Parable of the Talents

MATTHEW 25: 14-30. Parable of the Talents
(Bible quotes are from the New English Bible, unless otherwise stated)

Parables: (Drane J. Introduction to the NewTestament.)
p.125 ....in general, each of the parables of Jesus has only one main point.... In the parable of the talents ...... at least two simple points seem to be made ...... the main point of this story must be to emphasise the connection between individual responsibility and ultimate judgement. But there is another emphasis that may be just as important, for the master went far beyond his legal or his moral obligation by generously entrusting his property to his servants.

p. 130 .... Those who accept God's rule in their lives must make good use of God's provision for them. They must act responsibly, using the resources God has given them, and like the unjust steward (Luke 16 1-8) they should always be ready to face their master.

V 14.
'It is like a man going abroad, who called his servants and put his capital in their hands;
The master went away for a long time.

Jesus has physically left us for a long time.

The master left his servants in charge of his property. He was generous, trusting. He must have had faith in his servants' ability and felt he had chosen his servants well, trained them well and was able to delegate responsibility to them. He knew their capabilities.

God has faith in us, knows our potential and our capabilities.

V 15
......to one he gave five bags of gold, to another two, to another one, each according to his capacity.
The master entrusted his money/his property to his servants, according to their capabilities.

he did not expect more from them than they were able
he knew their potential

New Bible Commentary, p.938: God recognises that we are all different and expects of us only what is appropriate.

*** God knows our potential better than we do. Paart of our responsibility is to recognise our God-given abilities and to respect them. God expects us to manage not only our personal gifts, but also the property he has given us - material things, environment.

V16, 17
Then he left the country. The man who had the five bags went at once and employed them inbusiness, and made a profit of five bags, and the man who had two bags made two.
Two servants worked hard and wisely and doubled their master's money. Not a bad profit - 100%!! They probably also took some risks.

***God expects the same of us - hard work, using the gifts he has given us to the best advantage and maybe taking some risks as well.

V18
But the man who had been given one bag of gold went off and dug a hole in th ground, and hid his master's money.
The third servant hid the money - played it safe. He had a 'maintenance budget'. He was fearful of the master (unnecessarily), did not use initiative and was lacking in confidence. He had no understanding of what the master wanted. He misjudged the master.

***It is important that we get to know our Master, Jesus, so we understand his intentions for us and his faith in us. In knowing how he thinks of us, we understand our own potential better.

V 19.
A long time afterwards their master returned, and proceeded to settle accounts with them.
The master finally returned. How would the three servants have felt about his return?:

Nos 1 & 2: pleased with what they had achieved, excited in anticipation of the master's delight and surprise at what they had achieved
No 3: relieved the master had come home so that he would no longer have the responsibility of keeping the money safe, maybe aprehensive of teh master's mood, expecting approval for his caution and care of the money.

Vs 20-23
The man who had been given the five bags of gold came and produced the five he had made: "Master," he said, "you left five bags with me; look, I have made five more." "Well done, my good and trusty servant!" said the master. "You have proved trustworthy in a small way; I will now put you in charge of something big. Come and share your master's delight." The man with the two bags came and said, "Master, you left two bags with me; look, I have made two more." "Well done, my good and trusty servant!" said the master. "You have proved trustworthy in a small way; I will now put you in charge of something big. Come and share your master's delight."

Servants 1 & 2 presented their profits to the master and were commended for their trustworthyness (NIV: faithfulness).
Their rewards?:

greater responsibility
a chance to join in with the master in celebrating. (The Message says that the master told them "be my partner")

Trusworthyness / faithfulness includes

understanding what the master requires.
a willingness to be obedient
a willingness to take some chances (calculated risks) - maybe risk being seen as a fool by other people.
persistence and patience - not allowing ourselves to be sidetracked when things get a bit difficult.

The New Bible Commentary (p.938): We are to use God's gifts responsibly, but also adventurously.

Vs 24, 25
Then the man who had been given one bag came and said, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man: you reap where you have not sown, and gather where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your gold in the ground. Here it is - you have what belongs to you."
Servant 3 demonstrated a lack of understanding of the master's personality.
He says

he is a hard man (God can be a stern disciplinarian when we need discipline, but is not harsh. He disciplines with love.)
he harvests where he has not sown (does he imply that the master is unscrupulous and dishonest? God is always fair and just.)
he is someone to be afraid of. (God is not a person to be afraid of. He is only to be 'feared' in the sense of being respected and revered. We should be in awe of him, but not afraid.)

The New Bible Commentary (p. 938): If we mistakenly view God as a hard taskmaster, it will be hard for us to respond to him in a loving and open way.
Such a response from us is important in developing a close relationship with God.

Vs 26, 27
"You lazy rascal (NIV: wicked, lazy servant)!" said the master. "You knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered? Then you ought to have put my money on deposit, and on my return I should have got it back with interest."
The master's reaction to Servant 3 was not what he expected. He calls him 'lazy'- if he had really thought the master reaped where he hadn't sown, etc., he would have at least put the money so mewhere where it would have earned interest. The master correctly saw through the servant's excuses - his reasons for his lack of activity were just an excuse for his laziness.

Can 'fear of God' be an excuse for laziness and self-centredness on our part? How much of our failure to act and our procrastination in doing God's work is from laziness and self-centredness? What excuses do we make? Who are we aiming to please - ourselves or God?

I don't have the skills. Someone else would do it better. What if I don't do it right? Surely this excuse is a result of our lack of faith in God and trust in his judgement.
I don't have the time. Other interests and activities take precedence in our priorities.
My family needs me. Sometimes we use good and deserving things in our lives as excuses.

Quest Study Bible (NIV) :
What does God expect of us? God wants us to use whatever opportunities he gives us. By some standards, the third servant did well. He didn't steal, waste or lose the money - he guarded and preserved it. Neverthelss, he was judged unfaithful because he did nothing productive. Faithful service requires some risk. We must make the most of our opportunities (Ephesians 5: 16) and use our gifts productively (1 Peter 4: 10-12).

Vs 28, 29
"Take the bag of gold from him, and give it to the one with ten bags. For the man who has will always be given more, till he has enough and to spare; and the man who has not will forfeit even what he has."

Servant no 3's talents were added to No 1's. Those who do God's will faithfully will not only be given greater responsibility, but will also be given the resources to cope with the extra responsibility - and the extra joy of fellowship with God and his approval.

V 30
Fling the useless servant out into the dark, the place of wailing and grinding of teeth!"
Those who allow excuses to come between them and God will lose everthing of value and will be totally separated from him.