Parable of the Talents
This famous parable that Jesus used has a lot to teach us about our money if we let it. Below is the parable and a few of my thoughts about it…
Matthew 25:14-30
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. “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.
“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. “In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
“And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. ‘And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. ‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Stewards are required to take risks
It is interesting to me how upset the master got with the steward who took no risks. The other two stewards did take risks and reaped the rewards. I often wonder why the parable didn’t contain a steward who lost some of the investment. But either way, I think we are led to believe that the primary frustration of the master was that the steward was lazy and didn’t even try.
He was called a, “wicked and lazy slave.” My take on this is that he was more frustrated with his laziness than his lack of production. The steward didn’t even put the talents in the bank to gain interest. The passage states that the master gave to each of them according to their ability. So, I think we can assume that the steward with one talent did have some ability, or else he wouldn’t have given him any.
If he did indeed have some ability to manage money, even with the smallest amount of ability he would have known that earning small interest at the bank is better than burying it!
I liken this to having a Vet watch your dog for the weekend and not feed it. Most everyone knows that you should feed a dog at least daily, but especially a vet. It is their profession - the thing they are skilled at doing and are entrusted to do.
So, the extreme amount of laziness this steward had to not at least put the talent in the bank, coupled with the fact that he let fear paralyze him from doing what he was expected to do infuriated the master.
The parable is speaking of money, but this can also be applied to the gifts and skills that God has entrusted us with. If I refuse to step out in a gift or skill that God has given me because I am afraid or lazy, I may be behaving the same way as the steward with one talent.
Luke 12:48
“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Don’t compare yourself to others
The master in the parable didn’t give each steward the same amount. They all started with different amounts, not much different than this game of life that we are all in. Some people start with a lot, some with a little. But we are all judged based on what we did with what we had, rather than what we ended up with.
The great thing about this is that our success is not based on what people may think about us. God knows what He gave us to work with and He will see what we do with it. So, it doesn’t matter whether other people think you are a success or a failure - God’s definition of success is often quite different than man’s.
The master gave them each “according to their ability.” He knew a bit about their faithfulness and how likely they were to increase their talents. Turns out he delegated wisely.
Our money is not our own
We enter into the world with nothing and we leave with nothing.
One of the first lessons that I learned a few years ago that really changed the way I thought about money was that none of it is mine. It is all God’s. I have the privilege and opportunity to be a steward of what He has given me.
Once I began looking at my money this way, it changed my whole financial outlook and helped me to be more focused on pleasing God with the money entrusted to me.
Even if we spent our lives and ignored our responsibility as stewards, we still can’t take any of it with us. We might as well try to better the lives of those around us and store up treasure in heaven rather than down here.
What did you learn from the parable of the talents?
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Filed under Biblical Perspective on Money, Christian Financial Help
Comments on Parable of the Talents »
It is indeed true that we ‘cannot take it with us’ in reference to money when we die. I try to remind my parents of his and encourage them to spend the money that they have worked so hard for. They worry a bit about what they leave to me and my sister but I feel that inheritance is a bonus not something anyone should expect - I would much rather earn my own money and have them spend theirs.
I’m glad you explained that passage the way you did. I always had a hard time with being mad at the man who was safe with the money. The other two could have invested it and lost it. I thought the one who buried it was being smart by not risking losing what was given to him. But when you focus on the point being he was lazy and unmotivated, not that he didn’t try to invest, it makes more sense to me. Thank you!
@Cindy
you know, I have never really (and still don’t) fully understand the passage. As I grow in my knowledge of the Bible, I get new revelation from passages like these each time I go back to them - I guess that is why it is called the “living word”
Great look at this passage, a good reminder that we’re called to be good stewards!
I’ve always considered this parable to be about money and really dislike when people always compare it with talents like gifts and abilities. Everyone makes some money in their lifetime and we’re all accountable to God for how we use it. The point is you should not neglect your stewardship responsibility just because you don’t think you have very much.
@zgreenwell
you really don’t think our stewardship responsibilities go beyond cash? It seems to me that would be a little short-sighted - there are so many other things in life that we are responsible for…
I love this passage. It seems to be the one God has wanted me to understand better, it keeps coming up. Here are a few ideas. 1. God owns everything, therefore we need to ask for wisdom to spend His money. 2. The passage mentions about making “trading” decisions based on our understanding, to double the amount of what the Lord has entrusted us with. So we need to educate ourselves. 3. It also says “immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,and gained five more. It suggests a priority, he didn’t pay off debt. He didn’t donate it to the poor. He didn’t spend it, he traded it for a long time to double it. So the question is when should I start saving? Answer: today don’t wait to pay off debt. 4. Here’s a suggestion Wrap up your debt into your house at the lowest rate. (Mortgages are the cheapest way to borrow money)and for the longest time frame possible Then save the difference in payment each month in something that will grow at a higher rate than your new mortgage. WARNING!!!! If you don’t save the money each month, and you spend it you will financially bankrupt your family!!! I look at today financial markets and ask how do I trade God’s money wisely. It says the bank is not the ideal option we should choose. I looked at one option mutual funds, good ones. Invest for the long term, it’s funny that in the Bible the number 7 seems to be an important number. And if an investment averages 10% per year your money should double in about 7 years (rule of 72). 5. What about the concept of “Leveraging” this is borrowing money to invest. There are many types of leveraging the ones I’m referring to are loans or equity out of your home. This is a very controversial topic in christian circles and in the traditional financial industry. If you take out a loan, you have to pay it back. No matter what happens to your investment. Just like if you sell your car with a loan against you must come up with the money even if you sold it for less than the money owed. So maybe look at pulling out the equity of your house and investing it wisely for the long term. WARNING!!! do not use emotion or your gut feeling. Pray, and educate yourself this concept is for the long term 15 to 20 years at least, and make a sound decision for your family this is not for everyone. Remember each servant was given a different amount according to their talents. The question I have is it is acceptable to borrow money for a home (mortgage) where as the U.S. has shown us homes can go down in value over a short period of time, why isn’t it acceptable to borrow money to invest in strong time tested companies that may in the short term be down? As a home is for the long term, God has said so is saving. To double your money you must hold onto it for a long time. Again these are some thoughts, all I know is that 95% of people in Canada and the U.S. are broke, living paycheck to paycheck. We work at jobs, where the more we earn the more tax they take. Everything continues to go up in cost, homes, gas, food, education, bills. We are not saving any money for an emergency or for our retirement. We borrow money for things that breakdown or cost more money in the end than their worth. There has got to be a better way. God, I’m sure doesn’t want to see us like this, how can we reach out to others when we can’t even take care of ourselves. Yes, God will provide! But if we don’t educate ourselves and gain wisdom in this area. He is doing it all for us and we will survive, but I know he wants us to thrive and share with others. If you have read this Congratulations! I didn’t think it would be this long. Hope it helps. Please respond if you like. MB
@MB
I think you mentioned some good things in what you wrote…
thanks for sharing your book with us
[...] I think Jesus addressed this in the Parable of the talents. The steward to whom he gave one talent did nothing with it except bury it. The master called him a [...]