Matthew 25:14-30: “Jesus Tells His Disciples The Parable Of The
Talents”
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study, we looked at the parable of the Ten
Virgins
1.1.1.
We saw how that Jesus was using this parable to teach
the lesson that we must all always live our lives so that our hearts are ready
for the Lord to return
1.1.2.
We saw how that Jesus began this theme of being ready
for His appearing back in chapter 24 of Mattthew
1.1.3.
We saw in the parable of the Ten Virgins that
1.1.3.1.There were
five wise and prudent virgins who brought along extra oil for their lamps and
that when the groom arrived that they were ready and left with the wedding
party to go to the ‘wedding feast’
1.1.3.2.There were
five foolish virgins who brought no extra oil for their lamps and when the Lord
appeared they weren’t ready for they had to go and try to buy oil, but this
made them miss the procession and when they finally got to the wedding feast
the doors were shut and they were locked out
1.1.3.3.What made
the difference between the prudent and foolish virgins was that the wise and
prudent ones brought extra oil for their lamps, and what this symbolizes is the
fact that we as Christians must always be seeking to better ourselves
spiritually by studying God’s Word, praying, fellowshipping, sharing our faith,
and obedience
1.1.3.3.1.If we don’t
seek to better ourselves spiritually in these ways we will eventually fall away
from Christ and we will not be ready in heart when Christ returns, and we will
spend eternity in hell not in heaven
1.2.
In this study, we are going to look at another parable
of Jesus’ that taught a similar theme as the parable of the Ten Virgins. It is the ‘Parable of the Talents’, in which
a man who was to go on a long journey placed his slaves in charge of his
business and gave to each one talents that they were expected to wisely and
prudently manage and bring a return of investment
1.2.1.
In this parable we see that a differing number of
talents was given to each according to their ability (as well as the sovereign
choice of God)
1.2.2.
Faithfulness to their master was expected, and a
corresponding return of investment was to be proportionate to the number of
talents that one had received
1.2.3.
Two of the slaves were equally faithful with what they
had received, however one slave was wicked and slothful and thus did not invest
what he had been given
1.2.4.
Reward from the master is based upon what a slave had
done with what his master had given to him
1.2.5.
We learn from this parable many things, including:
1.2.5.1.God expects
us to be faithful with our calling and the stewardship of all of the things
that He brings into our life
1.2.5.2.Those who
are unfaithful slaves of God and who bear no fruit for Him and His kingdom will
not inherit eternal life
1.2.5.3.God’s
rewards for faithfulness are disproportionately greater even than what any of
us deserve
2.
VS 25:14-15 -
“14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own
slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 “And 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.”” -
Jesus begins the parable of the Talents by telling His disciples that it
(the kingdom of heaven) is just like a man who was about to go on a long
journey and he gave charge of his possessions to his slaves
2.1.
As with Jesus’ other illustrations concerning the ‘kingdom of heaven’ in
this chapter, we see that Jesus is actually preparing His disciples for life
without Him by teaching the importance of perseverance in our faith.
2.1.1.
In the parable of the Ten Virgins we see that the groom delayed his coming
and thus the virgins had fallen asleep and when he finally returned at midnight
only the ones who had done extra preparation and brought along extra oil, were
ready for his return
2.1.2.
Here Jesus tells His disciples in the parable of the Talents that the
story was about a man who was to go on a journey, and we see that this was a
particularly long journey for Jesus said that the man gave his slaves
responsibility of all his business and possessions, and that he returned after
being gone a long time.
2.2.
In Jesus’ day, it was common at times for a landowner to turn over the
operation of his business to his slaves if he were to go on a long journey.
2.3.
In this parable we see that the land owner gave to each of his servants a
varying number of ‘talents’, and the New Bible Dictionary defines the ‘talent’ accordingly, “The ‘talent’ was not a coin, but a unit of
monetary reckoning. Its value was always high, though it varied with the
different metals involved and the different monetary standards.” It was really a monetary unit based upon the
type of metal and the weight of it.
2.3.1.
