Today’s author is Naomi Sveholm. Naomi is a missionary teaching in Bratislava, Slovakia, and the Education Coordinator for the ELCA’s Central Europe Teachers program. To learn more about CET, follow us at www.facebook.com/elcacet or www.instagram.com/elcacet
I have a lot of experience traveling. Decisions and preparation are always first. It’s exciting to consider the destination and what to do when you are there. Booking transportation and lodging are somewhat less exciting, but no less essential for a family. As the travel approaches, packing and preparing for the things that need to be taken care of in my absence become more urgent: Will I be missing classes I need to leave materials for? Do I need to write an excuse for my children to miss school? Are we leaving long enough to arrange for our plants to be watered?
The master in this story is preparing for his journey by entrusting his household (in this case money) to his servants. He does not ask just anyone to take care of his pet or children or plants, as I would not ask someone I know to be irresponsible or unavailable, but he entrusts his money to his servants according to their abilities. He is calculating his risk and anticipating his servants’ skills and reliability while he is gone for an unspecified period.
I recently listened to a fascinating podcast discussing the role of umpires in professional baseball and whether human umpires might be replaced by robots. Statistics indicate that at the professional level, baseballs are pitched at around 95 miles an hour – and human umpires still accurately call balls and strikes about 94-97% of the time. Some of the remaining 3-6%, however, is where a more accurate call might actually make the game worse. The “compassionate umpire effect” can make the strike zone as much as 50% bigger when there’s a large point differential, a pitcher is having a tough time throwing strikes, or there’s bad weather. It’s not done consciously, but instinctively, and it cannot currently be replicated by machines calling balls and strikes in baseball.
We all make judgement calls in our own lives. As a teacher I decide whether to enforce late penalties, bump grades up or down when they’re between two marks, or allow student to redo an assignment. And as a parent I make many other judgements: how to help my child focus on a task or process his feelings, and whether to overlook or discipline a poor behavior. I also choose if and when to extend trust again after a lie or betrayal, from children, friends, or colleagues.
In this parable the master trusts three servants with his property and renders judgement on all of them. How grateful I am that God is the one who makes the final judgement, either banishment to the outer darkness or the acknowledgement “well done, good and faithful servant.”
(podcast link: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/roboump/)
Dear God,
I am not worthy of your compassion, yet you give it anyway.
Help me to let go and leave the final judgements in your hands.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen