{"id":6335,"date":"2020-11-15T04:13:24","date_gmt":"2020-11-15T08:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/?p=6335"},"modified":"2020-11-15T04:13:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-15T08:13:24","slug":"talents-another-parable-misunderstood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/11\/talents-another-parable-misunderstood\/","title":{"rendered":"Talents\u2014Another Parable Misunderstood by American Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Misunderstanding — Talents \/ Modified Clipart by Fellow Dying Inmate \/ KissClipart.com<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Reading the Parable of the Talents respectfully takes work, Americans!<\/span><\/h2>\n
American Christians inescapably botch the Parable of the Talents (<\/span>Matthew 25:14-30<\/span><\/a>), this Sunday\u2019s Gospel. As commentators like John Pilch and Richard Rohrbaugh are quick to point out, this is not a story about the Kingdom of God. It does not begin with the usual Matthean opening line, \u201cthe kingdom of God is like\u2026\u201d, and for a good reason.<\/span><\/p>\n
Considering the ruthless master in the story, would you want God to behave like him?<\/span><\/p>\n
Here is a video on the Parable of the Talents and its variant, the Parable of the Coins (<\/span>Luke 19:11-27<\/span><\/a>)\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Talents & Allegory-Gone-Wild<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What is the story really about? Trying to answer that,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/bXC_qB8xfYQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bishop Robert Barron offers a textbook example of allegory-gone-wild<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. He explains the talents, a unit of weight, symbolize proper concern with the most \u201cweighty\u201d of all matters, the glory of God, which is really his mercy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It sure sounds nice to say that all three servants were given shares in God\u2019s mercy like Barron presumes. But nowhere does Jesus identify the master, the one who gives the talents, with God. Why would he? The character is a shameful <em>douche<\/em>. Turn off the Church music and read the story honestly. Ultimately, Barron is way off.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SMitI2bBvNE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Meanwhile folks like Brant Pitre claim that this parable has Jesus making a comparison with the Kingdom of God<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. And like Barron, Pitre quickly allegorizes this story wildly (\u201cthis really means this, and that really means that\u201d). But Pitre\u2019s allegory-gone-wild takes him to contradictory conclusions than does Barron\u2019s allegorizing. Pitre turns the douche master into God and the third servant into an ungrateful bastard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 43: American Pastors & the Parable of the Talents\/Coins\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y6BG6VKm4v0?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What do you think Jesus\u2019 Galilean starving peasant audience would make of Pitre\u2019s interpretation? Do you think it would be good news for them? Keep in mind that at least 90 percent of agrarian populations being rural farmers. Therefore it\u2019s a safe bet that the overwhelming majority of Jesus listeners would be peasants just like him.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Does the Master = God?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Let\u2019s break down the parable of the talents (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Matthew 25:14-30<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). Right off the bat, the master character (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 14-15<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">) wouldn\u2019t sit well with Jesus\u2019 listeners. This is because, to Jesus\u2019 mostly peasant audience, wealthy people would not be admired as U.S. Christians do CEOs and billionaires.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">While many American Christians see wealth as signs of success, or even godliness, Jesus\u2019 audience had a different idea. Rich to Gospel peasants meant greedy, folks. When you read in your Bible \u201crich,\u201d just note that this is a GREEDY SOB. Do that, and you are taking into account Jesus\u2019 audience respectfully.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Parable of the Talents<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This greedy bastard (definitely not an analog for God!) owns three slaves (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 14-15<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). Before setting off on a trip, this wicked man entrusts this trio with three sums of enormous wealth. He bestows on them amounts according to their abilities (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">v. 15<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). Soon after, Slaves 1 and 2 have doubled their sums (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 16-17<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). Meanwhile, Slave no. 3 buries his talent for safekeeping (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 18<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">24-25<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When the greedy master returns, he applauds the first two slaves (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 19-23<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). But he ruthlessly punishes slave no. 3 (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">vv. 26-30<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). So the master angrily yanks his talent back and gives it to the first slave, insulting the third slave as both \u201cwicked and slothful\u201d (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">v. 26<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Of Talents & Capitalism<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">American Christians have minds shaped by capitalism. We crave what we wrongly imagine this parable is talking about. For instance, capitalists obsessing over making profits on their investments distort Jesus by transforming him into a capitalist. As Rohrbaugh explains, this parable does not encourage listeners to venturous investment and diligent labor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Then you have the fundamentalist ministers who focus on unintended meanings accrued to the word talent that Jesus or \u201cMatthew\u201d could never have given it. They think it is all about self-improvement. I can\u2019t tell you how many youth and young adult ministers I know from South Florida promote this misunderstanding.