The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 24:14:30

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 his 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. He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered 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 the 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 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 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. The will be weeping and gnashing of teeth

          A talent was a measure of weight not a specific coin. Therefore a talent of gold would be worth much more than a talent of silver.  The word in verse 18 translates as "money" so these were talents of silver worth a considerable. Each servant was given a certain amount of talents, the first five, the second two, and the third one all according to their abilities. The lord who in this parable represents Jesus then went on a long journey. The first man who received 5 talents traded with them to get 10 talents.  The second man did the same and went from 2 talents to 4.  The third man dug a hole in the earth and buried his talent in the ground. 

          When there Lord returned to settle accounts with them. The first man had increased his talents fro five to ten and when the master heard this He told the man "well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter in to the joy of your lord.  The second man who had increased hi talents from two to four received the same treatment from the lord.  It should be noted here that these two men were rewarded for their faithfulness not how many talents they had made.

          When the third man who had received the one talent in verse 24 he said "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed" he then tells his master he buried his talent and gave it to him. He had just maligned his master as a cruel and ruthless man "reaping and gathering that which was not his to do so?  This lazy servant is not a man of genuine faith as he does not even recognize his master as the Lord Jesus Christ. He labeled by his lord as a wicked and lazy who knew master did reaping and gathering in other fields, his own words  condemn him as lazy and slothful because if he believed his master to be it was all the more reason for him not to be lazy. So his talent was taken away and given to the first man. In verse 29 Jesus say, "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. Those who receive divine grace inherit many blessings in addition to eternal life and God's favor.  But those who bury God's goodness in the ground will ultimately lose everything they have. In verse 30 the third man is cast into " the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" Jesus often use this description for hell.

 Commentary:

          This parable says that all who are faithful will be fruitful to some degree. God has bestowed gifts to each Christian to use to be fruitful.   Whether it is the gift of teaching a Sunday school class or preaching to the masses he has bestowed out His many gifts to all of us.  In this parable third man had no gift because he was a hypocrite which makes him fruitless and cast into "the outer darkness.  Whatever gift God has given you don't bury but use it and you will be fruitful in the Lord.