Reevaluating Our Mission for Christ
John 17:1-11
Once there was a village with a chief who had three sons, each of which possessed a special talent. The oldest was skilled in his ability to raise and care for olive trees. The second was a shepherd, but when the sheep got sick, he possessed special abilities to make them well. The third son was a great dancer. When there was a string of bad luck in his family or in the village or if anyone needed some cheer added to their lives, he would dance and bring them joy.
One day the father told his sons that he had to go on a long journey. He instructed them, “My sons, the people of the village will be depending on you to help them. While I am gone, I expect you to use your gifts wisely, so that upon my return I will find our village happier and more prosperous than it is today.” He embraced his sons and then left on his journey.
For a few months, things went well in the village, but then came the cold winter with its snow, winds, and assorted problems. First, the buds on the olive trees shrank and cracked and it would be a long time before the trees would recover. The village, because of the extremely long winter, ran out of firewood, so the people cut down the trees and, in the process, stripped the village bare. Even though the first son did not want the trees cut down, he knew that the villagers needed heat to survive, so he helped them make firewood from the olive trees. Then the snow and ice made it impossible for traders to come up the river and negotiate the mountain passes. So, the villagers said, “Let us kill the sheep and eat them so we will not starve to death.” The second son refused for a time but eventually gave in to the villagers demands. He said, “What good will it do to spare the sheep, only to have the villagers perish?”
In this way, the villagers had just enough firewood for their fires and food for their tables. But the horrible winter had broken the people’s spirit. They began to think that things were much worse than they were and many began to lose hope. This belief was so strong that, family by family, they began to desert the village in search of a more hospitable environment.
As spring came, the icy grip of winter began to loosen and at the same time the chief of the village returned, to find smoke rising only from his own chimney. “What have you done?” he asked when he reached his village. “What has happened to the villagers?” “Oh, father, forgive me,” said the eldest son. “The people were freezing and so we cut down the olive trees. I gave away my talent. I am no longer fit to be an orchard keeper.” “Don’t be angry, father,” said the second son. “The people were starving and thus I sent the herd to slaughter.” The father understood and said, “Don’t be ashamed my sons. You did the best you could and acted rightly and humanely. You used your talents wisely to save the people. Tell me, what has become of them? Where are they?” The two brothers fixed their eyes on their younger brother who said, “Welcome home, father. Yes, it has been a hard winter. There was little to eat and little firewood for heat. I thought it would be insensitive and improper to dance during such suffering. Besides, I needed to conserve my strength so that I could dance for you when you came home.”
“Then dance,” said the father, “for the village is empty and so, too, my heart. Fill us with joy and courage once again. Please dance!” But when the third son was ready to dance, he grimaced and fell down. His legs were so stiff and sore from sitting that they could not be used for dancing. The father was so sad that he could not even be angry. He simply said to his youngest son, “Ours was a strong village that could have survived the want of fuel and food, but it could never survive without hope. And because you failed to use your talent wisely and well, our people gave up what little hope they had. So now what? The village is deserted and you are crippled. Your punishment has already fallen upon you.” With that he embraced his two elder sons and wept.
This powerful story demonstrates what happens when we fail to use wisely the gifts and talents God gives us. In today’s gospel, Jesus proclaims a beautiful prayer to God and reviews the mission he fulfilled at God’s request. Jesus knows that his time on this earth is very short and that he will soon return to God. Thus, he prays to God and expresses how he has done his best to complete the work he was sent to accomplish. Jesus acknowledges that God gave him authority over all people to bring them the message of salvation by knowing God. He says, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word” (17:6). Because he knows his time is short, Jesus asks the God to protect them so that they be one with Christ as Jesus is with God. Jesus knew the world could be a very tough place and that is why he asks God to protect those for whom he knows he will die. We all know that Jesus’ prayer was answered.
Jesus possessed many great talents to conduct his ministry. He was the greatest of teachers, as seen so often in the scriptures. Every work and action of Jesus was an opportunity to teach, and he never once shied away from this call. He taught his disciples privately on many occasions. We recall how Jesus taught them that it is better to serve than be served, that humility was more important than power, and that there was an absolute need to sacrifice, even to die to self and live for others to find life eternal. Jesus taught publicly through the message of the parables and more directly through the famous Sermon on the Mount. He used his ability to effect miraculous cures, of mind, spirit, and body to show God’s love for people. He demonstrated compassion and forgiveness. He never missed an opportunity to assist another, especially those who demonstrated faith.
We, the contemporary disciples of Jesus, have been given many talents and gifts to be used for God’s kingdom. We have been sent to this world, individually and uniquely, to wisely and fully use the many wonderful gifts we have been given. We have been given gifts of teaching, speaking, and writing. Words are important, orally and in writing and must be used with judicious care to for God’s kingdom. Some are great musicians and singers. Some of us are very good with numbers and use our skills as engineers, scientists, and researchers. There are a few of the multiple talents God has given us. If we were to review our lives, as Jesus does in this prayer, would we be able to honestly say that we have used God’s gifts wisely and well for the benefit of all? Or have we been more like the younger son, who squandered his gift of bringing hope and in the process lost his talent and devastated the village?
It is not always easy to use our gifts well and for the betterment of all, and, thus, we often need the assistance of others. we find this in our community of faith. We can and must rely on our faith community to assist, lead, and, if necessary, challenge us to use our gifts well as we daily, build the kingdom of God in our world. Many of us know from personal experience that sometimes utilizing our gifts for the building of God’s kingdom will bring ridicule and rejection. This should not be a surprise. Jesus told us that we would be hated by the world but reminds us that we must take courage for he has overcome the world.
Next week’s celebration of Pentecost beckons us to take stock of our lives and ask the difficult question – have I done my best to complete the work God has given me, or is there much more that needs to be done? Let us have the courage to ask the question. Let us discover what needs to be done as we use our God given gifts day-by-day to build the kingdom of God in our community and world.