everyone gets five.

Did you see that this is actually a really very important detail that Jesus builds and develops in the story here first? The guy gets five, what's second and I'm third? and what is the principle of distribution, each according to his ability and this real key, this theme is going to arise again, this idea, each according to his ability, so this says something about the servants and this has something about the master who Jesus wants to portray, so the servants are not the same people. Okay, this should be obvious to us, but in Jesus' Kingdom economy there is no one size fits all.

You all go and are like this, so there are many people in the kingdom with many different histories, many different origins and many different abilities, so each servant is expected to be productive to the extent that he is capable, it is very, very deep. actually, right, there's no comparison, it's just you, you have your story, your abilities, pretty sure you're completely capable of being this type of human, let's go with that and him, that's it and that's what this says about teacher. I think this is the deepest thing, so what this says about the teacher is that he really knows these guys, yeah, like he really has this intimate knowledge, he knows that the person with five is completely capable of that, It is not too big a demand, it is not too little. a lawsuit, but the person who can't handle five and five would ruin them.

Righteousness really is this right inner consciousness and the teacher adapts and simply gives everyone exactly what he knows they are capable of doing, so everyone goes out and so you know we are built, it's all about patterns, the stories about there is a pattern of one, two and then three, what you wait for and then the third breaks it, so the first guy goes out and comes back to 100%, the second guy goes out. He wins two more bags. Does the second guy earn the same as the first? No, that's going to matter to the teacher. No, of course, no, that's not really what it's about.

Is it the final result? It's not about that, but then the third type is. Clearly it's a contrast, he has something going on inside him because he doesn't do anything, he digs a hole, it's like a treasure hunt, you know, I don't know, where do they tell us why he does this? No, he just hides. hides it, that's interesting, the word hide is actually used very rarely in the teachings of Jesus. One of the only times it is used is earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, where he says: you know the city on the hill, you are all my followers. city ​​on a hill and you are like a light that shines for everyone, but what you should never do is hide it under a basket and then once again we have this image here of someone who is given this incredible resource and possibility and what are you doing. with that they hide it they hide it so what is what is what are the talents if it is not juggling for Jesus it seems what is good it is a right as a parable so you are supposed to participate in the meaning of This thing is so mine that obviously It's money, money, it's a resource, it opens up opportunities for you to do things you couldn't do otherwise, but think about what you do with your money, there are things you like and need, it has a cost. living there there are similar needs, so if there is something left, you have a choice, you save it, invest it, give it away, as if money had this way of reaching our hearts.

I think Jesus said something about that once and shows where. our loyalties and where our true values ​​lie, so when we have extra money, do we think about the well-being of others or do we think about our own well-being? And for this guy he's not sure what he's thinking, he's not making the most of it. anything he hides in the ground how much time passes verse 19 a lot of time that's interesting why Jesus includes that in the story so we're left with one Did these guys get a hundred percent return? You know, in a week in a month. it was just a long time and then this was very interesting, so it's not just that he had a bad week or something, he had a back injury and he couldn't work.

I'll dig it in the ground, you know, this is like a long time. So the point is that the passage of time, who we are, our true character and our true values, are something that develops throughout this trajectory of our lives, so it's not just a bad streak over a long period of time, these guys are faithful. and productive and then, for a long period of time, this guy sits and does nothing that motivates him, doesn't value what his teacher values ​​and then hides it. A long time passes and then the teacher comes and then Happy Days, right, I mean, it's a great story after that, for some reason, I remember reading this parable when I was a new Christian and I always somehow had this story It happened on a stage, in fact, visual imagination like an awards ceremony, probably not true. but that's what's going on in my head and it could be that I was a loser in high school.

I never want any prize. I didn't win anything, so it could be a subtle Freudian thing going on there anyway. Who? He knows it's just happening, you know, over drinks or something, I don't know, so you settle the score with someone else there in the, you know the business, the office or something, so you show him hey, it's five five and the teacher stoked, stoked on five and We'll talk about his response in a second, but then the guy comes in with two and it's identical. Do you see that the answer is absolutely identical? Yes, well done, well done, now stop and think about what he doesn't say and with the the guy with two comes in like hey two more doesn't say ah well done but did you see the guy with five like there's no comparison?

