Hi Friend,

When boarding a commercial jet, the mind goes to all the things that could go wrong.  It’s more than just moving at over 500 mph—you’re seven miles above the surface of the earth.  I’m nervous about climbing a ladder to clean the gutters.  I tell myself that more than 35,000 airplanes will fly the friendly skies today.  It’s unlikely even one will crash, and if even one does, what are the odds it will be THIS one?  Pretty slim!

As scary as it may be to be the passenger on a plane—or even the pilot, there is something immensely more frightening.  Who was the first guy to fly this monster?  Someone had to be first!  The engineers laid it out on the drawing board and mathematicians calculated thrust and drag and lift factors.  But all that took place on the ground.  Craftsmen built it. But they were on the ground.  The pilot is operating the controls but there have been a thousand other pilots before him to fly this kind of plane. All the pilots after the first one could rely on previous experience by another pilot.

But the first guy to sit in the cockpit, push the throttle forward and feel the plane move down the runway took a greater risk than any other pilot.

The world depends on people who take a risk. Every successful invention happened because someone was first to do it.  Chuck Yeager had to be the first to break the sound barrier, disregarding warnings from experts who claimed the human body could not sustain that kind of speed without exploding.  One man proved them wrong. And he did it by taking a risk.

The Wright brothers went even further.  On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright became the first human to fly a heavier-than-air aircraft in sustained flight.  But Orville and Wilbur didn’t just fly the plane.  They built it.  They also built the propeller and the engine.  Now that’s taking a risk.  I can’t imagine building a motor, a propeller and an airframe in my back yard and then climbing aboard to actually fly it.

Jesus gave a parable about three men who were given talents—money—by a nobleman who was leaving for another country. The first two men used the talents they were given to gain more talents, but the third buried his for fear of losing it.  Jesus calls the third man wicked.  He was too afraid of losing his talent to take a risk. As a result, he forfeited his chance of ever winning.

What is unsaid in the story is that the first two men could have lost their original talent.  What if the nobleman had returned and they had nothing to show for the investment?  There is nothing mentioned in the parable about that.  It is as if God wants us to realize that humans are made to take risks.

Businessmen take risks every day.  It requires up front capital before a dime is ever rung up on the cash register.  Often they will display their first earned dollar on a wall plague as a reminder of the risk it took to get the business started.

Athletes risk injury. Astronauts risk death as do firemen and police officers. Olympic figure skaters fall thousands of times during practice and risk falling during the presentation.  In fact, it’s the risk that makes the performance exciting.

Every worthwhile thing in life has an inherent risk. Marriage, signing a mortgage, having children.  Maybe it was the Passover service that reminds me of something overlooked by Christians.

There are people who believe God has never taken a risk. They believe Jesus came to the earth with a guarantee of success. They believe it was impossible for Him to fail.  The question those people must answer is, “Would God require more of human beings than he required of his own son?”  Is there less required of the King of Kings than is required of the humans He rules?

Paul makes an interesting observation about Jesus who became the High Priest of all mankind.  Referring to Jesus he says, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared.” (Heb. 5:7)

What did Jesus fear?   If there was no risk of failure, why did He cry out to God to be saved?

To become like Jesus Christ, to allow Him to live through you, requires a step of faith.  Faith without risk is not faith.  But fear not! The One who passed out the talents was the One who took the ultimate risk.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien