In this show, one boss brings several employees into a room, gives them each cash, and tells them to invest to grow his corporation. As Dorothy Sayers put it in her essay Why Work? if we follow God properly, all the work will be Christian work, whether it is Church embroidery or sewage-farming.. 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. The, the definite article. I believe that this parable focuses on four major themes: resources, work, time and profit. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). He told his master that he was a harsh and cruel man, a man who was demanding, and who expected gain where he had not labored. The first question one would ask is, How much profit did it make? We are so used to thinking in non-profit terms that we are almost shocked to hear such a question raised. Christians will spend all eternity at work, and this work will include ruling with our Lord and praising Him. From dunamai; force; specially, miraculous power. a certain weight or 'talent'. 12 Therefore he said, A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Enter into the joy of your master!' 24 Finally, the servant who had . Most of us find it hard to un-crack, especially given the third servant gets punished for doing nothing. Such labor is, to a large degree, entering into the joy of our Master. How different was the outlook of the first two slaves. It was his hope that in doing something spectacular he might receive a gift or donation. Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you will have authority over ten cities (Luke 19:16-17). A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give. 28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 4:11], [Matt. 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. Renny and Marina McLean, The Lord Teaches Us to Profit 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, # 25:15 Greek five talents two talents one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer's wage. In one of my early trips to India, I went to the zoo. There is no end to our labors for our God. 46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes. The Chapel believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of Gods Word. Heaven is not to be thought of as me laying beside the pool, sipping a tall, cool one, as one of my fellow elders commented this past week. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work270 and gained five more. The parable begins with a master planning a trip (Luke describes him as going off to be made king of a distant land). first two servants are commended and go to heaven; the third is condemned and goes to hell. Let me see if I can defend my allegation. If he were afraid to take any risk, then why did he not at least put the talent in the hands of the bankers, who would conservatively invest it for him, and gain at least some interest? The Parable of the Talents 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, 'Master, you entrusted me with two talents. He entrusted him with money, money suited to his abilities. And so he simply hid the money, and now he returned it, without any gain. Wrap a gift a number of times to create a few layers. 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. Then he went on his journey. Before he goes, the master brings his servants together (three in the Matthew version, 10 in the Luke version). You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? The Parable of the Talents (Lk 19:11-27) 14 "For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents,f to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. in Luke is there another group, in addition to the masters servants those who dont want this man to become their king, and who send a message asking him not to return. Faith Talk Ministries, Faithful to the End 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. But the master did provide the means for his slave to make a profit. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. The word hard, which this slave used to characterize his master, is far from flattering. The first servant has made the biggest return (10 minas from one mina, or 10 talents from five talents). And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his . New American Bible the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. To them belong the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.) Then he went on his journey. 27 Now my soul is greatly distressed. In the parable, the gifts are given according to natural ability, but all who increase equally are rewarded equally. He distributes his wealth among three servants, apportioned to them on the basis of their abilities. No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour. God entrusted Israel, and especially its leaders, with the truth, and they did not use it properly. 276 Needless to say, bankers and banking were not the same in those days. The third servant has no profit, no gain, to give his master, so his talent is taken away and given to the one who went to work with his masters money and made great gains for him. (3) In my opinion, the main reason for assuming that verse 13 belongs with verses 1-12 is that the term (Greek, ou=n) is most often inferential, with the meaning therefore or then.274 It is not always an indication of a logical conclusion, however. But none of them adequately explain it. I fear that for all too many Christians (not all!) The Parable of the Talents should encourage us and challenge us to take what God has given us and invest in the kingdom of God. Whether you read the Matthew version or the Luke version, each servant is getting a substantial chunk of cash to invest as they will. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! What if the church were to be scrutinized as a business? However, since we all want to be little gods of our own lives, serving ourselves misses our true place in life. To gain, acquire, win (over), avoid loss. Then he (F)went away. The slothful servant is sentenced to be deprived of his talent. Pressing this matter just a little further, if the church were to be considered a business and every member were to be viewed as an employee, how many of us should reasonably expect to keep our jobs? How does not knowing the day or the hour affect either the five wise virgins or the five foolish virgins? 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Crucially, Jesus says that both the parable of the 10 virgins and the parable of the talents are about what the kingdom of heaven will be like in the last days (Matthew 25:1,14). He admits he buried it in the ground because he was afraid to use it (Matthew 25:24-25, Luke 19:20-21). Heaven is described in terms of work, not play, of activity, not passivity. 16 Then he that had received the five . This story is called the Parable of the Talents. 