14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a
man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and
delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another
two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately
he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents
went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two
gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in
the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants
came and settled accounts with them. 20 “So he who had received five talents came
and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five
talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came
and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more
talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will
make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent
came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not
sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your
talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You
wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather
where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the
bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So
take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be
given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he
has will be taken away. 30 And
cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.’
Commentary
Vs. 14-15 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
The Lord Jesus Christ in teaching us to make our persons and lives fruitful and profitable for the Kingdom of heaven now draws an analogy of a man and his servants to whom he delivered his goods too, giving to each one according to his ability. Therefore, the man is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and we individually are the servants to whom he delivered his goods too, giving to us all talents according to our ability, that is each of us our given talents by Christ whether through His Holy Spirit or natural abilities by which God has equipped us to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and forward the Kingdom of heaven while the Lord Jesus Christ is away. Therefore, this parable is related to the previous one in that in the previous parable it was taught that we must all be prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ’s Return, while here the emphasis will be on using and developing those gifts and talents that the Lord Jesus Christ has equipped us all with while we await His Return, for an indifferent or idle Christian is an oxymoron, and thus will have no place in the Kingdom of heaven when Christ Returns.
Vs. 16-19 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Now the servant who received five talents went and traded with his five talents and acquired five more. That is, he went out and took the raw talents that Christ had given him and he developed and grew them into five more talents. For though the Lord Jesus Christ Spiritually and naturally gifts us these talents are not given to us in their full and mature state. A man Spiritually gifted with the gifts of preaching, teaching, evangelism, wisdom and knowledge though given these gifts by the Holy Spirit still must put in the time and effort to learn God’s Word to increase and maximize their effectiveness through his person and life. He must then put into practice what he has been given and gifted with in order to grow it and increase it. Indeed, as he uses the gifts and talents given him he will be given more. For that is a clear Scriptural principal that God blesses those with more increase as they use what He has given them in the Kingdom of heavens service, seen both here in this parable, and everywhere else in the Scriptures (Deut. 30:9-10; 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalm 1; Prov. 3:9-10, 28:20; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Cor. 9:8-11; 1 Thess. 3:12-13; 2 Peter 1:5-11, vs. 8 etc.). Therefore, the impetus is on us all to use and grow and increase what we have (while we have it) so that we will have an abundance at the end. Likewise, then the servant who received two talents also went out and traded with the two talents given him and he acquired two more, thus likewise doubling what he started out with. And so it is not that we attain too, or acquire, what another has. For no Christian should measure themselves by what another Christian does or achieves. Rather it is God’s Will that each one of us use what we have been given for the Kingdom of heavens service, and then the fruitfulness will then take care of itself, because God Himself will bless and oversee and multiply the work of our hands. Therefore, if we faithfully follow the Lord Jesus Christ then we will live fruitful and meaningful lives by which many are blessed.
Now the last servant who received one talent instead of even trying to use it, only went and dug a hole and hid it in the ground, hiding then his lord’s money so that it is very unlikely that anyone ever knew that man was a Christian, or anyone ever received any sort of blessing from him because of his “faith.” Indeed, if he had just a mustard seed of faith he could’ve done great things, but instead he couldn’t be bothered to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ for himself. Therefore, the one talent delivered to him remined buried in the ground, like a most precious gift that has been discarded, tossed aside, because that individual wouldn’t take the time to open it and see the glorious treasure inside. And so, it was that after a long time the master of those servants came to settle accounts with his servants. Clearly indicating that when the Lord Jesus Christ Returns He will likewise come and require and accounting of what we have done with what He has delivered to us while He was away, and then He will reward and repay each one of us for what we have done with talents given us by Him while He was gone.
