PARABLE 45 — MATTHEW 25:14-30 — THREE SERVANTS GIVEN TALENTS
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. 15 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. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
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.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredest unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 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.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
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.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Discussion Questions – Parable 45
PARABLE 45 — MATTHEW 25:14-30 — THREE SERVANTS GIVEN TALENTS
1. What is the basic meaning behind this parable? What exactly is Jesus trying to tell his disciples in this message?
The Parable of the Talents is one of the well known parables of Jesus Christ. The parable found in Matthew 25:14-30 is an analogy of what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. It tells of a man who was leaving his home to travel to a very far distance, and before going he entrusted his possessions worth 8 talents to his servants.
A talent was a measurement of weight, usually in silver. One talent was a large sum of money worth about 6,000 denarii. Since one denarius was the usual payment for a day's labor, a talent was roughly the value of twenty years of work by an ordinary person.
Jesus used a large sum of money when describing the Kingdom of God to outline the extreme worth of what Jesus will someday entrust to his faithful disciples. One servant receives five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, according to their respective abilities. Returning after a long absence, the man asks his servants for an accounting. The first two servants explain that they have each put their money to work and doubled the value of the property they were entrusted with, and so they are each rewarded. The last servant did nothing with his talent except keep it safe by hiding it away. He was not rewarded for his effort but punished in a rather harsh manner.
There is also a universal application to all mankind. From the time of the creation of mankind, each individual has been entrusted with resources of time and material wealth. Everything we have comes from God and belongs to Him. We are responsible for using those resources so that they increase in value. As Christians, we have additionally the most valuable resource of all – the Word of God. If we believe and understand Him, and apply His Word as good stewards, we are a blessing to others and the value of what we do multiplies. We are accountable to the Lord for the use of His resources.
The parable of the talents is considered to be an exhortation to Jesus' disciples to use their God-given gifts in the service of God. Failure to use one's gifts, the parable suggests, will result in severe judgment. Since a talent is considered the wages earned in a 20 year period, it is like He is saying that we have been given time and money to use to accomplish His will.
2. How many characters are in this parable? What are their roles? And who do they represent?
There are four major characters. The characters are: (1) a man traveling to a far country, (2) the servant given five talents, (3) the servant given two talents, (4) the servant given one talent.
A man (Jesus) prepares to travel to a far country (the kingdom of God). Before he leaves, he calls his servants and delivers unto them his goods (responsibilities, abilities to preach, teach, sing, minister, etc…) to each servant (disciples) he distributes according to their level of abilities. To one he gives 5 talents, to another 2 talents, and to another 1 talent. After a long time their Lord comes back. Upon His return (Jesus’ second coming) he finds two servants (disciples) who invested (used their God-given abilities and opportunities) wisely. To these, he made ruler over many things (heavenly rewards). The servant (disciple) who was afraid and hid his talent in the earth ( failed to use the abilities or fulfill the responsibilities Jesus gave him) is reprimanded and has his talent taken from him and given to the servant (disciple) who had ten talents. The servant was then cast into outer darkness.
3. We looked at a similar parable (#37) of the servants and minas in Luke 19:12- 27 a few weeks ago. What are the similarities and the differences?
* In Luke there are ten servants; in Matthew, there are only three.
* In Luke, the man who went away is a nobleman who leaves to obtain a kingdom; in Matthew, no such information is given.
* In Luke, the man gives each servant the same amount (one mina); in Matthew, talents are given to the three servants according to their ability.
* In Luke the lazy servant put his mina under a napkin, In Matthew the lazy servant hid his talent in the earth.
* In Luke, the servants are instructed to “do business” with the money; no such statement is found in Matthew (though we can rightly make this inference).
* In Luke is there another group, in addition to the master’s servants – those who don’t want this man to become their king, and who send a message asking him not to return. These rebels are slaughtered.
* In Luke it doesn’t say what happens to the unprofitable servant after taking his mina, In Matthew the unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness.
My thoughts on both parables:
The parable where servants are given minas represent the Word. Every servant was given the same amount – God’s Word. Those who did not want the man (Jesus) made king were the Jewish leaders. Over time the Roman Catholic Church has tried to keep the Word of God out of the hands of Christians, first by killing them, then in the 20th century by deceiving them. We all have the opportunity to have God’s Word. What will we do with it? Will we take it, read it, study it, grow with it, and share it with others? Or will we place it (the Bible) under a napkin never to be read?
The parable where the servants are given talents represent the abilities that each individual has to work in the kingdom of God. Where much is given, much is required (Luke 12:47-48). If we are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that we use these well to glorify God and benefit others. It is easy to assume that only wealthy people have been given much, or those that have multiple talents as singing and playing musical instruments, preachers and teachers with knowledge of God’s Word, but, in truth, we have all been given much (1 Corinthians 4:7). We have been granted the abundant grace of God (Ephesians 1:3-10; 3:16-21; Romans 5:8-11; 8:14-17), the Word of God, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-21; 16:13; Romans 12:6). Each of us should use whatever gift we have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10). We should also never assume that the less we know about God and His gifts, the less we’ll have to do. As evident in Jesus’ parables, we are held responsible to know our Master’s will. God has plainly showed us in His Word what happens if we hide our abilities (talents) in the earth (our earthly bodies) and not use them.
4. Does everyone have talents they can use to the glory of God?
Everyone has talents but not everyone uses their talents. In the Parable of the Talents, it appears that Jesus is stressing the importance of a person using their talents. Apostle Paul stated the same things to the church at Rome, “We have many members in one body… So we are one body in Christ… Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches on teaching; or he that exhorts on exhortation: he that gives let him do it with simplicity; he that rules do it with diligence; he that shows mercy do so with cheerfulness!” (Romans 12:4-8)
A talent is useless unless it is used. Honest hard work – this is something God seeks from all of us. God’s words tell us that working hard, but with faith in mind, can lead to the great things he has planned for us. Whatever we do, we are to do it with all our might; we are to work with all of our heart, as working for the Lord, not men (Colossians 3:23; Ecclesiastes 9:10).
There is no one that has no talents. This includes those in the church and those outside of the Body of Christ. Even an unsaved person has been given talents, which are God-given abilities but we can also say that talents are all of these three things; time, talent, and treasures. Some have the talent of helping, some of giving encouragement, others use their personal time at the expense of themselves to help others, yet others help to financially support the church or help the poor, however there are many who simply bury their talents. God has placed each one of us on this earth for the express purpose of using our talents…not for ourselves but for the glory of God and this frequently includes helping others. This is part of what is in the Parable of the Talents.
5. Which are you; a faithful servant or one that hides their talent and their profession of faith in Christ? Have you buried your talents or are you using them?
Only you know and the Lord knows. In the same chapter where Jesus spoke the Parable of the Talents, He speaks clearly to both believers and unbelievers, saying “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matt 10:37-42).
6. Can you summarize this parable as to what it means to you today?
I will occupy (WORK) until Jesus comes. It’s my job to know Him, to know what is expected of me, and then do it! I will take what He has given to me and share it with others. I will take my talents and use them for the glory of God. And when Jesus comes back he will put me in charge of many things and allow me to enter into the joy of God’s kingdom.
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