12:6; 1 Cor. The master goes on his journey, which Luke notes has some opposition (Luke 19:14-15). The master is pleased with both servants and gives them new responsibilities: You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. A footnote in the NIV translation says that a mina was about three months wages. English Standard Version (ESV). Enter into (G)the joy of your lord. 22He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them. 23His lord said to him, (H)Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. The parable of the talents is one of those Bible stories most of us know, yet its hard to understand. His entertainment was to torment one of the tigers. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! The joy of the master must, in some way, equate to enjoying the bliss of heaven, with our Lord. Lets begin with the end result profit. Some say that it was the equivalent to 20 years wages for a common laborer.275 We must remember, then, that a talent is a measure of money; it is not a reference to abilities. It is clear that our Lord Jesus intended for us to be found at work when He returns: 45 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? Faithful saints are given even greater responsibilities, and even more work. The degree to which our earthly labor has been faithful and profitable will determine the degree to which we enter into joyful labor in heaven. We need to pursue the element of work a bit further. The day of account comes at last. The element of profit. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Ten Virgins? 18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lords money. Matthew 25:14-30 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. The Parable of the Talents 21 His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! master. Jesus tells the story of a rich man who has three slaves. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13)? They returned to their master with double the talents! What is the meaning of the parable of the friend in need (persistent neighbor)? First, the master stayed away for a long time (Matthew 25:19). Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. So you knew that I harvest where I didnt sow and gather where I didnt scatter? Working hard for the profit of the kingdom and the King is entering into the joy of our Master. an ounce) was nearly equivalent to 400 of our money. Salem Media Group. Includes discussion questions and verse by verse commentary for small groups. The story of Jesustelling this parable really begins in Matthew 24 when he mentions the coming destruction of Jerusalem. First, they receive their masters commendation, Well done, good and faithful slave (verses 21, 23). The bankers in verse 27 represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely. The third servant is lazy, because he does not go to work with the money. Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, how can its flavor be restored? (Luke 14:34). An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. The master rebuked this slave for being evil and lazy. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree? 271 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. 283 We should recall that Eve was given her own kind of labor (Genesis 3:16). 4:10]. (including the neuter Hen); a primary numeral; one. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. And if our labors are joyful, we will delight in the thought of further labor. He gives each of them some money. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them., I will make you ruler over many things. 270 I hate to have to disagree with the NET Bible translation here, but it seems to me that this translation does not adequately emphasize the force of our Lords carefully chosen words, especially in context. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 33 But a married man is concerned about the things of the world, how to please his wife, 34 and he is divided. Our Lords teaching in the parable of the talents is that God expects profit that is the product of our labors. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. The masters dealings with the third servant is a very different matter. Wells The Invisible Man where a foolish theologian suggests a strangers problem is he only has one talent. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When the third servant appears, hes done nothing with the money. All rights reserved. It is the continuation of fruitful, profitable labor. man allocates his resources to servants, expecting them to make a profit in his absence. Yet is this not what our Lord is teaching us in this parable? He does not go to work with his masters money, over a lengthy period of time, and thus make a profit. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard? To offer, give; I put, place. The words are in their substance like those in St. Matthew, but their absolute identity with those in the lesson drawn from the parable of the Unjust Steward (see Note on Luke 16:10) is every way suggestive.This parable is connected with that as its natural sequel and development. Since a talent was actually a measurement of weight, it did not have a constant value. It is a time when one should have the wisdom of age, financial freedom, and flexibility. These folks were a more honest (hopefully) version of money changer than those who did business in the temple precincts. Our labors for the Master should increase, not diminish, if we are kingdom minded. 4:7; 1 Pet. In our text, the good slave is the useful or beneficial slave, for he has gained a profit for his master.278 He is also faithful because he has been at work with his masters money from the time he left until the time he returned. Parable Of The Sower Further Parables Parables Parable Of The Pharisee And Publican Parable Of The Hidden Treasure Parable Of The Net Parable Of The Unmerciful Servant Parable Of The Workers In The Vineyard Parable Of The Tenants Parable Of The Good Samaritan Parable Of The Lost Sheep/Lost Coin Parable Of The Prodigal Son Parable Of The Wedding Banquet Parable Of The Fig Tree Rich Man And Lazarus Parable Parable Of The Pharisee And The Tax Collector Parable Of The Ten Virgins Parable Of The Talents Parable Of The Sower Parable Of The Tares Parable Of The Marriage Feast Parable Of The Great Supper Parable Of The Vineyard Talents Jotham By A Parable Rebukes Them, And Foretells Their Ruin Nathan's Parable Of The Ewe Lamb Causes David To Be His Own Judge Prophet, Under The Parable Of A Prisoner, Under The Parable Of A Vineyard, God Excuses His Severe Judgment His Incomparableness Idols Are Not Comparable To God For Power By The Parable Of Bottles Filled With Wine He Foretells Their Drunkenness In Misery Under The Parable Of A Wretched Infant Is Shown The Natural State Of Jerusalem Under The Parable Of Two Eagles And A Vine Lamentation For The Princes Of Israel, By The Parable Of A Lion Whelping In A Pit For Jerusalem, Under The Parable Of A Wasted Vine Under The Parable Of A Boiling Pot Parable Of The Sower And The Seed Parable Of The Weeds Explanation Of The Parable Of The Weeds Parable Of The Hidden Treasure Which He Sets Forth By A Parable Of The King Who Took Account Of His Servants, Jesus, By The Parable Of The Laborers In The Vineyard, Shows That God Is Debtor Unto No Man Rebukes Them By The Parable Of The Two Sons, Parable Of The Marriage Of The King's Son Parable Of The Ten Virgins, Of The Talents Parable Of The Sower, Parable Of The Seed Growing Secretly Jesus Tells The Parable Of The Tenants Illustrates The Matter By The Parable Of Patches. While interest could not be charged of fellow-Israelites, it could be charged of foreigners (see Deuteronomy 23:19-20). 