Matthew 25.14-30 (NRSV)
The Parable of the Talents
14 ‘For it is as if a man,
going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to
them; 15to one he gave five
talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
Then he went away. 16The
one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them,
and made five more talents. 17In
the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But
the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground
and hid his master’s money. 19After a long
time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then
the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more
talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made
five more talents.” 21His
master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things,
I will put you in charge
of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22And
the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed
over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.”23His
master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things,
I will put you in charge
of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24Then
the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I
knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering
where you did not scatter seed; 25so I
was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is
yours.” 26But his master replied, “You
wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and
gather where I did not scatter? 27Then
you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would
have received what was my own with interest. 28So
take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For
to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but
from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As
for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
My text this morning is written in Matthew 25 and
verse , which reads:
For to all those who have,
more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have
nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
When I preached on this text for the first time in
1992, as a Probationer Minister in my first appointment in Jeffreys Bay, South
Africa, I entered the pulpit from the vestry door to find a church packed – way
over 300 people in attendance. It had been announced that I was preaching on
this passage and members of the congregation had spread the word, and many
visitors, together with my members were asking: “How is he going to explain that
verse.”
A wealthy man goes
away on business and leaves the remainder of his wealth to his workers – each
according to their ability. The wealth is expressed in ‘talents’ which was the largest unit of currency at the time. In NT
Greek ‘talent’ only referred to money, in modern times it now refers to ‘gifts’
largely as a result of this parable because of the phrase ‘... according to his
ability.’
The words ‘After a
long time ...’ (Verse 19) is of significance because of the delay of the parousia, the master does return and
demands a reckoning – which is a reference to the final judgement. The first
two servants are praised for both their industry and courage in doubling their
amounts of money – and for their faithfulness – a vital component because
faithfulness in small things means that one can be trusted with larger things –
larger responsibilities – and intimate friendship with the master. The fact
that both servants receive the same reward shows how it is not one’s
accomplishments that matter, but rather one’s faithfulness.
The last servant is
condemned because of his inactivity. His defence lacks pure logic putting
forward that it was because of the demanding nature of the master that he did
nothing. Out of fear of failure; he did nothing and so lost all that he had!
This has everything to do with God’s free gift and our human response. A disciple who gives of himself
to the gift that God has given him will receive greater grace still; the one
who does nothing will lose it.
Meier explains that the
spiritual life is like our physical limbs and intellectual talents – exercise
brings greater strength; neglect brings atrophy. The atrophied disciple is the
useless Christian and God will punish them in the same way has he punishes
those who are dissolute and thoughtless. ‘... For the supposed Christian,
laziness comes at a high price ...’
We must always
remember that this is a parable and so we need to remember that we are dealing
here with something that ought not to be taken literally. It is a story to
explain a complex lesson of some considerable depth so that ordinary language
simply would not do. It deals with a scenario that would have been commonplace
in the society of the time.
A master was going
away so he entrusted his property to his slaves. Those who had proven themselves
often held managerial positions. He apportioned property according to the
ability of each. He was not asking anything unreasonable: five to one, two
to another and one to the last. The one with five made another five, the one
with two another two, but the one with only one, buried it in the ground to
keep it safe – again a common practice of the day. After a long time, the
master returned and praised and rewarded those who had doubled what they had
been given but condemned the one who had done nothing and gave what he had to
the one who had made the most.
So, what does it all
mean?
There is an element
of the Parousia – the Second Coming of Jesus - in this passage. We now
know that the Gospel narratives were finally written because the long awaited
return of Jesus in the Second Coming had not yet happened. But they did
not doubt that Jesus would return as a judge and that people would need to give
account of how they had lived their lives. At this level, all Christians have
been given gifts and we will all be judged on how effectively we have used
them. So, the master’s journey would have been a reference to the Ascension,
the slaves are the Christians and the property refers to the gifts of the Holy
Spirit that all Christians have been given. The long delay refers to the delay
in the return of Christ, and the settling of the accounts refers to the Last
Judgement or the Day of Reckoning. The horrible reference to Hell in verse 30 in some translations is a wrong, because literally, the Greek should be translated as 'outer darkness' (as in the NRSV). The weeping
and gnashing of teeth is most commonly agreed by scholars like Fenton, as
something added by a later editor and reveals more about the views of the
editor, putting his particular spin on the story, rather than what Jesus either said at the time. But they would be correctly reflecting the seriousness of Jesus' warning that not using one's talent would have serious consequences and so is still well stated in this classic ancient hyperbole.
The slaves were
probably a reference to the Scribes and the Pharisees and their use – or rather
misuse – of the Law of God – the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures.
They wanted to keep things exactly as they were, changing nothing at all – like
the man who buried his talent. This is why they are condemned. William Barclay
comments:
In this parable Jesus tells us that there can be no religion without
adventure and that God can find no use for the shut mind.[2]
Jesus is alive and
present in the Church as we meet. He still speaks to us through the Scriptures
when we open our minds to receive what He has to say to us. This is why being
part of a preached message is a sacred thing, and for me one of the greatest privileges
possible. Jesus speaks, not only through the mouth of the preacher but also in
the discussions and gatherings of the people of God. This is why meetings of
fellowship, discussions, Synods and Conferences are so vital. This is why
people will be called to give account, if they persist in burying the truth
that is being revealed rather than setting it and people free to discern the
mind of God. Jesus challenges us by asking: Are we open-minded? Are we
adventurous? Is our faith alive and vibrant? or is it buried and dead in the
ground?
Firstly, each and every one of us has been given
gifts from God and they are immeasurably valuable because they come to us from
God – according to our ability. We are never asked to do anything that
God does not also equip us to do. It is not the talent or gift we have that
matters, but what we do with it. What is your gift? Are you using it? When last
did you ask: What can I do to enrich the fellowship of the people at Christ
Church and the people of Shepshed? Could it be that I am asked to pray
regularly? Could it be that I am called to send messages of encouragement?
Could it be that I am asked to greet people and welcome them? When you ask, you
will find that the opportunities are countless and wonderful.
Secondly, the reward we can look forward to when we
faithfully use of talents is more work. The ones who doubled their
talents were given more, so greater tasks and greater responsibilities. This is
also a great joy. When we are faithful, God blesses us with more and more
opportunities and our lives become more and more meaningful and useful, and we
have a real sense of purpose.
Thirdly, the punishment was not the loosing of the
one talent, because he just did nothing with it, he never really had it. Using
one’s talents implies risk – living radically for Christ. But not to use it
will mean that we lose it.
As soon as we become
active by using the talents we have been given,
Jesus comes into our lives and blesses us and others through us, which
compounds our blessings over and over and over and over. Or as Jesus put it to
his listeners:
For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an
abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken
away.
Amen
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