This is Part 5 in a series. Part1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 can be found in the corresponding links.
Jesus developed His ability
It would be easy to dismiss such examples because Jesus was the Son of God. But He was fully man, and just as He developed physically, He developed His innate ability as well.
For example, in Luke 2:46-47 we see Jesus at twelve years old asking questions in the Temple that amazed the older religious leaders. He was digging into God’s Word, thinking through theological issues at twelve years old while other twelve-year olds were probably out playing games.
Then, as we’ve seen, when Jesus was teaching the crowds by the Sea of Galilee, He got into a boat, pushed away from shore, and began to teach. In a time when there were no microphones or speakers, this was an innovation which no doubt improved the impact of His teaching ministry.
Experience as a development tool
One has to be careful when trying to ring too much doctrine out of parables, but in thinking about the Parable of the Talents, I wonder about the word “immediately,” when Jesus says the first servant “immediately” went out and gained 5 more talents.
One reason one knows immediately how to do something is because they’ve done it before. I remember watching the movie The Fugitive starring Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford. When Ford’s character escapes and the FBI shows up, led by Jones, Jones immediately starts barking out orders about what to do. You get it immediately—this man is extremely competent. He’s doesn’t hesitate. He knows exactly what to do. It’s a common method used by filmmakers to portray competence.
I remember when I was a young attorney, and I clearly saw the importance of experience. I figured most attorneys worked 40 hours per week. So, if I worked 60 hours, after 10 years I would have the equivalent of 15 years’ experience. Working harder was not an issue of making more money but of developing my ability through experience.
Imitation as a development tool
Jesus’ remark about the second servant suggests something as well. Jesus said, “In the same manner” the second servant gained 2 talents. That suggests imitation.
Imitation is a way to develop ability because it leverages someone else’s experience. I can read a book written by an experience trial lawyer and gain benefits that took him or her years to learn.
I did just this when I was a young attorney. Gerry Spence was perhaps the greatest trial lawyer of the generation immediately before me, I read every book he wrote. In one book he talked about how he learned to deal with the problem of the plaintiff’s attorney who objects during your opening statement. This is a common tactic used to break an opponent’s rhythm and make him look incompetent if the judge sustains the objections.
Spence wrote that he had learned the solution to this problem was to not object during opposing counsel’s opening statement. Then, when Spence got up to speak, he would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, you may have noticed that I did not object during Mr. Smith’s opening statement because I wanted you to have the benefit of hearing him out without interruption. I’m confident he will show me the same courtesy.”
So, I tried it in my next trial, and it worked! It may have taken Gerry Spence twenty years of trying cases to figure out that tactic, but it only took me the time required to read a few pages from his book.
Development toward successful stewardship
These are just a few examples of how to develop ability and become a competent steward of the work God has entrusted to us. The possibilities are endless.
But it starts with accepting the responsibility God has entrusted to us, and recognizing what God expects from us in our work. GS