15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for and maintain it (Genesis 2:8-9, 15). To work, trade, perform, do, practice, commit, acquire by labor. Enter into the joy of your master!' 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, 'Master, you entrusted me with two talents. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unforgiving / Unmerciful Servant? To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Since help was available to him in the Church, the man had no excuse. The disciples ask for details about the last days, and Jesus talks about how harsh they will be, warning them to look out for false teachers and so forth. While commentators differ somewhat over the approximate value of a talent in todays economy, all would agree that it was a large amount of money. Noelle Kirchner, The Generosity Of God Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Matthew 25:15. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. His doom is, to be cast into outer darkness. His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads (Revelation 22:1-4). If we seek to shun the work our Lord has given us, it betrays a wrong attitude and relationship with our Master. Retirement is thought of more in terms of the golf course than finishing our course in the Pauline sense (2 Timothy 4:7). We have the most valuable gift of all, the Word of God and the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. The talents Jesus Christ spoke of in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant ( Matthew 18:21-35) and the Parable of the Talents ( Matthew 25:14-30) referred to the largest unit of currency at the time. I wonder how many have given serious thought to what might be called the theology of retirement. I would like to challenge every Christian to rethink the subject of retirement. I believe that we see this in Romans 9, where Paul speaks of the things God has entrusted Israel: 1 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying! Sharon Jaynes, Make the Most of Your Talents Dont blame it on God. 12:7, 11, 29; Eph. In the parable of the talent, there are two clear references to time. Knowing that Jesus was describing servants being given huge amounts of cash to invest helps us to understand just how generous the master was being, the opportunity each servant was given. We take a little money and put it in the plate, and by doing so we are laying up treasure in heaven. I dont deny that this is true, in part, but it is not the whole of it. (5) In the similar parable in Luke 19 (while told at a different time and with numerous variations), it begins with a time indication: While the people were listening to these things, Jesus proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately (Luke 19:11). He has richly provided all that you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:1-4). Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made. 14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. This is probably a sermon in itself perhaps even a book. He gives each of them some money. The Parable of the Bags of Gold(A) 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey,(B)who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,[a]each according to his ability. Let me call your attention to the most important elements of the parable, as I now understand it. William Hendriksen, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1973), p. 881. Let us go a three-day journey into the desert so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, so that he does not strike us with plague or the sword. 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you cause the people to refrain from their work? When God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, He gave them work to do. If we were to make an equation of this parable, it would probably go like this: Resources (talents) + Labor (work) + Time = Profit. Pertaining to self, i.e. That is why they are crying, Let us go sacrifice to our God. 9 Let the work be harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words! (Exodus 5:1-9). There is a great reward waiting for those who steward well with what the Lord has given them. Indeed, they accused Him of being a wicked sinner, more worthy of death than Barabbas. I am saying that our labors for the kingdom have no point of termination except for our Lords return, and even then fruitful labor will continue in heaven. What is the meaning of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price? Matthew 25:14. He did not increase his masters money at all. And they were right because he praised them and invited them to join him as participants in his joy. I thus take verse 13 as the first verse of this new paragraph. I believe this may be the case in our text. However, all creation was made very good (Genesis 1:31), and we must do all things to Gods glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). 20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more. 21His master said to him, Well done, good and (J)faithful servant. It seems safe to deal with the first two servants together, since they are so similar. 15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. It is a simple story that our Lord tells here. Inductive Bible study of Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. In short, the talents represent what God has given usour monetary resources, our callings to positions within the church (Ephesians 4:11-16), our natural giftings. Speed and thrust increase. ), [Rom. of Bible Memory Verse. He wanted to know how much they had earned by trading. Works that produce a profit for the kingdom282 are the basis for our rewards. We naturally want to believe we can use our gifts as we please. The joy that was before our Lord would seem to include the salvation of lost sinners (Luke 15:4-10). 11 If then you havent been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. As we conclude, we should focus on what this parable is really about. These rebels are slaughtered. Those who are unfaithful lose not only their reward, but their stewardship. In our parable, money is given to us to use, to work with, not just to give back. In Acts 1:9-11, their understanding is greatly enhanced: But this term is also used of that which is useful or beneficial: 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. 21 For I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man.