Those Christians who have not looked more deeply into what this word
‘talent’ refers to have sometimes come to the conclusion that the ‘talent’
meant the ability to tap dance, jump rope, play a mean harmonica, or
something. However, Jesus is not meaning
by this word ‘talent’ just the natural abilities that God gives us, it is much
more encompassing than that, it refers to stewardship of all that God places in
our lives monetarily, physically, spiritually (especially as in spiritual
gifts), etc.
2.4.
In Luke chapter 19, there is a very similar parable to this parable.
2.4.1.
Luke’s parable is called the Parable of the Pound (or Mina), and the
difference in that parable is that each of the slaves was given the same number
of pounds (or minas), 10, however each one created a different return from
them.
2.4.1.1.Also, in Luke’s parable the
reward for faithfulness was to be placed over a representative number of
cities.
2.4.2.
Here in the parable of the Talents we see that each slave was given a
different number of ‘talents’, based upon ‘his own ability’, and that each one
was accountable to the exact degree to that which he was entrusted. To whom much was given, much was expected.
2.4.2.1.In Matthew’s Parable of the
Talents the reward for faithfulness is not specifically spelled out, but just
called responsibility or charge over much.
3.
VS 25:16-18 -
“16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded
with them, and gained five more talents. 17 “In the same manner the one who had
received the two talents gained two more. 18 “But he who received the one
talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money.””
- Jesus tells His disciples what each
slave did with his talents
3.1.
The slaves who had received two and five talents each were equally
faithful with what they had been given, for they took their master’s talents
and traded them for a double return of profit.
3.2.
The slave who had received just one talent was unfaithful with what he
had been given, for instead of trying to trade it for a return of profit,
instead he took the talent and buried in the sand.
3.2.1.
I think that it is implied here that sometimes those who have been given
by the Lord few spiritual gifts, or gifts that are not of the more visible and leadership
oriented gifts, have a tendency to not want to use the gift(s) that they
received for the Lord’s service.
3.2.1.1.In Rom. 12:6-8, the apostle Paul wrote
about how that each one of us are supposed to use the spiritual gifts that we
have been given, “6 And since we have gifts that differ according to
the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy,
according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he
who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who
gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with
cheerfulness.”
3.2.1.2.In 1 Cor.
12:7-26,
Paul wrote about how each one of us has received a special gift or gifts of the
Holy Spirit, and each gift of the Holy Spirit is very valuable and it is
important that it be exercized, “7 But to each one is given the manifestation of
the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom
through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same
Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing
by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another
prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various
kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and
the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually
just as He wills. 12 For even as the
body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though
they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were
all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and
we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but
many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of
the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if
the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it
is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body
were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would
the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them,
in the body, just as He desired. 19 And if they were all one member, where
would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the
eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the
feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members
of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the
body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and
our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our
seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving
more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 that there should be no
division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one
another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one
member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
4.
VS 25:19-23 -
“19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled
accounts with them. 20 “And 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.’ 21 “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.’ 22 “The one also who
had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted to me two
talents; see, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 “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.’””
- Jesus tells His disciples that finally
‘after a long time’ the master of the slaves returned and began to settle
accounts with his slaves
4.1.
As with the parable of the Pounds in Luke 19, this parable also reveals
to us that in God’s kingdom which is to come that those who are God’s people
will actively be given responsibilities, for some of their rewards will be to
be placed in charge of many things.
4.1.1.
Likewise in Matt. 25:47, we saw that the slave who was awaiting
faithfully his master’s return would be rewarded by being given charge of all
of his master’s possessions.
4.2.
What a blessing it will be for those who have been faithful with the
things that God has given them responsibility, for He will on that day of
judgment of rewards for the Christian be told, “Well done thou good and
faithful servant”.
4.3.
In these verses we see the reward of faithfulness, and note that the
rewards given for faithfulness were much greater even than that which was
deserved, though the extent of the reward is not specified as in the Luke 19
parable of the Pounds.
4.3.1.
For the one who had received five talents and traded for five more was
given ‘charge of many things’.
4.3.2.
For the one who had received two talents and traded for two more was also
given ‘charge of many things’
4.4.
Eternal life with Christ for
eternity is described here by Jesus as being ‘the joy of your master’.
4.4.1.
