Risk and Reward

November 16, 2014

Judges 4:1-7

Matthew 25:14-30

I once read a story, during the recession of the late 1980s, about a man who walked into a Las Vegas
casino with a suitcase full of money. He exchanged it all for a handful of chips, walked over to the roulette
table, and bet everything on black. If you dont know anything about gambling, the game of roulette has a
large wheel full of numbers. A player can bet on any individual number, or particular groups of numbers,
and the odds of winning vary with each group. Each number is either red or black and so betting on either
red or black has about a one in two, or fifty percent, chance of winning, but also a fifty percent chance of
losing. As it turned out, the man won and since the odds of winning were one in two, he doubled his
money, cashed out his chips, refilled his suitcase, and went home. He was later quoted as saying that the
money he had bet was his life savings. He was so depressed over the terrible state of the economy he
figured that he might was well double his nest egg, or lose it all.
From our point of view, most people would think that he was terribly foolish. But his willingness to risk
everything was the crucial ingredient in his good fortune. Risking everything was what allowed him to
win. Or, think of it this way, his luck was only possible because of what he was willing to risk.
In June of 1942, during the battle of Midway, Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, decided to take a risk.
Instead of following standard Navy practice and waiting to launch a coordinated attack from several
American aircraft carriers, he launched the planes from his ship early, which in turn, caused the planes
from all of the other ships to be launched piecemeal instead of all at once. His thinking was that even
though American losses from such a piecemeal attack were expected to be higher, the result would be to
keep the Japanese aircraft carriers from launching an effectively coordinated counter attack. He was right.
But more than that, since several of the attack formations got lost on the way to the Japanese fleet, because
of their staggered launches, they accidentally, or luckily, arrived at the same time. This was also precisely
the same time that the planes from the Japanese combat air patrol, the planes that were intended to defend
the fleet from an aerial attack, were busy chasing the previous wave of American planes and were thus too
far away to provide any additional protection.
The decisive American victory at Midway had a lot to do with luck, but much of that good fortune came
about because of the willingness of Admiral Spruance and the other commanders to take risks.
All of life is about risk.
When we send our kids to school, there is a risk to their safety and to what sorts of things they might be
exposed to. When we choose to go on to college we take a risk that the cost of education will be repaid by
our increased earning power after school. When we go on vacation, we take a risk that we will have a good
time and that there will not be too many accidents, disasters, or other things that would make staying home
sound better. Our hope is that by taking a risk, we can gain something more, something better, than what
we already have.
Our life of faith is similar.
In Judges 4:1-7, we meet Deborah, a prophetess whom God had sent to bring the people of God back to
repentance. Many people had no use for God until the army of the Canaanites conquered Israel and
enslaved its people.
1

And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 And the Lord
sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was
Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3 Then the people of Israel cried to the Lord for help; for he had
nine hundred chariots of iron, and oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
4

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit
under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the people of
Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abino-am from Kedesh in
Naphtali, and said to him, The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, Go, gather your men at Mount
Tabor, taking ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out
Sisera, the general of Jabins army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I
will give him into your hand.
As the people are oppressed, they remember that it was God who had saved them countless times before
and they begin to cry out to him once again. As they do so, God speaks to his prophetess, Deborah, to tell
Barak that God had commanded him to raise an army and march against the Canaanites and their general
Sisera. If they do, God promises to deliver the enemy into their hands and make Israel victorious over their
enemy.
But doing what God commands is risky.
If God is not with them, if they are not victorious, not only will they all die, but their families, their
villages, and the entire nation will suffer from the revenge and retaliation of the Canaanites. Obeying God
was a huge risk, but by doing so, by taking that risk, Israel drove out the Canaanites and regained their
freedom.
This same idea of risk and reward is found in Jesus parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.
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For it will be as when a man going on a journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property;
to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went
away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them; and he made five talents
more. 17 So also, he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one
talent went and dug in the ground and hid his masters money.
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19

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who
had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me
five talents; here I have made five talents more. 21 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.
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 did not winnow; 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 sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed?
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. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29
For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not,

even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.
Each of the servants was entrusted with some of the masters money with the understanding and
assumption that they would take some risk with the money so that they could earn more. We understand
from the parable that by doing something with the money, that each servant took a risk that they might lose
money.
The servant that did not take a risk is condemned for playing it safe.
The master assumed that giving the money to his servants was riskier than investing or entrusting his
money to the bankers. Leaving his money in the bank was the safe thing to do. But this is exactly what the
master chooses not to do. The lesson for us is that this is a description of the kingdom of God and the
judgment of humanity. God has given us gifts that he expects us to use. We are the servants in the story.
God has given us gifts with the assumption that we will take some risks.
God expects us to take risks.
And we struggle with that. We like to play it safe. We like safety and security. We like to do what we
have done before. We hold on to what is familiar.
Risk is scary.
But the masters money was never intended to be safe in the bank. He expected that his servants would
take risks so that his investments, his kingdom, could grow. If we want to do what God commands, we
must sometimes do things that seem risky. And that scares us.
Risking in order to obey God is how Deborah gained freedom for the nation of Israel. The servant that did
not take a risk was condemned for playing it safe.
If we want Gods reward, if we want to increase the investment that he has made in us, we cant always
play it safe.
We will have to take some risks.

You have been reading a message presented at Trinity United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.
Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Trinity of Perry heights in Massillon, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our
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