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. If we loved our Master, we would view our labors for Him as joy. He does not require us to make bricks without providing both the clay and the straw. 23 Why then didnt you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest? 24 And he said to his attendants, Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten. 25 But they said to him, Sir, he has ten minas already! 26 I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. It is from the use of the word "talents" in this parable that we moderns have derived its common meaning of natural gifts and endowments. The parable of the talents is told in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. Then he went on his journey. All rights reserved. We need to pursue the element of work a bit further. He provides the money and the ability, but we are expected to work hard with what He has given us, for the profit of the kingdom. The one who does not have but yet does have (because what he has is taken away) is the one who has his masters money, but has made no profit from it. The slothful servant is sentenced to be deprived of his talent. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions (Matthew 24:45-47). Both of these faithful slaves are rewarded well for their faithful service. Look, there you have what is yours.. The second and third soils represent those who initially show some interest in the gospel, but then reject it when the meaning of the gospel becomes clear. He is not harsh, nor does He require that we do the impossible (make a profit where He has not provided the means). 6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 3:1-6, emphasis mine). 5 first two servants are commended and go to heaven; the third is condemned and goes to hell. Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Faith Talk Ministries, Faithful to the End Then he gives the one talent to the first servant, for to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away (Luke 19:26). Includes discussion questions and verse by verse commentary for small groups. 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). 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he . He took his talent from him, gave it to the one who earned ten, and cast this fellow into outer darkness, where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. ESV Text Edition: 2016. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)? 10 The one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now (Romans 8:18-22). The lazy, wicked slave in our parable is that person who refuses to go to work with the resources God has provided, to produce profit for the kingdom of heaven. 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. Then he (F)went away. 271. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Entering into the joy of our Master is, in the context of our text, entering into profitable labor for all eternity. The bankers in verse 27 represent other faithful people to whom the man could have turned to help him use his talents wisely. Parables of Jesus by James Montgomery Boice. But this work is joyful. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. Dont blame it on God. Luke, we are told that the reason for the parable was to correct the misconception that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately; no such reason is stated in Matthew. 5 The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels. By faith, have you entered into His labor, His saving work on your behalf on the cross of Calvary? We should carefully note the outcome of faithful service, and of unfaithful service, in this parable. (4) The expression which begins verse 14 (Greek, w[sper ga.r) is employed 11 times elsewhere in the New Testament (Matthew 12:40; 24:27, 37; 25:14; Luke 17:24; John 5:21, 26; Romans 5:19; 6:19; 11:30; 1 Corinthians 11:12; 15:22; James 2:26). It was not until after the fall of man that mans labor became toil: 17 But to Adam he said, Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You must not eat from it, cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. So, whatever we are doing (provided its not a sinful activity), we serve God well by doing it well. 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? Since help was available to him in the Church, the man had no excuse. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. For less than $5/mo. Renny and Marina McLean, The Lord Teaches Us to Profit This is only speculation. He swallowed up death (1 Corinthians 15: 54) in a victory that involved him getting killed. See, I have gained two more. 23 His master answered, Well done, good and faithful slave! Yes, there are official positions for certain church tasks (preaching, evangelizing, teaching, etc.) What is the meaning of the Parable of the Prodigal Son? He does no work for a lengthy period of time and thus is useless. However, all creation was made very good (Genesis 1:31), and we must do all things to Gods glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. Our Lords emphasis here is not on putting the money to work, but on the servant going to work with his masters money. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. Neuter of a presumed derivative of the original form of tlao; a balance, i.e. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have done to others, by the advantages we have enjoyed. The parable of the talents is one of those Bible stories most of us know, yet its hard to understand. Some were saying, He is a good man, but others, He deceives the common people (John 7:12). Christians will spend all eternity at work, and this work will include ruling with our Lord and praising Him. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Our labors for the Master should increase, not diminish, if we are kingdom minded. In the King James Version, it is rendered therefore 263 times and then 197 times. 18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his masters money in it. 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. Matthew 25:29 (NIV) ANSWERS. After being gone a long time, the master returns to settle up with his slaves (verse 19). God entrusted Israel, and especially its leaders, with the truth, and they did not use it properly. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. What if the church were to be scrutinized as a business? He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 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. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13)? First, the master stayed away for a long time (Matthew 25:19). One must surely conclude that this parable is not just an interesting story, but a message of eternal significance. [c] (K)You have been faithful over a little; (L)I will set you over much. At this point we would probably do well to look at work from a broader perspective; we should consider work from the beginning of time to eternity future. I thus take verse 13 as the first verse of this new paragraph. If we seek to shun the work our Lord has given us, it betrays a wrong attitude and relationship with our Master. Yet is this not what our Lord is teaching us in this parable? 29 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. Start FREE. Lets call this aspect of profit exaltation. each according to his ability. The, the definite article. A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined). 