The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

[Christian2]

The Parable of the Talents

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

- Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

What is this parable all about? Is it about money or something else?

Thank you.

[BritGuy]

Jesus is the man who has gone on a journey and given talents to people that want to follow him, his servants.
It's about using what you receive from God, his gifts and callings.

In practice this means being an active member in a church like the one he set up.

[Silvertusk]

Also if you are given talents and don't use them then that upsets God as you have wasted the gifts he had given you.

[Christian2]

Jesus is the man who has gone on a journey and given talents to people that want to follow him, his servants.
It's about using what you receive from God, his gifts and callings.

In practice this means being an active member in a church like the one he set up.

My interpretation is similar to yours. Thanks.

I am trying to reply to a Muslim's take on this parable. This is what he said:

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To be frank, this is the most ridiculous and absurd parable written and falsely ascribed to Jesus.

The master had entrusted the gold for safe-keeping. He had not instructed them to invest and make the money grow.

The two, who made money, would have run away, if they had incurred losses on gambling, drinking and womanizing.

The third guy was honest. He kept the gold safe as it was given for safe-keeping. He honoured the trust.

The master appears to be a very greedy fellow, who was out to make money. He believed in usury, which means multiplying wealth by charging interest.

The proof of that is in this pudding of the parable:

"26 “His master replied,‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest."

This shows that Jesus believed in making money by getting interest, without doing any work.

Jesus, would have never spoken out this silly, absurd and ridiculous parable.
------

[PaulSacramento]

Your Muslim friend is quite incorrect.
Matthew is perhaps the most "Jewish" of the Gospels and as such, was obviously written for a Jewish "audience" and so we must see how they would have understood that parable within their cultural context.

In a nutshell, I agree with what others have said:
Jesus was commenting on those that are given a great gift and responisbility and do very little ( or nothing) with it.
It goes in line with: "to those that much is given,much will be asked".
The servant that got only 1 talent, got only one because that was all he can handle and yet, all he did was "guarded" and do nothing with it.

The parable is a bit harsh, yes and that is why some have difficulty with it BUT realize WHO it was aimed at: The Jewish people that were a "hard and stiff necked people".
It seems rather mean and petty, the way it was worded, it even makes out the master to be a rather unpleasant fellow, a person that :
"harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed" but the point is that the servant KNEW, just as they others and they did what was right and expected of them but the other one was to scared and/or lazy.

[Christian2]

Your Muslim friend is quite incorrect.
Matthew is perhaps the most "Jewish" of the Gospels and as such, was obviously written for a Jewish "audience" and so we must see how they would have understood that parable within their cultural context.

In a nutshell, I agree with what others have said:
Jesus was commenting on those that are given a great gift and responisbility and do very little ( or nothing) with it.
It goes in line with: "to those that much is given,much will be asked".
The servant that got only 1 talent, got only one because that was all he can handle and yet, all he did was "guarded" and do nothing with it.

The parable is a bit harsh, yes and that is why some have difficulty with it BUT realize WHO it was aimed at: The Jewish people that were a "hard and stiff necked people".
It seems rather mean and petty, the way it was worded, it even makes out the master to be a rather unpleasant fellow, a person that :
"harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed" but the point is that the servant KNEW, just as they others and they did what was right and expected of them but the other one was to scared and/or lazy.

Thank you for your well-thought out response.

[Jac3510]

To add to what others have said, observe the following:

• “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matt 24:42) . . . Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions (45-47) . . . At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (24:1) . . . Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. (13) . . . For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. (14) . . .

The parable has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with being at work when Christ returns. The one who is working, who is prepared for His return, will be rewarded. The one who is not working will have everything taken from him and given to those more worthy than he (namely, those who did work!).

[PaulSacramento]

To add to what others have said, observe the following:

• “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matt 24:42) . . . Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions (45-47) . . . At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (24:1) . . . Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. (13) . . . For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. (14) . . .

The parable has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with being at work when Christ returns. The one who is working, who is prepared for His return, will be rewarded. The one who is not working will have everything taken from him and given to those more worthy than he (namely, those who did work!).

And just to be clear this isn't justification by works, this is about doing what we KNOW to be right, to live and breath and BE the Gospel.
Not just active preaching by words but by deeds and NOT to be justified or to be saved but because the HS compels us to share the gospel out of love NOT for recompense (though it does imply recompense).

One of the hardest things to do is to reconcile the passages that advocate good works and the rewards given, with the fact that our salvation is NOT earned by them, but given freely by God's grace through Christ and in that regards, IMO, the parable of the sheep and goats makes this clear:
Good deeds for their own sake ( out of goodness and love) are the ones to be rewarded and NOT those done with ulterior motives ( such as personal salvation).

[Jac3510]

Good deeds for their own sake ( out of goodness and love) are the ones to be rewarded and NOT those done with ulterior motives ( such as personal salvation).

That's the big point, I think. Jesus isn't giving a prescription in this passage on how to go to heaven or go to hell. He's talking about the "rewards" of our work. Notice that if you read the passage carefully, Jesus never says that people go into heaven or go into hell on the basis of what they've done (or not done). That's something I think we just assume, probably in large part because we are so sensitized to the debate over what a person has to do to be saved. Because we think in those terms, we see everything in those terms, even those things, like this passage, where it's not intended to be seen.

[PaulSacramento]

Good deeds for their own sake ( out of goodness and love) are the ones to be rewarded and NOT those done with ulterior motives ( such as personal salvation).

That's the big point, I think. Jesus isn't giving a prescription in this passage on how to go to heaven or go to hell. He's talking about the "rewards" of our work. Notice that if you read the passage carefully, Jesus never says that people go into heaven or go into hell on the basis of what they've done (or not done). That's something I think we just assume, probably in large part because we are so sensitized to the debate over what a person has to do to be saved. Because we think in those terms, we see everything in those terms, even those things, like this passage, where it's not intended to be seen.

Agree 100%

[Christian2]

To add to what others have said, observe the following:

• “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matt 24:42) . . . Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions (45-47) . . . At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. (24:1) . . . Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. (13) . . . For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. (14) . . .

The parable has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with being at work when Christ returns. The one who is working, who is prepared for His return, will be rewarded. The one who is not working will have everything taken from him and given to those more worthy than he (namely, those who did work!).

Excellent!!!!