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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All Harbingers of Hope, Keepers of the Copyright, and Protectors of an Inviolate Text, hear this:
From the parable of the talents: The servant who had received only the one talent came forward, saying to his master: "...I was afraid to risk aught of that which was intrusted to me. I safely hid your talent in the earth; here it is; you now have what belongs to you." (1917)
But to the one who buried his talent, his master replied:
"You are an indolent and slothful servant...." And then to the Chief Steward, this lord said: "Take away this one talent from this unprofitable servant and give it to him who has the ten talents."
The parable of the talents arose during discussion round the campfire at Gethsemane, just three days before Jesus was crucified. Thomas had inquired of Jesus:
"...what should be our attitude while you are away on the Father's business?" Jesus' reply included the parable of the talents, and this comment: "Truth is living; the Spirit of Truth is ever leading the children of light into new realms of spiritual reality and divine service. You are not given truth to crystallize into settled, safe, and honored forms. Your revelation of truth must be so enhanced by passing through your personal experience that new beauty and actual spiritual gains will be disclosed to all who behold your spiritual fruits and in consequence thereof are led to glorify the Father who is in heaven.
"What a sorry sight for successive generations of the professed followers of Jesus to say, regarding their stewardship of divine truth: 'Here, Master, is the truth you committed to us a hundred or a thousand years ago. We have lost nothing; we have faithfully preserved all you gave us; we have allowed no changes to be made in that which you taught us; here is the truth you gave us.'
"But such a plea concerning spiritual indolence will not justify the barren steward of truth in the presence of the Master. In accordance with the truth committed to your hands will the Master of truth require a reckoning." (1918)
Now, if the steward with the one talent had taken the others to court for actually doing something with what had been entrusted to them, what would have been his master's response? Would he have given this unprofitable servant a commendation?
Everybody who thinks in terms of "spreading the message" by handing out the complete and inviolate text of the Urantia Papers must surely have missed reading the comments accompanying the parable of the talents. And not only this but other comments from the revelators confirm that we are not meant to crystallize the truths provided to us. "Static truth is dead truth," we are told, "and only dead truth can be held as a theory. Living truth is dynamic and can enjoy only an experiential existence in the human mind." Then there is the exhortation on p. 43:
"The religious challenge of this age is to those farseeing and forward-looking men and women of spiritual insight who will dare to construct a new and appealing philosophy of living..." What is then stated can hardly be construed in any other way than we are to take what the revelators have provided and recast it in forms suitable for all the peoples of this blighted planet. Surely food for thought?
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