Net Worth, Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed three lessons from Jesus’ Parable of the Net. In this parable, the fisherman represents God, and we are the fish he “catches” in his net. We don’t have the responsibility or the ability to select who is in or out of the net, or the kingdom of God.

And so we learned about God’s movement, our identity, God’s responsibility and our role.

In this post, I want to take a little more time to discuss our role, described in a second analogy that differs from the net: “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matt. 13: 52b-53).

Teacher and Student

First of all, a scribe is someone who is both a teacher and is being taught. In other words, to step into the place into which I’ve been called means I’m always learning. I’m always learning. I never just sort of settle in.

In other words, I am not a passive fish lying on the beach. That’s not the whole story. So we are people who are looking for opportunities, asking God to make room for opportunities for us to be the one to pass on what we believe. And, like any good teacher, this is not just a question of giving out information, but actually trying to model something of what we know, because the Christian faith is an embodied faith. It’s not just a series of doctrines; it is something that actually changes lives.

In fact, more importantly so, all of us, regardless of our up-front gifts, have both the calling and the capacity to express something, to express the gospel in some way that actually begins to have an impact on the life of another person.

Treasure and Truth

But what it is, then, that we are expressing? Going back to the parable, “brings out of his treasure.” In other words, the one to whom the scribe is likened is, in essence, the chief of staff in a mansion. This person literally has at his disposal everything on the estate, everything from antiques that go back hundreds and hundreds of years to the latest tech gadget that just showed up. And in fact, all of us in this vessel have at our disposal all that God has given us.

You see, our temptation is to lock in to our particular preference for a certain kind of furniture, whether it be mid-century modern or 19th-century antique. And therefore, we have the tendency to think about that as sort of the epitome of good craftsmanship or popular decorating style.

And the warning of the parable is to say no, you actually have the whole house, so please don’t see it through the lens of that one 19th-century chair. Or to make the analogy continue, don’t look at all of Christianity through Martin Luther. Or St. Augustine. Or the latest Pentecostal move of the Spirit. All, as Paul says again and again, all things are yours. Literally, the whole counsel of God.

Movements capture a point in history and make that the lodestar for the way they view everything else. The kingdom is bigger, much bigger.

Resources and Responsibility

And so, who are we? We have a huge, vast set of resources. Sure, there will always be places where we resonate. A young friend I follow on Twitter has been quoting Augustine’s confessions. There’s a new translation out, and he’s quoting the things he really likes. And because I know a little bit about his life, I know the reason the Confessions are so meaningful to him is they articulate a longing for freedom he has yet to experience.

But he’s actually using the very thing the parable commands. It’s not just, “I once was lost but now I’m found,” even though that’s where we almost all start. But it’s learning languages and ways to express that which God is doing because we’re invited to be a part of it.

So are we the ones who in the end, determine who gets in and who doesn’t? No, we’re just fish on the beach. But that role doesn’t mean we don’t have a responsibility. And that responsibility is to both learn and communicate by who we are and where, how we express what it is that we know, doing all that we can, actually, as lifelong learners, to be good stewards of the vastness of the estate that has been given us.

How are you and/or your church a good steward of God’s treasure? Share this blog and your response on Twitter. Please include my username, @revgregbrewer.

(This post is an adaption of Bishop Brewer’s sermon on August 3, 2017, in the Bishop’s Oratory of the Diocesan Office, Orlando.)

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

PHOTO: © Robert Kneschke