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

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is a telling challenge concerning how we respond to the grace that God has imparted to us. When this passage begins “For it is as”, this refers back to the beginning of the chapter where we read, “The kingdom of heaven will be like this”. Matthew’s “kingdom of heaven” is a parallel to the other gospels’ “kingdom of God” … referring to the reign of God both in heaven and on earth. We often pray the words Jesus taught, “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. So when we come to parables like this one, we are being guided in our understanding of what it is to be God’s church and God’s agents on earth.

So we have here a man who is going on a journey and giving over responsibility for his assets and investments to his “slaves”. We should first note what these “talents” actually refer to. They are units of money (or exchange) in the form of gold, silver and copper. The monetary system was such that various combinations of different metals of different weights gave certain values. A “talent” normally related to metal to the value of around 6,000 denarii (equal to thousands of dollars today). So then, in giving his “slaves” a number of “talents”, he was giving them responsibility for the management of funds of a significant value. It would be normal practice for such funds to be invested to bring about the best possible returns. The “master” would not want such capital to be left unemployed during his absence!!

In case you wondered, “slaves” could in the society of time, while still being “slaves”, be given quite a bit of independent responsibility. The amount that they would be trusted with would relate to their abilities and past performance. Here, one “slave” is trusted with “five talents”, another with “two talents”, and the third with “one talent”. The “slave” given “five talents” invested them well and doubled them. The “slave” given “two talents” invested equally well and also doubled them. These two obviously worked hard at making some good commercial deals, thus having success. Such large amounts of money could have made them nervous, but they didn’t let this get in the way of their responsibilities. They both utilised their abilities to the full.

When we get to verses 21 & 23, we see that, on the return of their “master”, the first two “slaves” receive the same warm commendation. They have both been proved ready for even greater responsibility. And they will be able to prove effective in this new level of responsibility, because their capacities have grown through their previous productivity. As well, these two were not only given greater trust, they would experience also a new level of joy. It is worth noting, in terms of the character of the “master” here, that whereas in the society of the time, those who were wealthy would more likely seek a five-fold or ten-fold return, this “master” was satisfied with just a doubling.

Yet the focus of this parable is on the third “slave” – the hearers and readers of this parable are invited to form a view on his behaviour (in comparison with the other two). This third “slave” used all his ingenuity to just dig a hole in the ground and bury the “one talent” he had been given there. He didn’t even try the most modest and safe investment in a bank! Clearly this third “slave” had sufficient ability, for he had still been entrusted with a fairly large sum. What was his problem??? Was he miffed that he was only given the one “talent”? Sometimes we think we are given less than we deserve. Perhaps … but there was definitely more to this. Fear of failure! Why so??

This third “slave” had an inappropriate and incorrect view of his “master”!! The one that had trusted him and given him responsibility for his hard-earned wealth, was being viewed as “harsh” and unjust, leading to fear and inaction!!! This third “slave” completely misunderstood what his “master” was about. He tried to excuse himself by stating this very belief (v.24), but his theology, so to speak, was wrong. This master wasn’t “harsh” nor unjust, but rather benevolent and gracious. This reaction of fear and inactivity was a complete misrepresentation of who his master was. This was the complete opposite view to the other two effective “slaves”, who fully understood their master’s generosity, and had rightly honoured him through their productive activities.

The seriousness of the third slave’s insult towards his “master” … the fact that a vital activity had been ignored, ironically led to the sort of judgment that the third “slave” feared the most. His desire for security resulted in the opposite. When we are too reticent to step out in ministry because of a fear of failure, the only possible result is … failure! We can see the grave problem of ignoring the benefits and responsibilities we have been given – a normally benevolent and all-wise “master” allows the ways of the world (not of the kingdom) to take us over. The third ineffective “slave” actually got what he feared the most – judgment and (eternal) punishment. Strong language, is it not! In this way, this parable further explains Jesus’ earlier saying: “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). [We also see in this parable, that whereas the natural ways of God are a redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor, when God’s mission is ignored, tragically the opposite happens. This is dramatically borne out by the unfaithful slave’s only “talent” going over to the one who now had ten.]

How might we then translate these “talents” for today. Remember, in the parable, these “talents” represent God’s wealth that he wishes to entrust us with. So I think this would translate best to God’s grace that leads in turn to faith, salvation, discipleship and eternal life. The responsibility before us is to be agents of God’s grace in the community and world. The figure of the third “slave” is to alert us to the possibility, and indeed peril, of idleness, neglect and unfaithfulness in this mission. This would be a warning for the individual, but probably even more so for the church collectively. Even with just one “talent” at hand, there should be commensurate effort.

Do we fully appreciate God’s love for the whole world such that we involve ourselves in the dissemination of that love. Or on the other hand, do we doubt God’s love for the world, think him to be harsh, consider the people around us to be unlovable and unredeemable, and thus become idle. Or might we allow preoccupation with other in-house agendas to conveniently restrict the spread of God’s grace. We read in Revelation 3 about the “lukewarm” church in Laodicea, and how they risk being spat out of God’s mouth! [Some commentators view that in this parable Jesus was again taking aim at any of the religious leaders of his time who were resisting change and seeking to keep certain people (who were undesirable to them i.e. the gentiles) out. The third “slave” would then represent anyone with a closed mind toward other people.]

Now, this is not about working our way into salvation. This is about what we do with our salvation! Keep it to ourselves … because our own needs have been met; or, build God’s kingdom by investing wisely what we have been given. The third “slave” could only give back what he had been given; yet God’s capital should gain interest! Grace and salvation are not to be hoarded selfishly but shared lavishly. To act otherwise is to defraud God. With the reaction contained in this parable in mind – to keep it to ourselves is to throw it back in the master’s face. We can hardly complain about the state of the world while “talents” are being withheld i.e. the “good news” being muted!

Coming to Jesus is the beginning of our salvation experience, not the end of it! On the journey there will be all sorts of investments to make and all sorts of roles to play. The social problems in our community, instead of being an excuse for judgment and condemnation, are actually an opportunity for service and ministry. We will not be expected to succeed beyond what is reasonable – God knows our capacities and abilities, and gives us responsibilities in line with these (whether that be five, two or one “talents”). In investing well, there is much joy on the horizon … especially when the “master” returns! Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch write: “Instead of trying to fit God into our lives, missional Christianity asks where our lives (both individually and collectively) fit into God’s mission”.