Matthew 25:14-30 Headings in Various Translations
Parable of the Talents – Parable of the 3 Servants – Parable of the Bags of Gold
Different translations mention gold, silver, goods, possessions, money, valuables …
Meaning of the Greek word “talanton” (talent).
A talent was not a coin, but rather a weight (75 lbs.) used as the basis of monetary exchange. 75 pounds of gold would be worth $1,584,000 (75 x 16 x $1,320); and 75 pounds of silver would be worth $20,484 (75 x 16 x $17.07)
Matthew 25:14-30 (NLT – The Parable of the Three Servants)
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last – dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ The master was full of praise, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:15
The master divided the money among his servants according to their abilities. No one received more or less than he could handle. If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. Failure would indicate only laziness or hatred toward the master. The bags of silver represent any kind of resource we are given. God gives us time, gifts, and other resources according to our abilities, and he expects us to invest them wisely until he returns. We are responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have but how well we use what we have.
Matthew 25:21
Jesus is coming back – we know this is true. Does this mean we must quit our jobs in order to serve God? No, it means we are to use our time, talents, and treasures diligently in order to serve God completely in whatever we do. For a few people, this may mean changing professions. For most of us, it means doing our daily work out of love for God.
Matthew 25:24-30
This last man was thinking only of himself. He hoped to play it safe and protect himself from his hard master, but he was judged for his self-centeredness. We must not make excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. If God truly is our Master, we must obey willingly. Our time, abilities, and money aren’t ours in the first place – we are caretakers, not owners. When we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished.
Matthew 25:29-30
This parable describes the consequences of two attitudes toward Christ’s return. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talents to serve God will be rewarded. The person who has no heart for the work of the Kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God’s Kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.
Luke 19:11-27 (NLT – Parable of the Ten Servants)
We can read a similar story in Luke 19. Jesus told a parable to correct the false impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. A noble was called way to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left he called together 10 servants and divided up 10 pounds of silver for the servants to invest. After he was crowned king, he returned to see how his servants did. One servant earned 10 times as much, another earned 5 times as much, and one servant hid the silver fearing failure. Those that earned a return were made governors over cities equal to their return; but the servant that hid the money had his taken from him and given to the servant with 10 pounds; and then the wicked, lazy servant was punished in front of the king.
Luke 19:11
The people still hoped for a political leader who would set up an earthly kingdom and get rid of Roman domination. Jesus’ story showed that his Kingdom would not take this form right away. First, he would go away for a while, and his followers would need to be faithful and productive during his absence. Upon his return, Jesus would inaugurate a Kingdom more powerful and just than anything they could expect or imagine.
This story showed Jesus’ followers what they were to do during the time between Jesus’ departure and his second coming. Because we live in that time period, it applies directly to us. We have been given excellent resources to build and expand God’s Kingdom. Jesus expects us to use these talents so that they multiply and the Kingdom grows. He asks each of us to account for what we do with his gifts. While awaiting the coming of the Kingdom of God in glory, we must do Christ’s work.
Luke 19:20-27
Why was the king so hard on this man who had not increased the money? He punished the man because:
(1) – he didn’t share his master’s interest in the Kingdom,
(2) – he didn’t trust his master’s intentions,
(3) – his only concern was for himself, and
(4) – he did nothing to use the money.
Like the king in this story, God has given you gifts to use for the benefit of his Kingdom. Do you want the Kingdom to grow? Do you trust God to govern it fairy? Are you as concerned for others’ welfare as you are for your own? Are you willing to use faithfully what he has entrusted to you?