Vs. 20-23 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
And so, it was when the first servant who received five talents appeared before his Lord he said to Him that he had gained five talents on top of five originally delivered to him, thus doubling his Lord’s investment in him. (Now a talent in ancient Israel was a unit of large monetary value, and thus here is just a metaphor for the Spiritual gifts and talents and abilities that the Lord has given to us all.) Therefore, the Lord when He heard that His servant had delivered to Him five more talents than what was originally entrusted to him, He said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Thus, He rewards that servant for his faithfully using what was first entrusted to him, promising him that because he was faithful over a few things he will now make him a ruler over many things. Showing an incredible amount of generosity on the part of the master of that servant. Similarly, then the second servant who received two talents also appears before his Lord and he tells Him that he has gained two more talents on top of the two that were originally delivered to him, therefore his Lord likewise says to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Now in the Lord Jesus Christ’s parable here He is not teaching us that salvation is a reward for one’s faithful service (consider Rom.4:4-5; Eph.2:8-10), rather the point of His parable here is that He will truly reward each and everyone of us who believe in Him according to what He first entrusted to us to be profitable servants for Him.
Vs. 24-30 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Finally, the last servant who received one talent now appears before his Lord, and unlike the previous two servants who had great joy in seeing their Lord and telling Him that they had doubled their Lord’s investments in them, the last servant when he is called to give and account by his Lord only begins by offering excuses for his not doing anything with the talent his Lord entrusted to him. Indeed, he begins by calling his Lord a “hard man”, not a generous man, who first gave him what he did not earn or even deserve, and thus gave him ample opportunity and resource to do something with his “faith” and life for Him, but only a “…hard man reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ And so that servant is only blaming his Lord for his not doing anything (and not even trying to do anything) with the talent his Lord delivered to him; even going so far as to the use the lame excuse of being afraid, something which is not unique to him, but all men have their “fears”, nonetheless overcoming our fears and stepping out in faith is what the Lord requires of us all, and is the first step to becoming a fruitful servant for Him. And so it is because he never tried to do anything his own perceptions of his Lord became utterly distorted because he never got to experience the Lord’s amazing grace and faithfulness in enabling us to do what we cannot do in of ourselves. Therefore, when called to account by his Lord that servant only returns the talent given him, unused, utterly wasted because with it he could’ve done much good with it but instead he did nothing.
Vs. 26-30 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Therefore, his lord upon hearing how that servant judged him, and how he did nothing with the talent given him, now says to him: “‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.” Vs. 26-27 If then that wicked and lazy servant judged his own master as being “hard to serve” (compare Matt. 11:28-30) in order to justify his own inaction, then he ought to have at least taken the talent given him and deposited it with the bankers as his master said, so that his master might have received it back with interest. Instead he did absolutely nothing with it (when he could’ve put it into the hands of someone who would’ve done something with it). Therefore, he is justly called wicked and lazy by his master because he did nothing with it, and yet he himself only judged his master with such a wicked man’s perspective that he couldn’t even see all the goodness his master intended for him at the end. Therefore, his master says to take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten (vs. 28). “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” That then is a Spiritual principal that applies to us all throughout our lives, the more we try to do with what God gives and entrusts us with, the more He gives us, not only in this life, but also in eternity! For God is a Just God and He rewards and repays everyone according to their works and their ways (Isaiah 45:21; Jeremiah 17:10; Rom. 2:1-11, vs. 6-8; Rev. 20:11-15). Therefore, in concluding His parable the Lord Jesus now says that the unprofitable servant was “… cast into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” A warning then to all who find the comfort of church pews comfortable and reassuring, but do nothing with what they hear, from one Sunday to the next. For at some point the Word of God must take root in one’s heart and bring about one’s salvation, and thus their bearing fruit to God. Otherwise if they remain unbelieving and stagnant they will become like the one talent servant who did nothing with what was given him. I urge you then if you have not yet believed and received the Lord Jesus Christ for yourself then do so, start there, by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior, trusting His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead as accomplishing everything that is needed to save (and ultimately transform) you. Now if you do, you will experience, and have life, new and everlasting. For God’s grace and eternal salvation is freely offered to one and to all without partiality and without hypocrisy. Therefore, don’t delay be reconciled to God today!