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Keep in mind that the majority of Jesus\u2019 listeners were starving peasants. Can American \u201cgood news\u201d (i.e., investment gains or self-improvement schemes) actually be \u201cgood news\u201d to peasants?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Limited Good<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As Bruce Malina and John Pilch explain, first-century peasants like Jesus were committed to the idea of the Limited Good. (For a thorough explanation of the \u201cLimited Good,\u201d see George Foster\u2019s \u201cPeasant Society,\u201d pp. 293\u2013315, and his, \u201cImage of Limited Good,\u201d pp. 300\u2013323. Also, see Dr. Bruce Malina\u2019s \u201cWealth and Poverty,\u201d pp. 354\u201367).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Basically, through their \u201cLimited Good\u201d view, peasants saw life as a zero-sum game. Therefore, all goods in the universe, material and spiritual, already exist, were distributed at creation, and there is no more to come.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In other words, the pie is limited and cannot be increased. You cut a bigger slice for yourself means you\u2019ve inescapably cheated others because there is less pizza to go around. So that means if a biblical character has any surplus and refuses to share it with those who lack, this character must be a thief and usurper. This is because his abundance must have come by way of defrauding someone else. Consequently, for the Bible, \u201crich\u201d almost always means \u201cgreedy bastard.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 47: Jesus\u2019 Peasant Audience\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zKcpL6RCjJI?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This means that wealthy people were always under a microscope in Jesus\u2019 world. Everyone suspected them because the only way they could increase their wealth had to come by way of theft and fraud. So the person who suddenly acquired more and refused to share in it was automatically a crook!\u2014that\u2019s the Bible, folks! And this idea of the Limited Good provides the Biblical roots\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/11\/dont-be-confused-about-catholic-teaching\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">for later evolved Catholic Social Teaching<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Dishonorable Increase of Talents<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What was the only way rich people could increase their wealth without being shamed? Easy! Have your good-for-nothing shameless slaves manage things. This was because all Mediterraneans expected slaves to behave without any concern for honor. Thus greedy rich folks thought to hide from being shamed by doing crimes by proxy, but peasants like Jesus weren\u2019t stupid. Ultimately, they knew what was going on!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLE 48: Money, It\u2019s a Hit\u2026\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yu6uDWw-K0M?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Recall that the douche Master isn\u2019t a good man, but a greedy bastard. How dishonorable he is gets revealed at the end of the parable when Slave no. 3 calls him \u201ca hard man,\u201d ruthlessly benefitting from the toil of others (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">v. 24<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>American Christians & Talents<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Well-dressed, well-fed \u201csuccessful\u201d American Christian businessmen almost always spin this. \u201cDon\u2019t be so hard on the master! He\u2019s clever and industrious and encourages hard work!\u201d These American ideas would find friendship from a specific entrepreneur I knew who would attend a Faith & Film series put together by young adults. After watching Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s magnificent\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0FIm5ATyAY0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">THERE WILL BE BLOOD<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0he objected to participants criticizing Daniel Day-Lewis\u2019 character, Daniel Plainview. \u201cAmericans like him sacrificed everything to build this country,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Yes, folks. We have a surplus population of daily communicant American \u201cpro-lifer\u201d Catholics. They relish canonizing Daniel Plainviews and Ebenezer Scrooges (pre-metanoia) in the world. And they vote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLE 49: Sharing the Love & Interpreting the Parable\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-YXR7mJPwLI?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>A Middle Eastern Story<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But our Middle Eastern New Testament ancestors would never swallow our American spin of the master in Jesus\u2019 story. As Pilch explains, Jesus\u2019 audience would find the greedy master as \u201carrogant, opportunistic, greedy, and rapacious.\u201d Just like how they would view us, including the priests and bishops guilty of wage theft, sitting in posh rectories, schmoozing at gala dinners, and liquor lunches.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Therefore, in the world of the Bible, to be rich and not share (think Don Corleone) is to be greedy and thus evil. Thieves gain more by stealing what rightfully belongs to others, and this, according to the Gospels, is what the greedy rich do. Keep in mind that \u201crich\u201d and \u201cpoor\u201d are first political terms before being economic descriptors in the Bible. This is because the biblical \u201crich\u201d have the power to keep what they have and rapaciously increase it, whereas the \u201cpoor\u201d are helpless to defend what is rightfully theirs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Master Gets Richer<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Look at the parable. Does this master think he\u2019s virtuous, even godly like the typical American Christian assessment spins him? Nope!\u2014instead, he concurs with his third slave (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">v. 26<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">). He thinks the last slave should have dishonorably grown his talent by the sin of usury.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So that means that the other two slaves imitated their greedy, unconscionable master. Whereas Slave no. 3 actually behaves like an honorable freeman (doing what later rabbis recommended as the best moral option), the other two cheat by playing along with the rigged system.