17 October 2021 LUKE 19:11-28
Wednesday of the 33rd Week in Ordinary Time
KINGDOM ECONOMICS
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your coins have earned ten more. ’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities’ (Luke 19:16-17).
The Parable Talents is allegorical-rich. The Noble man in the parable symbolizes Jesus. The man ‘going’ on a journey refers to the ascension of Jesus, his ‘return’ to Jesus’ awaited second coming and ‘settlement’ to the judgement on the last day. ‘Talents/coins’ refers to the gifts or blessings men receive from God and ‘trading with Coins’ refers to the utilization of gifts/blessings for the expansion of the Kingdom of God.
The servants who multiplied the coins (or utilized gifts for the expansion of the Kingdom) are eschatological persons. An eschatological person is the one who is spiritually future oriented doing everything on earth with an eternal significance and by leading a life footed on earth-but with heaven as the destiny with a spirit of soul dominating body. Laziness/Slothfulness is a negative trait that prevents us from being an eschatological person as in the example of the third servant.
If a seed is buried it is productive because it follows the natural law of spontaneous expansion. Whereas a coin becomes productive if only it is given for circulation because it follows the logic of World Economics. Similarly, Divine blessings namely Time-Talent-Treasure (TTT) becomes productive if only they follow a logic of Kingdom Economics based on sharing.
The miracle of the Multiplication of Bread and Zacchaeus conversion are manifestations of Kingdom Economics. When five loaves and two fishes were shared it was multiplied for 5000 people and when Zaccheus decided to share half of his property his joy was multiplied.
When I share/ invest my ‘Time’, ‘Talents’ and ‘Treasure’ for the expansion of God and His Kingdom it will be multiplied for the benefit of so many! Amen.