Scripture Quotations:
Commentary
Vs. 14-15 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
The Lord Jesus Christ in teaching us to make our persons and lives fruitful and profitable for the Kingdom of heaven now draws an analogy of a man and his servants to whom he delivered his goods too, giving to each one according to his ability. Therefore, the man is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and we individually are the servants to whom he delivered his goods too, giving to us all talents according to our ability, that is each of us our given talents by Christ whether through His Holy Spirit or natural abilities by which God has equipped us to serve the Lord Jesus Christ and forward the Kingdom of heaven while the Lord Jesus Christ is away. Therefore, this parable is related to the previous one in that in the previous parable it was taught that we must all be prepared for the Lord Jesus Christ’s Return, while here the emphasis will be on using and developing those gifts and talents that the Lord Jesus Christ has equipped us all with while we await His Return, for an indifferent or idle Christian is an oxymoron, and thus will have no place in the Kingdom of heaven when Christ Returns.
Vs. 16-19 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
Now the servant who received five talents went and traded with his five talents and acquired five more. That is, he went out and took the raw talents that Christ had given him and he developed and grew them into five more talents. For though the Lord Jesus Christ Spiritually and naturally gifts us these talents are not given to us in their full and mature state. A man Spiritually gifted with the gifts of preaching, teaching, evangelism, wisdom and knowledge though given these gifts by the Holy Spirit still must put in the time and effort to learn God’s Word to increase and maximize their effectiveness through his person and life. He must then put into practice what he has been given and gifted with in order to grow it and increase it. Indeed, as he uses the gifts and talents given him he will be given more. For that is a clear Scriptural principal that God blesses those with more increase as they use what He has given them in the Kingdom of heavens service, seen both here in this parable, and everywhere else in the Scriptures (Deut. 30:9-10; 2 Samuel 23:5; Psalm 1; Prov. 3:9-10, 28:20; 1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Cor. 9:8-11; 1 Thess. 3:12-13; 2 Peter 1:5-11, vs. 8 etc.). Therefore, the impetus is on us all to use and grow and increase what we have (while we have it) so that we will have an abundance at the end. Likewise, then the servant who received two talents also went out and traded with the two talents given him and he acquired two more, thus likewise doubling what he started out with. And so it is not that we attain too, or acquire, what another has. For no Christian should measure themselves by what another Christian does or achieves. Rather it is God’s Will that each one of us use what we have been given for the Kingdom of heavens service, and then the fruitfulness will then take care of itself, because God Himself will bless and oversee and multiply the work of our hands. Therefore, if we faithfully follow the Lord Jesus Christ then we will live fruitful and meaningful lives by which many are blessed.
Now the last servant who received one talent instead of even trying to use it, only went and dug a hole and hid it in the ground, hiding then his lord’s money so that it is very unlikely that anyone ever knew that man was a Christian, or anyone ever received any sort of blessing from him because of his “faith.” Indeed, if he had just a mustard seed of faith he could’ve done great things, but instead he couldn’t be bothered to believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ for himself. Therefore, the one talent delivered to him remined buried in the ground, like a most precious gift that has been discarded, tossed aside, because that individual wouldn’t take the time to open it and see the glorious treasure inside. And so, it was that after a long time the master of those servants came to settle accounts with his servants. Clearly indicating that when the Lord Jesus Christ Returns He will likewise come and require and accounting of what we have done with what He has delivered to us while He was away, and then He will reward and repay each one of us for what we have done with talents given us by Him while He was gone.
