Don't Play It Safe #13

One of the most dramatic parables of Jesus warns us about being "too careful" to "play it safe."  It is near the end of His ministry when He was intensifying His call to full obedience and faith. The Master had entrusted talents of gold to invest while He was away, and had now returned to see what they had done:

Matthew 25:22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.

The passage goes on to say that the third servant was actually severely punished for not taking a risk. Why? He had not obeyed his Master, which revealed an even deeper problem: he did not really know the Master.  If he had, he would have known that His master was loving and merciful and forgiving; He would not punish His servant for obeying Him, then suffering "loss".  He "feared" his Master rather than trusting Him and learning from Him and His abilities.  How much of our "playing it safe" is really not trusting God?