The Schindler Moment ...

If you haven’t guessed yet, one of my favorite movies of all time is Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List”.  There are too many things to list that I like about it, but what sticks with me, what is stuck in my mind that lives on undimmed by failing memory, is the moment near the end of the film.  [Spoiler Alert]  Oscar, realizes that he has saved a great many Jewish people by trading money to essentially buy them from the Nazi’s.  He has spent his fortune doing it.  But at the end, he realizes that perhaps he could have done more.  All the money wasted, the gold jewelry he is still wearing, all of it, any of it, could have been used to perhaps add one more name to his list.  The people he did save try desperately to comfort him, but he breaks down weeping at the magnitude of the loss of just one more person, someone he would likely not even have known very well, if at all.  His tears jump right off the movie screen and tear through me like a blender.  I call it the Schindler moment.  And what is clear to me, starkly clear to me, is that I am bound to share in it.  Each of us bound to face that same moment.  In the light of eternal joy, where love of others finally rules who we are, we will look in our heavenly mirrors and begin to weep, that we too, could have done more.  We could have loved more.  Cared more.  Done just a little more for someone else in need who will be missing eternity, perhaps in part, because of our own inaction.

Let me be clear.  This is not about salvation.  We will be saved.  It is not about perfection.  We will have been made finally completely perfect by Jesus Christ.  But it is only in that perfection of loving others perfectly that we will see the lives we have lived in this holocaust of Satan and know in the truth of our own hearts, that we simply could have done more.  And those tears are going to tear through us like a blender.  That is the ultimate judgment day, the day we finally see inside, and judge what we know is true.  It is my belief that when scripture records our God wiping away our tears, it will be those tears that require His mercy.  And the horror of this, is that we were, and we are, warned of it.  Jesus Himself gave us a parable of it, but I think we so often miss the true point of what He was saying.  In the gospel of Matthew written to his Hebrew contemporaries, picking up in chapter 25.  Jesus shifts the perspective of His second coming from the conditions that precede it, to the mission that precedes it.  What He now outlines is not so much what to be looking for before His coming, but what to be doing.  That mission is the literal salvation … of others.

It picks up in verse 14 as Jesus says … “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.”  This will be a parable, a story, an analogy of the work.  The man is our Lord Jesus Christ.  He travels to a far country, perhaps to places that needed Jesus before western Christian society was ever able, if not inclined, to travel to find native peoples.  Where He goes we do not know, only that it was a faraway country.  But this does not mean that the work He leaves behind is unimportant.  He calls “His own servants”.  These are not random strangers folks, this is you and me, followers of Jesus Christ.  And what does He give them?  He gives them His treasures.  Now our human minds immediately assume it is money.  Money is the currency we understand.  Money is most often what we crave.  But even if this were true, beyond the illustration of the story, any money gained will NOT be for us.  It is ALL given back.  So there is no “human” profit to be gained in this story.  I believe then, that money is NOT what the Lord values.  Keep in mind, he paves the streets of heaven with pure gold, making gold nothing more than concrete up there.

What our Lord does value, what He was literally willing to give His own life for, was you and me.  It is people that are the true treasure of the Lord.  People are His currency.  Not what we think of as money.  This distinction is important to the rest of the parable.  Jesus continues in verse 15 saying … “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.”  It is our Lord Himself who decides how much of His treasure to invest with us as He leaves on His trip to a far country.  I would bet He leaves more treasure with those who understand transformation best.  With those who have learned to submit, and learned to love like He loves.  As transformation is a journey, not all of us are at the same place at the same time.  Some are farther along, some have only begun.  So I would bet treasure is apportioned out to us based on our abilities to nurture it.  Notice though, as soon as the allocations are made, He immediately leaves.  Perhaps there is an urgent need for our Lord, where we have unable or unwilling to go.

Jesus continues in verse 16 saying … “Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. [verse 17] And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. [verse 18] But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.” It is interesting how the process of growing God’s treasures works.  It begins with the word “went”.  The one entrusted with 5 talents did not stay home.  They did not stay isolated.  They went out.  They met with others.  They interacted.  They likely loved others, and the love drew them to inquire about this Lord Jesus everyone was speaking of.  Inquiry, leads to interest, leading to the lure of His love, leading the new treasure to Jesus for themselves.  What began as a small team of five with a leader, evolves to a small team of ten under that leader/servant.  Yes, the analogy is written in the financial terms that would catch our attention, but the translation into heavenly currency of value, is the translation of cash into souls.

The team leader of two, did the same thing.  He went out.  He interacted.  He loved.  And the same result occurred, just on a smaller scale.  What was intended for the man only given one, was to find only ONE more soul for the kingdom.  No need for evangelism.  No need for mission work in the fields.  Perhaps just to focus his efforts on just one soul at work, or one at home.  Just one person.  But this servant only maintained the treasure of the Lord.  Now think about that.  Jesus does NOT lose money on this person.  He just does not gain anyone else.  This Christian was content to just work on his own salvation, not try to help anyone else with theirs.  Not even one more.  Just himself.  He buries the treasure he was given in order to return it as he found it, nothing better or worse about it.

Jesus continues the story in verse 19 saying … “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. [verse 20] And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. [verse 21] His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  Here is where the rubber meets the road.  Jesus is happy with the results of the man with his initial team of five becoming now ten.  “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”.  And here is irony.  Jesus sees this as only a few things.  From our perspective this was the guy who got the most in this story.  But from the perspective of the Lord, this was only an initial test investment of a “few things”.  But, given the performance, it is time to increase the investment with this person.  More treasure will be entrusted with him. 

