I like this article from the Bethel Church (Redding, California) website:
http://www.ibethel.org/features/journal/index.php?f=journal.php&id=40
"...at its core, stewardship is not really about money. The foundation of true biblical stewardship is renewing our hearts and minds. If we guard our hearts and minds, the other stuff will take care of itself."
In particular, I like how it ends.
"A great steward, however, would know his master so intimately that everything the steward did would reflect the will of the master."
I've always heard of stewardship in terms of what I should do. But being a steward is different from 'doing' the stewarding. It's not about how well you handle your finances or how wisely you make your choices. It's about knowing God. It's always been about knowing God, and Him knowing us. Somehow I've always thought of the term 'steward' as a sterile concept, a servant who's emotionally detached and doesn't think for himself but only thinks 'what would my master want'. It's never occurred to me that a steward by definition must know the master well. Take Batman, for example. Alfred wasn't just his servant. Alfred was the steward of the entire personal Wayne fortune, AND Alfred was Bruce Wayne's closest and most intimate friend, and even his advisor.
Despite all that, the parable of the servants and the talents still puzzles me. I mean, I can explain it 'theologically' but it still doesn't make sense to me. Compare that parable to the parable of the prodigal son. Placed side by side, the two parables just don't make sense. One seems to suggest that God rewards productivity and expects nothing less, and the other says His heart is that of a father whose love and acceptance is never limited by anything we do (or don't do), no matter how wasteful or rebellious. And no matter how hard I try to look at the parable of the talents to find a deeper meaning of relationship or anything of the sort, I just don't see it. It remains just as plain and simple as ever - God not only rewards but expects productivity. More important (and confusing) in that parable is the implication that the stewards there represent us, but it paints the stewards in such a practical, un-relational manner even though Jesus came not to reconcile our actions to God but our hearts.
Oh well. It would be good to have the answers but I don't need to understand to be able to move on.
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To me, these 2 parables aren't contradicting each other. The servant in the parable didn't know who his Master was (I knew you to be a hard man) but the prodigal son did know who his Father was. God's love is unconditional regardless of what we do but He also does require us to be faithful and develop the talents that He has given us. To sit around with these talents, not doing anything with them is not knowing who He is at all, and of course, this also means not knowing His love.
Pretty much like an earthly dad, he will still love you regardless of what you do but he will expect you to work hard and earn your own keep and not laze around? Nevertheless, even if you don't work hard, it doesn't mean that your dad doesn't love you. It's just that his desire is for you to do well with the talents that you have.
Just my 2 cents worth, at least that's how I understand it. :)
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