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Evolution of the Parable of the Talents<\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">All canonical parables of Jesus bear complicated literary histories. Probably none of them, as they exist polished in the Synoptic Gospels, hold the exact original form they had when Jesus spoke them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What\u2019s the moral of the Matthean version of this parable? Is there something more to this story than the greedy rich getting richer and the poor getting screwed over (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">v. 29<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">)? Does that sound like \u201cgood news\u201d for peasants, people who lived on subsistence, and who could never amass wealth? Remember, while gospel spells \u201cgood news\u201d for some, it\u2019s \u201cbad news\u201d for others. As Rohrbaugh says, the gospel of Thanksgiving is \u201cgood news\u201d to American families but \u201cbad news\u201d for turkeys!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Understood this way, could the master ever be a stand-in for God? I don\u2019t think so, friends! Because if that\u2019s how God is, like they say in Uganda (and Broadway), \u201c<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">hasa diga Eebowai!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><em>Gospel of the Nazoreans<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Back in the fourth century, the Matthean version of the parable bugged Eusebius of Caesarea (d. 339 CE). You see, the good bishop was aware of an alternate version of the same parable. That other version was in the (currently lost) Gospel of the Nazoreans. Eusebius reports how that different version of the story went\u2014the first slave is imprisoned, the second slave reprimanded, and the third slave blessed with joy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 44: Recontextualizing the Parable\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VIdP6vzOdTk?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/messyinspirations\/2020\/05\/gospels-information-strange\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Gospels evolved, folks<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. So did the parables, developing into different versions. But which of these versions did Jesus tell? How much was his original story different from all these later editions (<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Matthew 25:14-30<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">;\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/19?11\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Luke 19:11-27<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">; and the lost version in\u00a0<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gospel of the Nazoreans<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">)? Certainly, Jesus didn\u2019t present it with the later additions of \u201cMatthew\u201d and \u201cLuke.\u201d These later men transformed the parable into a cautionary tale concerning diligence for the Jesus group awaiting the Kingdom. But originally, the story Jesus told\u2014out of which grew this Sunday\u2019s Gospel\u2014was probably a tale of terror.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 45: An Originating Structure\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/unMXZVs1QFQ?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Sunday\u2019s Gospel of the Talents<\/h2>\n<p><a class=\"editor-rtfLink decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/25?14\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Sunday\u2019s Gospel is Matthew\u2019s evolved version, put together around 80 CE<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. According to Pilch, this version explains how to behave while waiting for the imminent Parousia and subsequent Theocracy. While \u201cMatthew\u201d does not recommend an imitation of greed or ever compares the master to God, he does advise being clever, even to the risk of being dishonored. Cosmic upheaval is coming any day now, and thus the Jesus group cannot afford to \u201cplay it safe!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 46: How We Misuse This Parable\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t4lE4prqSWM?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Certainly, Jesus risked everything for Theocracy. Look how (apparently) shamefully he died! But despite appearances, it wasn\u2019t really shameful, was it? After all, God raised him up in glory!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So, even though we don\u2019t have Jesus\u2019 original parable, we have a messy, inspired version that is still useful and challenging. But how will we respectfully use it and be honestly challenged by it if we ruin it by making it into an American story? Pilch wisely warns not to distort it into Western fundraising strategies or a how-to guide at developing a better \u201cyou.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 50: Alternate Version of the Parable of the Talents\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rtSByWoyjDQ?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 51: American Misuse of the Parable\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/x1D64G9iqC0?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PARABLES 52: Why Rediscovering Jesus the Peasant Storyteller Matters\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IIDHwkxlhoo?list=PLpvbtNpcitxzxTqpvFhdPtFEEjfaJ6NED\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading the Parable of the Talents respectfully takes work, Americans! American Christians inescapably botch the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), this Sunday\u2019s Gospel. As commentators like John Pilch and Richard Rohrbaugh are quick to point out, this is not a story about the Kingdom of God. It does not begin with the usual Matthean […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4218,"featured_media":6338,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3316,423,3319,1235,2075,3307,3325,3310,3322,2756,3313],"class_list":["post-6335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-american-catholics","tag-american-christianity","tag-american-christians","tag-gospel-of-matthew","tag-jesus-parables","tag-parable-of-the-talents","tag-sunday-gospel-reading","tag-talents-another-parable-misunderstood-by-american-christians","tag-the-parables-of-jesus","tag-u-s-catholics","tag-u-s-christians"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Talents\u2014Another Parable Misunderstood by American Christians<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Why the Parable of the Talents? 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