After the owner leaves, the first
servant, who received the five talents, invested the money that he had been
entrusted with and earned a profit of five additional talents. Likewise, the second man invested his two
talents and earned an additional two talents.
However, the third servant secretly dug a hole in the ground and buried
the one talent entrusted to his care.
After a long interlude, the owner finally returns from his trip and asks
for an accounting from the three servants.
The first and second servant return their original sum to the owner,
along with a proportionate amount of profit which they have earned through shrewd
investments. The owner is very pleased
with both of these servants.
However, the third servant returns the lone talent which the master had
given him, saying: “Master, I knew that
you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you
did not scatter seed; so, I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the
ground. Here, you have what is yours.” This response greatly angers the rich
master. He wonders why the third servant
did not invest the talent with bankers, so that at least the rich master would
have received his talent back with interest.
The parable concludes with the rich owner directing that the third
servant’s Talent be given to the first servant.
Further, the rich master gives instructions for the third servant: “As for this worthless slave, throw him into
the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The Parable of the Talents is very popular among Christians. Usually, we interpret this parable as a
teaching about how each of as disciples of Jesus must use the talents and gifts
and expertise that God gave us to serve the Church and help build the Kingdom of
God on Earth. In my 30 years of
ministry, I have frequently preached on this parable during the Fall, as the church
Nominations Committee was beginning to seek out individual members to fill
various offices and positions within the church. The thrust of my sermons went something like
this: God has given each of us talents
and gifts, and God expects us to use these talents for the church by agreeing
to serve in the positions requested by the Nominations Committee. This is certainly a valid interpretation and
use of the parable of the talents.
However, it is important to recognize that our understanding of the word,
“talent,” as gifts and abilities did not come into usage until the Middle
Ages. As originally used in the parable,
the word, “talent,” refers a financial unit of measurement. As we saw several weeks ago, in our discussion
of the “Parable of the Unjust Servant,” a talent is the equivalent of six
100-ounce silver bars. One talent alone
is equal to the wages of a manual laborer for 15 years. In monetary terms, a little over half a
million dollars.
Now, the
servants in this parable were not slaves who worked in the field or cleaned the
house or cooked the food. Just as in the
parable of the Unjust (or, “Unforgiving”) Servant, the servants in this parable
are administrators. Think of them as
investment bankers. So, it would be the
same today as when a very wealthy person—perhaps a professional athlete or
someone who has invented a new computer application and then sold it for
several million dollars—gives some of her surplus to an investment banker and
asks them to invest it.
In Jesus’ parable, this very rich
man gives investment capital to three different individuals. In today’s dollars, he gives 2.5 million
dollars to the first investor; 1 million dollars to the second investor; and
$500,000 to a third. When the day of
reckoning arrives, the first investor has wisely invested on behalf of his
client and doubled the investment, so that he returns 5 million dollars to the
client, and the client is very, very, very happy. The second investor has also doubled his
money, so he returns a cool $2 million dollars and the client is once again
very happy.
Then, it is the third investor’s turn to report. There is some disagreement among biblical
scholars, concerning whether the third investor has truthfully portrayed the
Master as a harsh man, who reaps where he did not sow. Some argue that Jesus intended for this to be
an accurate description of the rich man.
But, others argue that the third investor is really just making an
excuse; he’s sort of whining and trying to explain why he didn’t attempt to do
anything with the money which he had been given. This second group of interpreters point out
that the Master has already been very generous in his reward for the first two
investors and—by the end of the parable—he gives an additional talent, $500,00,
to the first investor.
At any rate, it is important to recognize that when Jesus originally told
this parable, he was not primarily focused on the importance of using our gifts
and graces and talents to serve God and build God’s Reign. Instead, Jesus is focusing on something
deeper. To fully understand and
appreciate this parable, we must examine what separates the third steward from
the first two. Stated a different way,
we need ask what do the first two servants have in common, which the third one does not have?
The answer to that question is that the first two stewards were willing
to take risks in order to serve their Master. The first two servants were willing to take
risk, by investing the money which the Master had entrusted with them. Of course, a parable is a short little story
that is intended to illustrate a much broader and deeper point. So, the Parable of the Talents is only
superficially about investment banking.
At a much deeper level, it is really about the Christian life and how
Christian disciples should spend their time while waiting for Jesus Christ to
come again in his final glory. Writing
in The New Interpreter’s Bible, M.
Eugene Boring observes, “The meaning of being ‘good and faithful’ is not mere
theological correctness, passive waiting, or strict obedience to clear
instructions, but active responsibility that takes initiative and risk…”. That is, “good and faithful” disciples will
take initiative and risk in order to build up the Kingdom of God on Earth, as
we await Jesus’ final coming.
The Kingdom of God was begun through the life, ministry, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ; yet, the Kingdom of God will not be fully
established until Jesus comes again. So,
God’s Kingdom is both already here and not yet here--at the same time.
It’s begun, but not yet complete.
God’s Kingdom is pervasive. The
Kingdom is in our individual hearts and minds and ultimately it will also
encompass the social, political, and economic world with God’s Justice. What the Parable of the Talents seeks to
convey is the point that we must use our gifts and talents and experience and
expertise to help build God’s Kingdom; that being “good and faithful disciples”
means being willing to take initiative and to take risks to continue building
God’s Kingdom.
Come, join us this Sunday (August
16), as we explore what it means to take initiative and risks in the 21st century, so that God’s
Reign may become fully established.
Christ United Methodist Church is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln,
Nebraska. Our classic worship services
are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
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