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Morning Meditation
May 19, 2026
Reading: Matthew 25:14-30 The Parable of the Talents
“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. At once the one who had received the five talents went off and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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“Mitch, there’s a big confusion in this country over what we want verses what we need,” Morrie said, “You need food, you want a chocolate sundae. You have to be honest with yourself. You don’t need the latest sports car; you don’t need the biggest house. The truth is you don’t get satisfaction from those things. You know what really gives you satisfaction?”
“What, Morrie?” I asked.
“Offering others what you have to give.” Morrie Schwartz in Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, 1997.
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Meditation by Glenn Beamer
I’ll cut to the chase – the parable about the master and his slaves is not about investment strategies! Today we struggle to see Jesus as a master, let alone a slave owner, but this parable is about the non-material gifts God has endowed in each of us, and how we discern, accept, and build upon those gifts. God endows us so that we can connect and relate to each other to reveal God’s love for us.
With apologies to our Redeemer UVa alumni, the University of Virginia was the only place I deliberately engaged in academic subterfuge. The University had an honor code, which had a single sanction – expulsion from the University. I perceived this created three times as many liars as it revealed – students rationalizing their malfeasance & covering up for their friends. Expulsion precluded 19-year-olds learning from their mistakes and redeeming themselves
In my fall urban politics class there was a student, Graham (not his real name), who sat in the back scowling. If I had allowed it he would have worn this filthy UVa baseball cap. His midterm was a mess. He didn’t know the difference between primary source documents and published scholarship, so I taught him. I made him rewrite his essays. Ironically, he moved up one row, stopped the scowl, and participated in class.
At course end, Graham submitted a plagiarized paper. I confronted him; if he admitted to it, we would avoid the honor council.
Graham admitted what we both knew. He wrote an original paper, and I assessed grade penalties. I made him watch the movie “Scent of a Woman,” and write a 10-page annotated paper on the ethical conundrums therein. He complied fully.
I did not know Graham well, but I knew that he was on the UVa tennis team and that his family was incredibly wealthy – owning resorts in California and a 1500-acre horse farm near Lexington, Virginia. My perception was that Graham was a gifted kid, yet he needed help to see God’s gifts within himself.
One spring evening Graham appeared at my apartment. With some apprehension I let him in; his mother had died and he had 12 & 14-year-old siblings. Graham’s parents were divorced and his father was an alcoholic and cocaine addict, prone to rage and violence. I helped Graham get a therapist.
On my daily 5k runs I’d stop and watch the UVa tennis team practice. The next year I became the academic advisor for the tennis team. One afternoon Graham said to me, “Professor Beamer, do you know what the problem with my family having all this money is?”
“Please, enlighten me.”
Graham paused and relayed, “Our wealth means my dad will never be held accountable… there will always be private rehab centers, there will always be top-flight lawyers, and some relative will write enough checks to bail him out.”
Graham’s perception educated and humbled me. He was and remains a gifted kid. He’s developed a successful law practice. More importantly, he and his wife are raising two children. When Graham graduated, he gave me my first copy of Tuesdays with Morrie. I remain grateful.
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