THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.  And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey." (Matthew 25:14, 15).

 

In the parable of the talents, Jesus addresses one of the principles of servant-hood as it relates to the kingdom of heaven.  Because of the use of the word "talent" in this parable, many English-speaking folks confuse what Jesus is trying to convey, and interpret it to mean the God-given talents that we are each given at birth.  While it is true that people show certain affinities for music, science, art, language, etc., and these affinities can manifest themselves at an early age, this is not at all what the Lord was teaching about here. 

 

The talent that the Bible refers to was a standard unit of weight that was applied to a variety of commodities.  In the case of the parable, it most likely refers to a talent of gold.   The exact equivalent weight of the talent continues to be debated by scholars, but it is generally agreed that we are talking about a very large sum of money for the time. 

 

So then, the man in this parable clearly represents Christ and foretold the time when He would leave this world and ascend to the Father.  The man's servants represent the believers, whom Jesus left to manage His affairs.  The talents, therefore, that Jesus distributes to His servants represent His vast wealth.  It has nothing at all to do with what the servants already possessed; it was what they were given out of the Master's treasure.  It isn't important what we were born with, what we are naturally good at, or even what we have trained or educated ourselves to become.  It is all about the unsearchable riches of His grace which He has delivered to them who love Him and the spiritual gifts that only He can bestow.  Paul said, "...I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power." (Ephesians 3:7).  Despite Paul's pedigree and credentials that he catalogs in Philippians chapter three, he was acutely aware that it was the gift of God's grace in Christ that gave power to his life and ministry.  In fact, he considered everything else that he once boasted and trusted in to be nothing but loss - worse than loss - he considered them dung. (Philippians 3:3-8).  He fully realized that he could not place any confidence whatsoever in the flesh (v. 3).  In another place he said, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing." (Romans 7:18).

 

This is an important principle of the kingdom of God: everything associated with the flesh must be crucified and put to death in Christ.  Nothing can survive.  The carnal nature is full of dead works and is the enemy of God.  It is not subject to the law of God, and never will be (Romans 8:7).  Jesus said, "...whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it."   (Matthew 16:25).  Our life is everything we are outside of Christ.  It is the life of Jesus that we must put on in order to fulfill God’s will.  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."  (Galatians 2:20) 

 

Throughout scripture we see pictures of God's people being “delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."  Noah and his family had to pass through the flood in order to inherit the new world that awaited them.  The Israelites could not escape Egypt until every one of them passed through the Red Sea.  When they reached the Promised Land, they could not possess it until every one of them passed through the Jordan River.  New believers must pass through the waters of baptism, identifying themselves with the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus in order to enter into new life.

 

Man is always trying to find something redeeming in the flesh, but it is a lost cause.  If we were not utterly lost, we would not need a Savior.  Our tendency is to lean on our natural strengths, and shrink from our natural weaknesses; but God would have us to do just the opposite.  He has said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Many are willing to bring their sins and weaknesses to Christ, but few are aware of how their strengths and natural virtues must be nailed to His cross as well. 

 

King Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel.  An early task that God gave Saul was to destroy the Amalekites.  He was told to utterly destroy all that they had: man, woman, child, and cattle.  Instead of obeying God's command, Saul saved the best of everything.  "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly." (1Samuel 15:9).  This was not only disobedience to God, it was outright rebellion!  Saul tried to excuse his decision by saying that he had saved the best sheep and oxen in order to offer a sacrifice to God.  God told Saul through His prophet Samuel, "To obey is better than sacrifice." (v. 22b).  It was after this that God began to reject Saul and sought out David to be the king of Israel.  We can be in the same boat as Saul if we aren’t willing to see all the works of the flesh put to death.

 

In Jesus' parable, the man distributed the talents to his servants: one received five talents, another two, and the last received one.  The servant who received five talents went out, and through wise trading, doubled his lord's money.  The second servant also took the talents and was able to double that.  The third servant, however, took his one talent, and buried it until his lord returned.  This servant was evidently concerned about losing what he had received through trading.  Therefore, he thought it best to put it where it would be safe so that he could return the whole sum to his Master. 

 

When the Master did return, he commended the first two servants, and promised them reward for their faithfulness.  The third servant, though, was reproved by his lord for not at least putting his talent in the bank and gaining some interest on the original sum.  "His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed...cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:26, 30).  A law of the kingdom is that what God sends forth will not return void.  God has given gifts and callings to every believer, and if they will have faith to believe and invest what He has given to them out of His storehouse, they will bear fruit abundantly.  This is not true of our natural abilities.  With them we may amaze and entertain, but they will never produce real life until they are consecrated wholly to the Lord.  Only Jesus is the life, and only what originates from Him will produce life! 

 

A good illustration of this principle is the story of the feeding of the 5,000.  Jesus had drawn a multitude into a desert place to hear the word of God.  They had continued all day, and had eaten nothing, and were facing a long walk back to their homes.  Jesus' disciples were concerned that if they were sent away hungry, some might be too weak to make it to their home.  They would have gone to buy bread, but Jesus asked what they had on hand.  It turns out, there was a lad who had a few small loaves of bread, and some fish, which would have been his lunch.  Several things are significant about this story.  First, this lad was willing to give everything he had to Jesus.  He didn't keep back a bite or two just to make sure he got his share.  He gave all - he died to self.  Second, they brought that which seemed insignificant to Jesus and placed it in His hands to bless.  Whatever we have, no matter how small it seems, if we will release our grasp on it and let Jesus have it, He will bless it.  Thirdly, Jesus distributed the food that He had blessed to the disciples, and it was there - in their hands - that it was multiplied and met the need of the whole multitude.  Not only was everyone well fed, but they took up twelve baskets of leftovers! 

 

In the kingdom of God, what the Lord gives to us of His wealth will always abundantly meet the need.  Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10). 

 

Of course, once we have passed from death unto life, God can sanctify some of our natural abilities, and use them for His glory.  We should never assume, however, that because it looks like fruit, and tastes like fruit, that it isn't from the forbidden tree.  A good test is whether it breeds pride, or humility.  If it is a product of the old nature, it is the work of man, and will produce pride.  If it is the fruit of the Spirit, it will be evident to us that we have received it as a gift from God, and will feel both thankful and humble.

 

What treasures have you received of the Lord's hand?  Are you willing to put aside your doubts and your fears, and allow the wealth of the grace of the Son of God to be multiplied in your hands?  You don't have to be the most eloquent, or the best singer to be anointed and used of God.  A friend tells the story of a young man who was intellectually challenged standing up in a church service and singing "I'm A Child Of The King."  He did not have a great ability, but because of the purity of his heart, God anointed his offering and the congregation was moved to tears, and many came to the altar to renew their commitment to the Savior.  God has called all His children to be priests and ministers of the gospel.  Are you ready to invest what you have received, and see God use it for His glory?