Troublesome Topic: Parable #2 The Talents Mt 25:14-30

Lesson 2 of 4

In this parable the owner of a large estate (who had probably started multiple business ventures) planned on being gone on a long trip which would keep him away for a long time. Therefore, he entrusted his businesses and his financial holdings to three supervisors whom he trusted. But he did not give them the same amount, rather it appears that the amount he entrusted to each one was based on his level of confidence in their ability to make good things happen with that money. One received five talents, one received two talents, and one received one talent.

The ones who received five talents and two talents put that money to work and by the time the estate owner returned they had doubled his capital. However, the one who received only one talent was afraid of failure and the consequences failure would bring, so he hid the money in the ground. When the estate owner returned, he was angry with this third supervisor for not trying to put his money to work. He pointed out that the supervisor should have had the sense to deposit it in the bank and at least gain some interest. That supervisor was considered wicked and was punished harshly while his money was given to the one who knew best what to do with it.

The point of this parable is this: you know He will someday show up on the scene and this time He will show His full power and glory by rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked. So get to work; the exact moment He arrives will not matter if you are being faithful. Spend your time working, not just waiting, and definitely do not succumb to fear. Here we see the key biblical concept of “certitude.” We can be certain of the event, just not of the timing.

The next lesson is: Parable #3 The Sheep and the Goats Mt 25:31-46

Footnotes

1

By the time of Jesus, the term “talent” could refer to a unit of weight or a unit of money; when used of money it was roughly equivalent to a year’s wages.