It's to each their own ability, so he knows that for the person with two this is this is all they put into everything they had and he knows that's what they were capable of and that excites him so much that it doesn't matter what. Someone has come in and done more than twice as much, that doesn't matter, it's totally irrelevant, right? See that here and once again Robert Jesus is developing the portrait of this this teacher here these generous ones first of all he's generous and then secondly we're starting to get a hunch that this really isn't just about the bottom line for this guy because he's excited about people doing what they're capable of doing and look what he says to these two guys, so he says, you know, good and faithful servant, you've been faithful with a little bit like these five bags of Gold is a a little bit and then what he wants to do is say yes, more, more for you.

You know, look at all these other things that I want to give you too and then the last line is so powerful that she comes to share and you're. in the joy of your teacher then what are these very fine brushstrokes? Jesus is painting with you what is the portrait of this teacher. It's generous. He knows people very closely. He does not have harsh and unreasonable demands. Apparently this was never just about making a lot of profit. joy comes from people becoming what he knows they are capable of being. Do you see what makes this guy stand alone is that he is making money?

Actually, we'll see if having the line a little later will actually allow them to stay. all the winnings anyway he came down here we didn't know that was happening but suddenly the guy who won five and five keeps everything he says down here so it's not about making money for the teacher it's about developing people and what he invites them to in the end is. Come on, this is so delicious. This is such a great occasion for joy that you took what you had and became an even more glorious productive person. human, so you didn't even think you were capable of becoming?

Do you see the image here? I'm just trying to paint the picture because we read right above this Jesus, so he focuses on this, he tells us the thing identically twice, it's beautiful. image I want to work for this person, right? I'm not saying the seniors at that door of hope aren't these people, but I'm just saying you know it would be, it sounds like a great work environment, you know what I am? I'm saying super, everyone's a winner, you set this up with a pattern and then the third guy, what are the first words out of the third guy's mouth?

The man who received a bag of gold staff and said teacher, yes, listen, uh, I know you are kind. for idiot I know you're a hard man is a metaphor, of course, but it's the word for like a rock hard, unmoving, stubborn, ruthless, listen, I know you're a very hard-nosed, immobile idiot. a person is fine and yet when you hear the story of what's going on inside you you think, he waits, no, so actually I'm pretty sure he's the most generous and lovely person I've ever seen in my life. . Where did he get it from? That's right, he had the story in his head about the teacher, where he got it from, he says, listen, I know you're a tough man because I see you, I see your work ethic and what happened, he says, I see you harvest where. you have not sown and you reap where you have not scattered seeds as a figure of speech, so he is so productive and successful that he puts his hands on a task or makes an investment or puts all this energy into a business or something like that. and he is productive, but in reality he is so productive and successful that even the things he puts little or no effort into are productive and successful.

You see? That's what he's saying here and he says listen I can see that you're a very successful person and that's how I know you're a tough man he watches his behavior he makes this character assume about the teacher and he says so listen you know he had afraid and that's why I hid your gold in the ground here it's back what belongs to you now this is great this is like up to this point in the story this is like soda growing pains hey, sure, remember the growing pains Kirk Cameron waswhat was his name Mike short for anyone and the shirts he would wear I was I was looking at him man when I was a kid he's fashionable anyway so it's okay thank you so this is like this this is like episode four of the house or family blasts or whatever so this is like you know the sun and the microphone goes off and there's a science test coming up and his dad loved science he did great son oh , you're great, I love science, you're going to do great and you know, Mike's catcher is all this anxiety that comes up, all the pressure, I can't stand it and he can see, you know, and he comes home, it's As a dad, I can't take the pressure, your talk with Nonna wouldn't be a good episode.

I should have written for chittim, but that's how we think about what's happening here, is that the shy insecure guy has too much pressure, he feels like he has to be a perfectionist because you know this guy is really successful and then what What I want to happen is for the teacher to say, Oh buddy, you know what, there's no pressure, come on, let's try this again, you know, this is how we want this to end, but it's not obvious, it's not like that and it's not because Jesus. . He is a bad narrator, it is because he is not an American comedy writer, right, it is the right thing to do, so in the parable of Jesus the people are his behavior, very simple cardboard characters for the most part and the people are his archetypes and caricatures, so , what this guy represents, think about the life of Jesus. day in honor of shame culture, he just received this huge, generous gift from a really generous and lovely employer and has somehow accepted this extremely distorted narrative about who this man is, to the point where he says he's afraid , but actually let's say he's not afraid, he actually attributes evil or something to his teacher because if he was really just afraid to take risks and this was a perfectionism performance problem, what could he have done?

