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Twenty-six      The BRONZEMAN

[image: the drawing of a book on top and a scroll with the text "The Field of Religion" with fronds on either end of the scroll. There is also a building on the left end of the scroll and a cross on the right end of the scroll.]]

Sermon This Month
By The Rev. Solomon Porter Hood, Dean of Theology, Paul Quinn, College, Waco, Texas.

TEXT: Occupy Till I Come, Luke 19:13.
THEME: Accountability of Stewardship.

There are two parables very much alike. This one of the Pounds from which the text is taken and the one in Matt. 25:14–30 of the Talents. Both are to emphasize the responsibility and accountability for opportunity and endowment for usefulness.

The parable in Matthew is to demonstrate difference of ability, but in this one the idea is all whatever their ability have been given an opportunity. All receive the same amount, a pound, and though one had so traded as to increase his one pound to ten and another to five, yet all depended upon their activity in trading as to what each should gain.

Jesus was closing his earthly career. It was the last year of his earthly ministry. He had encountered so much bitter opposition this last year that he had to at different times withdraw to sections distant from Jerusalem to avoid being killed before his time to die. In the two previous years he had been very careful and guarded, withholding many things, but now the time had come for him to deliver his closing declaration; and to bring home to the Jews their neglect of the great opportunity God had given them. Their Lord, like a nobleman who had gone into a far country, had left them in charge of gifts they were to use for his benefit.

Jesus would teach that his kingdom would come through their work. They must use what he would put in their hands in carrying out his great purposes. The kingdom would not come immediately by a miraculous stroke of divine power, but through a process of human service.

Just as the nobleman had gone away for a special purpose and left ten pounds in the hands of servants, that they were to use in trading to make some profits, so would He go, leaving in the hands of men valuable gifts which they could use for upbuilding of his kingdom on earth.

A better rendition of the word "OCCUPY" used in the text, would be "TRADE" till I come. In fact, in the 15th verse, it is used for when the Nobleman returns to reckon with his servants as to what they had done with the pound, he commanded these servants to be called to find out how much each one had gained by "trading."

Here is set forth the correct and practical meaning of what ought to be meant by the common expression getting religion. What does it mean to get religion? Ordinarily, it signifies that some divine power has come from on high which assures of the forgiveness of sin and fits one for heaven. Perhaps it does mean this, but it ought to mean a power to do something in this world, some service to mankind, some character development, some moral gain. Getting religion too often means a mystical feeling inexplainable that makes one happy in church and assures him God will take him to heaven when he dies. Let this be true, but this will never truly save the world. Our Lord has gone to heaven and left this world in our charge. It faces us as a great challenge to the powers he has given us.

The thing that heightens our responsibility, that makes living itself a solemn thing is that God has given us the means with which to do. The nobleman GAVE each one a pound. His servants did not have to look for or create or make this pound. The nobleman gave it to them. Perhaps it would be impossible to tell the great things God has given us. Our wonderful bodies, our spirits created in his image, our opportunities. Perhaps there is no class to whom the responsibility comes with greater force or more solemn obligation than the hundreds of educated young men and women coming from our high schools and colleges at this season.

Young people many of whose fathers and mothers have been for ten, fifteen and  even twenty years making every possible sacrifice and racking their brains in these embarrassing times to get the money to pay board, tuition and for clothing. Faculties often of the most learned men and women concentrating their thought and deepest anxious effort trying to impart knowledge and mold and develop character.

Then the very period at which these young people have been born and the environment in which they have lived, an age of the greatest advancement the world has seen. The educated man of today is a recipient of the great stream of literature, art, science, invention and religion that comes down through the ages.

Just as it is impossible to calculate the worth and the value of all that comes to us from our opportunities, our wonderful system of education, our environment and what we inherit from past ages, is it impossible to calculate our responsibility and accountability. What will we do with these pounds that were given to us to trade with?

Thousands of hearts will beat high at graduation. They will walk across the campus in cap and gown, thrilled with the thought that they are educated. They will take their ribbon bound diploma with a gentle calm bow but with hearts bounding in inexpressible joy that they have completed a course and are going out. Let each remember all this is but a trust committed to his care by an absent Lord who will come and ask him what he has done with it. Let us each remember it is his to take his pound and gain ten, to double his worth and his usefulness to the world by a conscientious use of what has been given him.

One servant is here given who complained that he did nothing with his pound on account of the difficulties he would meet. How often is it true people account for failure this way. They say there were so many difficulties, obstacles, discouragement, yet right in the same world under the exact same conditions others having no more than they, are making a grand success.

The history of mankind proves there is no power without that can defeat us if we will simply use what God has given us. Our absent Lord will return not simply to speak words of approbation for what we may have accomplished with what he has left in our charge, but to give us greater power and dominion for what we have shown ourselves capable of doing. Even God Almighty trusts those who show themselves worthy of being trusted.

Thus, these great life lessons of realizing our responsibilities, faithfully and courageously discharging them, and our accountability to God for what he has given, come to us all, but especially to those who have had the blessed privileges afforded in our educational institutions.