Hyperbole is speaking in an exaggerated manner to make or emphasize a point. It is often used in the writing of scripture. Of the gospel writers, Matthew uses hyperbole the most often in the telling of Jesus’ parables. Failure to recognize the hyperbole being used, people often read into the parable things that were not intended.
In the Parable of the Talents assigned for this Sunday, Matthew has an extreme way of saying God has given each of us talents in service to the realm of God, so “Use It or Lose It.” Failure to recognize this use of hyperbole can make it a struggle to properly understand the point of the parable being made. This parable ends with these words in reference to the servant that did nothing with talent entrusted to him. “Now take the worthless servant and throw him outside into the darkness.’ “People, there will be weeping and grinding their teeth.” Seems awful harsh in light of what we know about our God of love and new beginnings, don’t you think?
I invite you to look past the hyperbole Matthew uses to see the message Jesus was conveying with the parable. It might help if you think of talents in a light of this parable. Talents are like the muscles in your arm. If you never use your arm so that it gets the exercise needed to maintain strength in the muscles, your arm atrophies. It declines in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect. The result is you’ll lose the use of that arm. So “Use It or Lose It!” This same principle applies to the talents and spiritual gifts God has given us. If we do not use them; we lose them.
Join us this Sunday at Covenant. We will consecrate 3 new deacons who have chosen to use their gifts in service to God at Covenant. My sermon will be “Talents: Use It or Lose It” based on Matthew 25:14-30.
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