There was no risk, but he still did something he could have done. Put it in the bank, so if actions even betray their words and the teacher exposes what Isis says, you are evil, you assume the worst of what you treat people accordingly and you actually value yourself more than anyone else. because listen to how it does to you. He thinks I'm an idiot because I'm successful and productive. Listen, if that was the real reason you were simply afraid to be productive, you could have put it in the bank. This is a matter of fear, so the teacher. discern how now this is a deeper issue as if there is evil in your heart and you assume the evil of others you assume the worst and in honor shame society how this man is saying publicly what I think of you is what I did with your money which is nothing, it's a statement and his actions speak louder than his words, that's how things work in Jesus' parables and that's how this money is spent, you know, he says, take a bag from him and give it to him to the guy who has ten and then we learned, oh my gosh, you get to keep your profits, this is a great job, right, it's not about money, this is for this guy, right, it's about developing people and then you have This, whoever has will be given more and will have an abundance, however, they do not even have what they have, it will be taken away from them what is happening here so this is a bit to call the aphorism or a small proverb is to use the economy as a metaphor of spiritual perception so there's something about how people perceive Jesus when people, for whatever reason, you know we don't know, but maybe you've been here before or maybe people that you care about or that you know have this but they just They hate Jesus or they hate God and they have a story in their head about who Jesus is, that he's a jerk, that you know he's a perfectionist and whatever they want, they want everyone to behave the same way or else , it will kill them forever and ever, something like that, and maybe you already know it. this person who has the story in their head actually met some very self righteous Christian idiot before or added them to their family and that's why they burned them and they have reason to think that but Jesus is saying once you believe in your mind you have this perception about who the master is and it's totally skewed, you have nothing and all of a sudden anything Jesus says or does or anything a Christian says or does is just going to feed that narrative and even what they have is taken from them I think.

That is what he has taught. How many of you have been in a situation before? This can happen quite often in marital relationships in the living room, but not just in other ways, if you're in it, you're in a conflict or you're in a situation and you realize, "Oh my gosh, this person really believes the worst thing about me and you have the story in your head of why I said or did that and it's totally the wrong reason and it's not entirely true. I can't. I don't do anything to change what they think of me.

If you've been in the above scenario, it's very frustrating and then you realize oh my gosh, everything I say or do is dig a hole worse because I'm just feeding into your story there's something like what Jesus is referring to here, this guy is so lost in his distorted version of the teacher that he can't get out of it, but the moment someone is open to who Jesus is, it's like the moment someone sees the truth. generosity and justice the delight that Jesus has in people and in people becoming what God made them to be suddenly once that becomes convincing to you it's like the little you have it's just that he becomes every more and more compelling and here we all sit here every week we can't wait to come here and hear stories about Jesus because he is so amazing and also for those who have given more and more and adjust this abundance and it's this inverse proportion the right of spiritual perception. and some, because of their openness, end up sharing the joy of the Master, but this guy can't get it out of his head and ends up in

darkness

, well,

darkness

, this is not the only time Jesus used this metaphor because he is telling a parable, Jesus uses many images to describe the existence of a human being who chooses to distance himself from Jesus, the author of life, the generous author of life, that is why we use many images, shoot the most well-known image, but darkness is also one, so what is it? what is happening here is the image of loss, it is an image of isolation and in fact there is a Christian theologian and thinker who more than any other helps me understand what I think Jesus is referring to with these images CS Lewis any Las Chronicles of Narnia any fan not the movies I never watch the movies but the book or cigar are pure gold what is the name of the last book also pop quiz the last battle there you go I guess you failed I guess you failed well Probably two people knew about the last battle and if This is at the end of the last battle, it's an incredible story, but essentially Asselin, the lion figure, who is this Jesus God figure, has defeated evil throughout the land of Narnia and what he is doing is inviting all these creatures of Narnia no matter what decisions they make. done in the past today now because of your defeat of evil, you are inviting them to be part of your new world and the way to enter the new world, right?