I once had a dream that I was in heaven, and in the dream I was walking
around there, and the thing that struck me was that every step I took brought
joy into my heart. There was continual
joy being in the presence of the Lord and His chosen servants and created
beings.
4.4.2.
In Psalm 16:11, the psalmist wrote about there always being joy in God’s presence, “In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures
forever.”
4.4.3.
In 1 Peter 1:8, Peter wrote about how that we who have faith in Christ in this life
greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, “8 and
though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now,
but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory.”
5.
VS 25:24-25 -
“24 “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. 25 ‘And I was afraid, and went away and
hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.’”” - The slave who had received the one talent and
yet had not improved it at all trys to justify his actions
5.1.
The man who had received the one talent tries here to shift the blame for
his not improving the talents upon his master instead of taking responsibility
of his own negligence and sloth.
5.1.1.
This unfaithful slave said that he did not think that his master would be
satisfied with anything that he traded for with the talent since he was such an
exacting and hard man, and since his master could not be pleased anyway, he did
nothing with what had been given to him.
5.1.1.1.I’ve known plenty people in
my life who have held back from serving God because they just didn’t think that
they could ever please Him if they tried, as all that they had ever known in
their experience with God was condemnation for their sin. I think that in many ways the organized
church has fed this behavior for they have sometimes portrayed God as always
being angry at us and waiting and wanting to judge and condemn us to hell. However, we know that God’s desire has always
been that the world should be saved.
(See John 3:16-17)
5.1.1.2.I have talked at length with
people about the gospel who felt that there was no way that God could ever
forgive them for their sins, for they had sinned so horribly, or that there was
no way that they could ever live a holy life that pleases God. However, people don’t realize until it
happens to them that when Christ comes into someone’s life He transforms their
hearts and minds and makes them immediately into an overwhelming conqueror through
His strength and power in their lives.
5.1.2.
This unfaithful slave spurns the character of his master by saying that
his master was always ‘reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you
scattered no seed’. In other words, he
says that his master was always getting things that he hadn’t really deserved,
the fruit of other’s labor.
5.1.2.1.People often speak of God as
having impure motives for the things that He does, however that is very
foolish.
5.1.2.1.1.In reality every good thing
that any of us have in our lives has come from God for He gave it to us or gave
us the capacity for it.
5.1.2.1.2.Because of the fact that God
is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, perfect in His character and love, and
holy beyond degree, it is only right that we as merely clay creations of His worship
Him with the highest degree of reverence and devotion, for He is worthy of all
of our worship.
5.2.
I believe that when unbelievers actually stand before the Lord at the
Great White Throne Judgment and are faced with the whole truth about their
lives revealed before witnesses, the light that they had and the choices that
they made with the light that they have had in their lives, that there will be
very few if any who really will want to try to argue and debate with the Lord
about the foolishness and wickedness of their lives.
5.3.
The Treasury Of Scriptural Knowledge includes the following comment that basically says
that the fact that the one who had received the one talent and was not faithful
does not imply that those who receive many talents are usually faithful, “Our Lord placed the example of negligence in
him to whom the least was committed, probably to ‘intimate’ says Doddridge,
‘that we are accountable for the smallest advantage with which we are
entrusted; but it cannot imply that they who have received much will ordinarily
pass their account best; for it is too plain, in fact, that most of those whose
dignity, wealth, and genius give them the greatest opportunities of service,
seem to forget that they have any Master in heaven to serve, or any future
reckoning to expect; and many render themselves much more criminal than this
wicked and slothful servant who hid his talents in the earth.’””
6.
VS 25:26-27 -
“26 “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. 27
‘Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would
have received my money back with interest.”” - Jesus tells His disciples that the master of
the slave who had received the one talent will see through all of his excuses
6.1.
Jesus tells His disciples that this slave is just wicked and lazy and
that is why he didn’t improve the talent he had received, because if he didn’t
really believe that he could please his master by trading for his talent, then
he could have at least put the money in the bank and let it gain interest. However, because he didn’t this shows his
culpability.
6.1.1.
This just shows again that non-believers really will have no excuse for
not following Jesus in this life and being His disciple. The excuse that God wouldn’t accept their
service for Him if they gave it doesn’t hold water because a person could find
some sort of way to bear fruit for Christ if they chose to do so.