And then comes the key phrase we usually gloss right over – “enter thou into the joy of thy Lord”.  The servant did not make any money, all that currency, all that treasure still belongs to Jesus.  So what is the joy this servant is now going to enter into.  It is not his own salvation, that was assumed from the start.  It is not heaven, the servant was already going there.  What is different?  There will be five more people in heaven than there was before, because of the work, and the love of this faithful servant.  That addition of five more people onto the heavenly list if you will, is a joy this servant will know for all of eternity.  The presence of these new five people will be an everlasting joy.  As they marry, or have kids, or just have you over to dinner some random Sabbath in the eons of time in heaven – the joy of knowing them, of loving them will have no end to it.  Company.  Proximity.  Companionship.  People, are the infinite joy when viewed in the context of eternity.  And it is people that are the joy of our Lord, in which He now invites us to share with Him.

Jesus repeats this same outcome as He continues in verse 22 saying … “He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. [verse 23] His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  Just because some other guy was entrusted with five treasures, does not make the entrusting of two of any less value.  Think about that math.  Each treasure is priceless.  Therefore, the addition of two is just as valuable as the addition of five.  And our Lord is just as happy with the servant who was given two and turned that into four, as He was with the guy with five who turned it into ten.  The same exact reward is given.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  It is the joy of the Lord that is offered.  Not heaven.  Not salvation.  Those things were already in the destiny of a servant of Jesus Christ.  What is more than that is the infinite treasure of more souls in His Kingdom we will get to spend eternity with.  Even two more is awesome!!

And so it comes back to the one guy.  Jesus continues in verse 24 saying … “Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: [verse 25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.”  There are many important themes in this interaction.  First, the man is afraid of His Lord.  Why?  Is it possible his image of God is one of a “hard” God looking to punish us for what we do, instead of helping us to do better?  Is it possible this man believes salvation is a burden he must carry, and the work of his own salvation is so great he has no time or energy for someone else?  Or is that just how we think?  The image this servant has of his God is not a good one.  But it does imply that our God gets results from the most unlikely places (perhaps from the most unlikely people).  At the end of his excuses, he hands back over the soul he was entrusted with to his Lord.  If these talents are truly other people, the unfortunate side effect of this approach, is that he has taught the other talent/person to focus on himself as well, not to be used in the redemptive mission of our Lord.

Jesus responds in verse 26 … “His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: [verse 27] Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. [verse 28] Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.”  Ouch!  Notice the choice of reprimand Jesus has for His servant.  First, He does not disown His servant.  But He is very disappointed with the performance of His servant.  “Wicked” and “slothful” or lazy if you prefer.  Even if the servant has a poor image of what God does (reaping a harvest from the most unlikely places), the servant should have at least attempted to grow the investment incrementally.  That is to say teaching both himself, and the treasure/talent he was entrusted with, to grow a relationship or a transformation that bears some results (even if not the whole enchilada).  Because this servant failed to do this, the error in example had to be corrected.  The treasure/talent was taken from this servant and given to the man who now has ten talents/treasures under his care.  The idea here is that this talent will now learn for himself what it means to truly get out there and participate in the redemptive mission of Christ.

Any Christian who thinks working on themselves is the only part of their mission they should care about should consider the example of the last servant in this analogy.  This still is not about salvation.  This still is not about heaven.  This is about what will be missing from heaven.  Jesus continues picking up in verse 29 saying … “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. [verse 30] And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Those Christians who love like Jesus loves CANNOT ignore the needs of others.  It is hardwired into them.  It is the driving motivation in their lives.  It is not something they do part time (or never).  It is something they do incessantly, just like Jesus does.  For it is Jesus who transforms us as we submit ourselves to Him, remaking us exactly like He is.  Teaching us to love like He does.  It is in this transformation that perfect obedience can be born, in the passionate love of others.

What the fate of this last servant shows is perhaps one of two ideas.  First, either that he was mistaken entirely about how salvation works, never allowing Jesus to purge the sin in him, and teach him how to passionately love others.  Therefore, cast even out of eternity itself.  Or far more frightening.  The grace of our Lord can cover any and every sin, even selfishness (especially because selfishness is at the root of every sin).  So perhaps the servant remains in heaven, but is given a glimpse at the horror of not having just added one more soul to the ranks of eternity.  The Schindler moment in full and living color (or rather darkness in black and white).  This is the far scarier idea.  Because it forces us to see inside and realize our failure, our waste of His resources, of the time He gave us, of the love He showered upon us.  We see His perfect work and our broken tool of a response.  We see that because of what we failed to do, just one more soul may be missing from the ranks of the redeemed in heaven.  It is not that we save anyone.  But what we contribute to the redemptive mission of Jesus is real tangible love in the here and now – or a full lack of it.  It will be our apathy that brings us horror.  It will cause great weeping and gnashing of teeth.  And ultimately, I believe it will require the hand of a loving God to wipe away our tears lest we cry them forever.

This is a picture Jesus offers of the work we are to be engaged in before He comes back.  It is not about signs, or at least external signs.  It is about how we respond to His transformative love.  Do we embrace it and join Him to enter in to the joy of our Lord?  Or do we push it back, choosing to focus only on self, or even mostly on self, to the exclusion of others in great need all around us.  One thing I know, a Schindler moment is coming for all of us, for each of us.  There is no avoiding it.  And its tears are going to rip right through us like a blender.  All we can do, is not continue to waste the love He offers, but to employ it in reaching out to those in so great need.  We cannot avoid or defer our moment.  But perhaps we can build a great crowd of comforters to hold us in our day of sadness, like the Jews that Oscar saved tried so desperately to hold and comfort him.  That will have to be enough.

But Jesus had even more lessons to share regarding His second coming …