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. First of all, let us be clear that we are not talking about salvation by works. 8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17). His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. 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. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And the longer the master was gone, the more interest was lost by the slaves inactivity. 2 Samuel 7:1-3 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; , 1 Chronicles 13:1-3 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader, 1 Chronicles 22:1-26:32 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard? Is this not the way that our Lords adversaries looked at Him? The one who gets the biggest return on investment gets the big promotion. 19Now (H)after a long time the master of those servants came and (I)settled accounts with them. Jesus made it clear that His return would not be immediate, but after much trouble and the passing of a considerable period of time. The term employed in Matthew 25:16 emphasizes work. It is a simple story that our Lord tells here. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Its also interesting that when the third servant returns his money, he accuses the master of being a hard man who reaps where he did not sow (Matthew 25:24). Just as a businessman expects to make a profit, and rejoices when his employees increase his wealth, so God expects a profit and rejoices in it. 30And (T)cast (U)the worthless servant into the outer darkness. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:13-14), according to plans he laid out before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5), to glorify him forever. Indeed, it is used to explain what has been said before. 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. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. Sometimes it is merely a connective, a virtual conjunction. Used by permission. 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. 271 Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the NET Bible. Enter into the joy of your master. 22 The one with the two talents also came and said, Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. Kathy Sweeny, Choices Determine Destinies Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. A footnote in the NIV translation says that a mina was about three months wages. average monthly wage for Americans in 2021. The master rebuked this slave for being evil and lazy. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 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? Thus, time seems to be a more important factor in verses 14-31 than in 1-13. Talents. The NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION, also known as THE NET BIBLE, is a completely new translation of the Bible, not a revision or an update of a previous English version. As I thought of this slaves attitude toward his master, I was reminded of this passage in the Book of Exodus: 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Release my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the desert. 2 But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? The element of time. We would probably do well to compare this text with a couple of passages in the Gospel of Luke: 16 So the first one came before him and said, Sir, your mina has made ten minas more. 17 And the king said to him, Well done, good slave! 282 I am trying to be careful here, because some works are not profitable for the kingdom, and these will not be rewarded, but will be destroyed. See, I have gained five more. 21 His master answered, Well done, good and faithful slave! One's own; by implication, private or separate. So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). 28 Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again (John 12:27-28). Well talk about this a bit later, but for the moment, I am inclined to understand this expression in contrast to another in our text, And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). This story is called the Parable of the Talents. I will end with these words from our Lord to the church at Sardis. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him (Matthew 25:29; see also 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26). Sometimes the term is not translated at all. Revelation makes it clear that in the last days, Jesus will subvert his opponents, punish them and be named king over the world. 12:6; 1 Cor. Retirement is thought of more in terms of the golf course than finishing our course in the Pauline sense (2 Timothy 4:7). He, too, doubled the money his master left in his care. English Standard Version (ESV). Matthew 25:14. The whole parable is found in Matthew 25:14-30. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 4:7; 1 Pet. Those who think it impossible to please God, and in vain to serve him, will do nothing to purpose in religion. The third servant was fearful and hid the one talent he was trusted with, returning just one talent to his master. One man may design a church building, a cathedral. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! and Christians should not be molded by worldly standards (Romans 12:2). See, I have gained five more. 21 His master answered, Well done, good and faithful slave! Enter into (M)the joy of your master. 22And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more. 23His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. 12:6; 1 Cor. 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. In other words, the third slave looks upon his master as wicked, harsh, and impossible. 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? Their trading of the talents signifies the faithful use that one should make of gifts and opportunities of service to God. After centuries of Israelites seeing themselves as Gods only favored people, he opened things up for Gentiles to become co-heirs (Ephesians 3:6). In our parable, money is given to us to use, to work with, not just to give back. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. While interest could not be charged of fellow-Israelites, it could be charged of foreigners (see Deuteronomy 23:19-20). Bible Memory Verse. Today a talent might be worth a million dollars! 19After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. If we were to make an equation of this parable, it would probably go like this: Resources (talents) + Labor (work) + Time = Profit. Jesus uses the Parable of the Talents to help us understand our calling as Christians and our responsibility to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor! - Unto one he gave five talents. The Parable of the Talents. 25And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Our Lords rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees is often couched in stewardship terms. It would appear that only the fourth soil represents the true believer. A talent was worth even more: NIV footnotes for the Matthew passage state that one talent was 20 years wages. Then he went away. In a similar way, in the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23) the mere germination of the seed does not seem to represent salvation.