6.2.
Jesus does not deny that the master in the story reaped where he didn’t
sow and gathered where he had scattered no seed, however even if he did these
things, the fact is he is still the master of this slave, and a slave was mere
property of the master, and as a slave owner you could do whatever you wanted
to do with your slaves, including kill them.
The fact that the master was seeking to reward the slave at all shows
that he is doing much more than he ever could be expected to do.
6.2.1.
When it comes right down to it, God is sovereign, and He can do with us
people as He chooses. The fact that we
Christians have received mercy and grace instead of judgment and condemnation
alone means that God has done far more than anyone should have expected Him to
do. But, the fact that God’s grace has
gone as far as it has in blessing us who are His people, knowing that we are
really sinful people, makes me realize that His goodness is awesome beyond my
comprehension or ability to express.
7.
VS 25:28-30 -
“28 ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has
the ten talents.’ 29 “For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall
have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have
shall be taken away. 30 “And cast out the worthless slave into the outer
darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.””
- Jesus tells His disciples that the one
who did not improve his talent will loose all reward and be cast into outer
darkness
7.1.
In this verse, Jesus makes it clear what this parable refers to. He tells His disciples that the one who
claims to be one of God’s people, and yet who did not bear any fruit in his
life for Christ, will not enter the kingdom of heaven but be cast into eternal
hell.
7.2.
Jesus often referred to hell by the term, ‘outer darkness’.
7.2.1.
We already saw in Matt. 22:13, with the man who had been invited to the wedding
feast and yet who did not come in the wedding garments, that he also would end up in outer darkness, “13 “Then
the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the
outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
7.2.2.
Likewise, we also already saw in Matt. 8:11-12, that Jesus told the
Gentile Centurion who asked Jesus to heal His Son believing that Jesus did not
need to go to his son’s side to do this, was a man who had great faith and that
there would be many ‘sons of the kingdom’ (Jews who didn’t have faith in Christ
as this man had) who would end up in outer darkness, “11 “And
I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table
with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast
out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth.””
7.3.
The one talent that the man did have was taken by his master and given to
the man who had been faithful with his five talents and now had ten. Jesus tells His disciples that this action
symbolizes that the one who has been faithful in the calling and stewardships
that God has placed in his life, will be given even more responsibilities in
His kingdom than his faithfulness deserves.
7.3.1.
This just emphasizes again that the Lord rewards His people
disproportionately above what they deserve for being faithful.
7.3.2.
I have heard people comment on this idea of him who has to him more will
be given as being sort of a general principle of life also. For instance, a man once said, “I’ve noticed
that the harder I work the luckier I get”.
But here, Jesus tells us that this principle relates to the receiving of
rewards in His kingdom for faithfulness.
7.3.3.
Jesus often told His disciples that ‘whoever had to him more would be
given’ for it seems that it is a general principle in His kingdom. In fact, in Luke 8:18, Jesus told His disciples
to listen closely evidently because the more they understood of spiritual
things, the more they would receive of them, “18 “Therefore take care how you
listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have,
even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.””
7.3.4.
Jesus describes the rewards of faithfulness to God as receiving ‘an
abundance’, and we see glimpses of God doing this in the here and now in the
New Testament writers conveying how God has poured out His blessings in grace
upon our lives in this life:
7.3.4.1.The apostle John, in John 1:16, wrote about the fact that
all believers have received of His abundance, and grace upon grace, “16 For
of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”
7.3.4.2.In Ephesians
1:7-8, as
Paul was laying out for us all of the wondrous work that God has done in Christ
for us His church, he wrote that God had ‘lavished’ his grace upon us, showing
God’s generosity in blessing His children, “7 In Him we have redemption through
His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His
grace, 8 which He lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight.”
8.
We know from the scriptures that all of us as Christians will one day
stand before the ‘Bema Seat’ of Christ for judgment for all of the things that we
have done since coming to Christ, as the following scriptures clearly teach us:
8.1.
2 Cor. 5:10, “10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat
of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
8.2.
Rom. 14:10,12, “10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you
again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of God. 12 So then each one of us shall give account
of himself to God.”
8.3.
Eph. 6:8, “8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does,
this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.”