Matthew 25:14-30
Gospel according to Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples: ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then 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. ‘His 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.’ And 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. His master told 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.’ Then 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 scatter seed; so, I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. ‘But 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? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return, I would have received what was my own interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For those who have, more will be given, and they will have abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Reflections
Jesus spoke this parable right after last weeks’ reading about the oil lamp as a metaphor for illuminating the darkness. The “talents” were another metaphor that he used to illustrate how to reach the kingdom of heaven. For most of us it may be easier to relate to the image of an oil lamp as we can picture the tiny wick being lit to burn and spread its light and warmth. The “talents” can be similarly examined against the backdrop of life to reveal a very poignant message.
Talents in Jesus’ time were used to measure the weight of precious metals. One talent was the equivalent of about 34 kilograms of gold or silver. Considering the market value of a one-kilogram Gold Bullion Bar, which is $63, 883 US (the equivalent of $88, 375 CDN) today, the value of one talent turns out to be a substantially large amount of money, equaling about two million dollars.
The master in the parable was dividing his assets. According to this estimate of the monetary value of a talent, he gave about ten million dollars to one of his servants. He gave 4 million to another. He gave 2 million to the third. He divided his goods according to his expectations for his servants. He knew that the first one was very adept and could handle a larger amount of goods. He gave the second a fair amount, knowing that he may not be able to handle as much as the first one, but could still do well. Finally, he left two million with the last servant, knowing that he may not be able to handle as much money as the first or the second one, but could do just fine with the amount entrusted to him. The master then went away, thinking that he made a good decision and that his wealth was in safe hands. He expected that upon his return, he would see an increase in the amounts given to each of his servants. That is, he expected that the servants would put this wealth to use and multiply its value.
However, this was not exactly the case. The first servant went with haste and invested the money with the bankers. He managed to double the value of the ten talents. By the time the master returned, he was proudly showing that he had managed to double the initial amount given to him. Instead of only five talents, which were handed to him, he could now return ten talents. The master was pleased with this outcome and praised him. “You have done very well.” He was then rewarded with happiness and joy at his master’s house. Likewise, the second servant, who doubled the two talents by gaining another two, was given a place of honor and praised for their achievement.
However, the master was greatly disappointed with the third servant who dug a hole and hid the money in the ground, not using it for any investment. Upon the master’s return, this servant returned the original amount unharmed, but unused. When questioned why he did not invest the talents like the others have done, this servant explained that he “feared” his master. Holding his master for “a harsh man” who expects more than what was reasonable, he decided to dig a hole in the ground to hide the talent, instead. The master did not accept this explanation as an excuse. The talent was taken away from this slave and given to someone who could make it profit.
Just like last week’s parable, which used the oil lamp as a metaphor for shining light into the world, today’s parable uses “talents” as metaphors for using our goods and abilities to the fullest. Linguistically, the word “talent” could be understood as gifts and abilities that we are entrusted with, each according to our abilities.
The parable tells us that whatever goods we have received, we received it from the bounty of the Creator for a particular purpose. This purpose is to multiply and prosper that what was given to us. This point is crucial for our evolving understanding of what the master in the parable was looking for when he returned to settle his accounts: He was looking for a good return after what was invested.
Faith can answer more than what intellect can reveal about what God invests into each human being. Faith affirms that God is the Creator of everything that exists. He created human beings according to His image and breathed his own Spirit into them.
What then does this parable reveal to us today?
Our lives and everything that we possess belongs to God.
Every human being is unique, singular, and irreplaceable. God as our Creator oversees what we received and holds account of what was entrusted to us. In His wisdom he assigned different talents to different people, and he holds each of us worthy, capable, and needed.
Each life has an eternal reason. Each life has an eternal purpose and mission. Each life is endowed with eternal significance that their circumstances cannot deny, take away, or destroy. Even the smallest, the weakest, and the frailest are loved, wanted, and awaited.
We are awaited to respond according to what we have received. Our freedom extends no further than what is available, and within that realm, what is possible.
We are responsible for how we handle what was entrusted to us. Accountability is not only to others, to the world, and to ourselves, but, ultimately, it is to God.
Profit is gained when we put ourselves in the service with our entire being, with all that we have, and are capable of becoming.
The kingdom of heaven is abundant in care, mercy, and generosity. This is then the profit waiting to be invested, spent, used, and multiplied for even greater return.