You are having this conversation and there is a door to the wonderful new Narnia redeemed? Beyond and it's the door, it looks like you're entering a stable, it says, and all these people come in and discover the wonders of this new country and they stumble upon it, but then there's this group of such interesting

dwarves

and the

dwarves

don't They are bad but they are not good, they just hate everyone in the story, some overlap with the symbolic representations of the dwarves too, so they and they hate Aslan and that is why They are afraid that Aslan will kill them and they run towards the stable door and they are convinced that everything is a trick, that there is no new world and that what this lion is chasing them is a dark barn. where you know something terrible is going to happen to them and how they experience the new world, this is described in the scene, then Aslan raised his head and shook his mane, I mean, instantly a glorious feast appeared on the dwarf's knees.

I don't hope it sounds good to you, the British singer had cakes, pigeons, trifles and ice creams, and each dwarf had a glass of good wine in his right hand, but it was not used much, they began to eat and drink quite greedily, but it was Of course they couldn't taste it properly they thought they were eating and drinking just the kind of stuff you might find in a stable one said he was trying to eat Hey, another said he'd gotten a little old and a third said he'd found leaves of raw cabbage and they raised their golden glasses of rich red wine to their lips and said: Oh, how nice it is to drink water from a trough, that donkey Bennett never thought it would come to this, but very soon in each The dwarf begins to suspect that all the other dwarves had found something better than him and so they started grabbing and snatching and they started fighting until in a few minutes there was a free fight and all the good food was smeared on their faces and their clothes or trampled on and when that last They sat down to take care of their black eyes and bleeding them as they all said well in any case there is no nonsense here we have not let anyone take us in the drawers they are for the dwarfs they look like one only told the children, the Pevensie children, that they won't let us help them, they have chosen cunning instead of belief, their prison is only in their minds, but they are in that prison and they are so afraid of being caught that they can't get them out. very powerful it was several so deep so what is the story what Jesus is trying to do with the story and this is a surprise to me is this contrasting portrait between the people who understood who the teacher really is and how they know who the teacher really is by his behavior, his generosity and how he celebrates what people can become, etc., but then there is this other portrait of the teacher and it is this guy who is stuck in his head and therefore it is his reality that this guy He's an idiot and he wants to catch me.

This is about the pop quiz at the end and I didn't do the right thing and now here I am grounded forever and of course that's not reality, but that's his reality and that's why Jesus uses this image of darkness to get me trapped in my own choice. with a portrait of who Jesus is, that's not reality, but Jesus like that is as faithful to G as this character, isn't it just where Jesus gives people the dignity of choosing to respond to him and Jesus very rarely likes it ? Hitting people on the head, he did it to the apostle Paul, right, I only surprised him on the road to Emmaus, I mean, but if that's not Jesus' normal way of working, it's like Jesus really wanted to activate the fully responsible decision-making humans within us. because when activated by His grace humans become completely themselves and alive and this actually has nothing to do with their performance because it doesn't matter if it produces five, it doesn't matter if it produces two, what matters is how to understand who is the teacher and who invites us to share his joy and generosity and if you become who he made you to be, so man.

I don't know, I have no idea what your week was like before coming here. This is not just about using your special talent to serve Jesus, it's about each of us having a life as if you were a human being and you are a unique human being and you and I all have these unique resources and opportunities. . and we all have people in our lives and we can take who we are and feed the narrative that life is hard for me because God is a jerk and he's out to get me and this is okay and you can see, you know where that's going. that just leads you to isolation in the darkness, but then I can be open to the surprising reality of who Jesus is and that despite the difficulties, like he's actually making me more human, he wants, he doesn't give me any which I am not capable of and he actually wants me to follow him and like to love my neighbor as myself and to be generous and to pay attention to the people in our city that he paid attention to and cared for like he really thought that We are able to do it because he is committed to us because of his generosity and so at the end of the day, it is about the source of power to become who Jesus calls us to be, he is himself, he is who we believe he is. he is, do we think he is trapping us in the dark or not? we truly believe who he is, that he is for us and that he lived for us and that he died for us, that he was resurrected for us and that his presence is with you and that he really wants you to make the right decision and follow him.

So let's go there as we close and as we come to the time of worship in prayer, as we come to take the bread in the cup. I just encourage you to reach out to the coworker, family member, or relationship. opportunity this last week that you stopped loving your neighbor as yourself and asked Jesus what you are supposed to do about it, what he has given you that you didn't do with this last week and what does it mean to acknowledge our failures to return to him , realize that he is for us and ask him to help us follow him in the next week?

Let me close with a word of prayer.