Click here to listen to the homily.

The fundamental truth of the biblical narrative is that our God is a loving God. God’s love is eternal. God’s love is boundless. God’s love knows no limit.

This is truly good news. But because God’s love is also just, it is also a little disconcerting. God’s love is eternal, but it is also not sentimental or indulgent. It is eternal, boundless and unlimited in its goodness. Indulgent love is not good. A god of eternal indulgent love would wreak havoc in the human experience.

Today’s parable is a parable of divine love. It involves covenant-making, faithful stewardship and partnership, as well as a stark lesson on the consequences of unfaithfulness.

A man uses three brokers to manage his portfolio. To one he entrusts “five talents,” to another “two talents,” to another “one talent.” A “talent,” in Jesus’ day, was worth many years’ labor. So, using the income of a Loudoun county family as a standard, to one manager the man entrusts $3,500,000, to another $1,250,000, and to another $750,000.

After a year the business man reviews his investments. The first account has grown to $7,000,000. The second account has grown to $2,500,000. The third account? Well, the third account has yielded no growth at all. The broker proudly reports that he has not lost a penny.

What does the business man do? What would Jesus do? If your answer is that Jesus would affirm the third broker, embrace him and help him feel better about his failure to invest the money properly, then you do not understand the nature of divine love.

Jesus would say, “You wicked and lazy slave!”

Jesus would say, “Take away his $750,000, and give it to the broker with $7,000,000.”

Jesus would say, “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.”

Jesus would say, “As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Ouch!

This is a difficult parable for those who mistakenly believe divine love is indulgent and sentimental. All of Jesus’ parables begin, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like. . . .” Jesus tells parables to correct our mistaken ideas about faith, religion, church, and God.

Divine love builds up and instructs. The goal of divine love is to transform us into worthy partners of the living God. Those who listen to Jesus’ parables learn to live in a world of abundance. Those who fantasize about an indulgent god live a life in which even what they have is taken away. They live in a world of great gnashing of teeth.

But this is not what divine love wants. The Lord would have us all live in a world of great abundance. He has shown us the way. The rest is up to us.