Parable of the Talents (pt 2)
The world today is selfish. Everything is focused on telling the people they deserve to be happy, they need to take time for themselves, they need to worry about their own lives, and they need to put others down to get ahead. Paul tells us quite the opposite in Galatians 5:13. He states that while we were called to be free, we are not to indulge in ourselves but serve others humbly, in love. Serving others is a great way to evangelize. More things a Christian can do is pray for those around them, remain peaceful in difficult situations, be excellent at everything they do, listen intently to others, and give God the glory in every situation.1 Jesus tells Christians in Matthew 5:16 they should, “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.
When Jesus told this parable, he was speaking to His disciples about the end times, the coming tribulation, and the fact that He would be back to judge the world. At the end of the parable, the master returns to see what the servants have done with their talents. This is a clear picture for His followers that they, too, would be accountable for their actions on earth. The first two servants were excited to show the master what they had done. The master said to them, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness”. The “master’s happiness” equates to enjoying the bliss of heaven with the Lord. The third servant had to stand before his master and explain he did nothing with the talent he was given. The master called him, “You wicked, lazy servant!” and told the others to, “throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. The darkness spoken about here represents an eternal life without God.2 Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account”. Everyone will be called to stand before the great white throne on Judgment Day and, according to Revelation 20:11-15, will be judged according to our works.
Jesus spoke in parables because in His day many people were not interested in hearing or understanding the truth. Hopefully that is different today. The Parable of the Talents should be one that Christians study and share because the message is deep. God gives mankind the beautiful gift of life, but life is fleeting so what is done with it is incredibly important. In Biblical times, a talent was a measure of something such as silver or gold. A single talent could represent as much as 50 pounds of precious metal.3 It would have been heavy; five talents massively heavy! The fact so many people in this world do not know Jesus Christ should be heavy in the hearts of Christians. If a Christian could fully understand the meaning of this parable, they would realize how they must spend their precious time. The Bible promises in Romans 14:11-12 one day, “every knee will bow, and every tongue will acknowledge God. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” Hopefully, they will be able to stand before Him and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.
1 Rice, Bill. “5 Simple Steps to Evangelism.” Life Bridge Church. 2013.
2 Deffinbaugh, Robert L. “The Parable of the Talents.” Studies in the Gospel of Matthew. Community Bible Chapel, April 24, 2005.
3 Barron, Bishop Robert. “The Deeper Meaning of the Parable of the Talents.” Catholic World Report, 2014.