Parable of the Talents
This parable teaches children that Jesus will be returning at a time no man knows the hour or the day. We have all been given a certain amount of talents and should be ready to increase those talents for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 25:14-30
This parable is being told to a crowd reminding them to be ready and watch because no one knows the day or the hour when the Son of man comes, the Son of man is Jesus. Then Jesus told the parable about the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country. This man called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. The good was his possessions or property it is the substance that belongs to this man.
The man, the lord or master, gave his servants talents. A talent is something that can be balanced and can be weighed. He gave one servant five talents, to another two, and to another one. These talents were given according to his own ability and strength. These talents came from their moral power and the excellence of the soul. Also a talent was not a coin, but a weight of a precious metal such as silver or gold and its worth varied from place to place the worth of one talent. We will use an amount that it could have been worth just to illustrate the point. We will say a talent is more than $1,000.
The servant who was given five talents went to work at once using his money until he had doubled it. He now had ten talents instead of five. This servant worked to make gains with those of the same kind and increased his five talents to another five. So this servant received money worth more than $5,000.
The lord or master gave the second servant two talents also gained another two talents. He also increased his talents that were given to him. The master gave the second man two talents. He probably thought the servant was gifted and could manage that amount of talent. The second servant was successful also, and doubled his money. He began with more than $ 2,000 talents and now he had twice as much.
Now the servant who was given only one talent went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. He hid his talents and did not increase them as the other two did.
The lord of those servants came back after a long time, and was ready to settle up with them. The servant that had the five talents came and brought other five talents. He told the lord that he had given him five talents; and he had gained another five more talents. The lord said to his servant “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, AI will make you ruler over many things; enter you into the joy of your lord.”
The servant who had received the two talents came to the lord, and said; “Lord, you have given me two talents and I have gained two other talents beside them.” His lord also told him he had done well and called him a good and faithful servant. The lord also made him ruler over many things because he was faithful over a few things. He also was invited into the joy of the lord.
Next was the servant who had received the one talent. He said that he knew that the lord was a hard man, reaping where nothing had been sown and gathering where he had not winnow. This was a process of throwing the grain up into the air so the wheat can be separated from the chaff. The servant told his lord that he was afraid and hid the talent he had been given into the earth.
This did not make the lord happy. The lord said unto him; “You are a wicked and slothful servant, or lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gathered where I had not winnowed.” The lord said he ought to have put his money to the bank where he could have at least made interest.
The lord took the talent from him, and gave it to the servant who had the ten talents. The lord then said: “unto everyone that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that has not anything shall be taken away even that which he has.” The unprofitable servant was then cast into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
What Can Be Learned From This Lesson?
There is much that can be learned from this parable. If we say the lord or the master was Jesus who took a long journey, and the servants are you and I it can put this parable into perspective.
Everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior is given talents. This can be in the form of money, or it can be in the gift of being a good singer or graceful dancer. It can be anything that that can be used to glorified the LORD God and Jesus Christ. What is it that you can do really well? Whatever that is a gift from the LORD God to you. You should be finding a way to increase your talents and using them to glorify Him.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Parable of the Talents:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1916,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, January) “Parable of the Talents:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1916,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Parable of the Talents:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1916, (accessed).
