Matthew 24.14-30

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.”

Argyle reminds us that this is an eschatological parable of judgement. Even though the parousia is delayed, it will still come and those who want to share the blessings , must use the time wisely in their service of God: gifts unused are lost, but the reward for service is further service – ‘... the worst punishment for failure is to be deprived for the opportunity to serve ...’

A talent = 6000 denarii (in Luke’s account 19.11-27 each servant is given a mina  == one pound) – the value is not of the greatest importance – rather the sums allotted represent privileges and opportunities for service – ‘... these vary in extent with different individuals by divine ordinance ...’

Matthew explains what it means to be watchful (previous parable) while waiting for the parousia: being awake means being faithful to God’s instructions and acting upon them ‘... with all the energy we can muster ...’ and with all the abilities God has given us – with meaningful deeds of love (as become clear from verse 31 ff).

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.’

‘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.

In the parable, the observation of the lazy servant, that the master can be harsh, is not contradicted. As Meier explains, ‘... the stringency of judgement replaces the imminence of judgement as the main motive in Mt’s moral exhortation.’ One can be unfaithful to these stringent demands by either doing evil things (24.49) or by lack of foresight (25.3) or by sheer inactivity – as is the case here. The lazy servant 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’s explanation continues ...

The spiritual life is like the 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. Meier comments: ‘... For the supposed Christian, laziness comes at a high price ...’