Vs. 20-23 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
And so, it was when the first servant who received five talents appeared before his Lord he said to Him that he had gained five talents on top of five originally delivered to him, thus doubling his Lord’s investment in him. (Now a talent in ancient Israel was a unit of large monetary value, and thus here is just a metaphor for the Spiritual gifts and talents and abilities that the Lord has given to us all.) Therefore, the Lord when He heard that His servant had delivered to Him five more talents than what was originally entrusted to him, He said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Thus, He rewards that servant for his faithfully using what was first entrusted to him, promising him that because he was faithful over a few things he will now make him a ruler over many things. Showing an incredible amount of generosity on the part of the master of that servant. Similarly, then the second servant who received two talents also appears before his Lord and he tells Him that he has gained two more talents on top of the two that were originally delivered to him, therefore his Lord likewise says to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Now in the Lord Jesus Christ’s parable here He is not teaching us that salvation is a reward for one’s faithful service (consider Rom.4:4-5; Eph.2:8-10), rather the point of His parable here is that He will truly reward each and everyone of us who believe in Him according to what He first entrusted to us to be profitable servants for Him.
Vs. 24-30 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Finally, the last servant who received one talent now appears before his Lord, and unlike the previous two servants who had great joy in seeing their Lord and telling Him that they had doubled their Lord’s investments in them, the last servant when he is called to give and account by his Lord only begins by offering excuses for his not doing anything with the talent his Lord entrusted to him. Indeed, he begins by calling his Lord a “hard man”, not a generous man, who first gave him what he did not earn or even deserve, and thus gave him ample opportunity and resource to do something with his “faith” and life for Him, but only a “…hard man reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ And so that servant is only blaming his Lord for his not doing anything (and not even trying to do anything) with the talent his Lord delivered to him; even going so far as to the use the lame excuse of being afraid, something which is not unique to him, but all men have their “fears”, nonetheless overcoming our fears and stepping out in faith is what the Lord requires of us all, and is the first step to becoming a fruitful servant for Him. And so it is because he never tried to do anything his own perceptions of his Lord became utterly distorted because he never got to experience the Lord’s amazing grace and faithfulness in enabling us to do what we cannot do in of ourselves. Therefore, when called to account by his Lord that servant only returns the talent given him, unused, utterly wasted because with it he could’ve done much good with it but instead he did nothing.
Vs. 26-30 26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Therefore, his lord upon hearing how that servant judged him, and how he did nothing with the talent given him, now says to him: “‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.” Vs. 26-27 If then that wicked and lazy servant judged his own master as being “hard to serve” (compare Matt. 11:28-30) in order to justify his own inaction, then he ought to have at least taken the talent given him and deposited it with the bankers as his master said, so that his master might have received it back with interest. Instead he did absolutely nothing with it (when he could’ve put it into the hands of someone who would’ve done something with it). Therefore, he is justly called wicked and lazy by his master because he did nothing with it, and yet he himself only judged his master with such a wicked man’s perspective that he couldn’t even see all the goodness his master intended for him at the end. Therefore, his master says to take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten (vs. 28). “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” That then is a Spiritual principal that applies to us all throughout our lives, the more we try to do with what God gives and entrusts us with, the more He gives us, not only in this life, but also in eternity! For God is a Just God and He rewards and repays everyone according to their works and their ways (Isaiah 45:21; Jeremiah 17:10; Rom. 2:1-11, vs. 6-8; Rev. 20:11-15). Therefore, in concluding His parable the Lord Jesus now says that the unprofitable servant was “… cast into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” A warning then to all who find the comfort of church pews comfortable and reassuring, but do nothing with what they hear, from one Sunday to the next. For at some point the Word of God must take root in one’s heart and bring about one’s salvation, and thus their bearing fruit to God. Otherwise if they remain unbelieving and stagnant they will become like the one talent servant who did nothing with what was given him. I urge you then if you have not yet believed and received the Lord Jesus Christ for yourself then do so, start there, by asking the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your heart and life to be your Lord and Savior, trusting His death on the Cross and His Resurrection from the dead as accomplishing everything that is needed to save (and ultimately transform) you. Now if you do, you will experience, and have life, new and everlasting. For God’s grace and eternal salvation is freely offered to one and to all without partiality and without hypocrisy. Therefore, don’t delay be reconciled to God today!
Scripture Quotations:
The New King James Version. (1982). Nashville: Thomas Nelson
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