Faithful service led to increased responsibilities in the kingdom of heaven, and eternal joy in the presence of the Master, Jesus Christ. Mat Mt). A man who is preparing to leave on a journey entrusts his possessions to his servants. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:13-14), according to plans he laid out before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5), to glorify him forever. It is also found in Jude 1:15 to describe the harsh words the unbelieving have said against God. A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined). I am suggesting that we have come to view retirement as that time in life when we can greatly reduce or terminate our giving, and when we can cease our service. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Working hard for the profit of the kingdom and the King is entering into the joy of our Master. A talent of gold, for example, would be worth a whole lot more than a talent of bronze. He is not harsh, nor does He require that we do the impossible (make a profit where He has not provided the means). Jumble. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The parable begins with a master planning a trip (Luke describes him as going off to be made king of a distant land). We find our true joy and place in life when we serve God with our gifts. an ounce) was nearly equivalent to 400 of our money. Second, the faithful servants immediately went to work to increase their master's money ( Matthew 25:16-17 ). Theparable of the talents is told in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. 14 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. But this term is also used of that which is useful or beneficial: 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. Players take turns to roll a dice. While there would be sufficient evidence for His followers to discern the general season of His return, neither the day nor the hour would be known (Matthew 24:32-36, 42). in 1971. The one who has been faithful on earth with a little thing like money will be given greater work to do in heaven. That is why they are crying, Let us go sacrifice to our God. 9 Let the work be harder for the men so they will keep at it and pay no attention to lying words! (Exodus 5:1-9). The Chapel believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of Gods Word. Too often we think of our Lords words in Matthew 6 in terms of the offering plate. Luke 19:13,14 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come, Personal / Relative Pronoun - Dative Masculine Singular, Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular. For less than $5/mo. Assuming, for the moment, that the slave was correct in his assessment, why would he not be motivated by his fear to seek a profit for his master? However, since we all want to be little gods of our own lives, serving ourselves misses our true place in life. This is the reason I was critical of the translation of verse 16 (see footnote 1 above). I have often been puzzled over these words, repeated several times in the New Testament: For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. Get the BEST VALUE in digital Bible study as you prepare for Easter. Beyond this, His return would come at a time when it was not expected (Matthew 24:44). And they were right because he praised them and invited them to join him as participants in his joy. This is a sobering question. Retirement is thought of more in terms of the golf course than finishing our course in the Pauline sense (2 Timothy 4:7). Hank Hanegraaff, Economy of God Jesus' stories had more than one meaning. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. In the Matthew version, he gives one servant 10 talents (or bags of gold), another five talents, and the third one talent. 29(K)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. 23 Why then didnt you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I could have collected it with interest? 24 And he said to his attendants, Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten. 25 But they said to him, Sir, he has ten minas already! 26 I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 270 I hate to have to disagree with the NET Bible translation here, but it seems to me that this translation does not adequately emphasize the force of our Lords carefully chosen words, especially in context. Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, how can its flavor be restored? (Luke 14:34). 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, 5 he saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. The Gospels make it clear many times that Jesus was the king of the Jews, but came in a way they did not expect, preaching a message many didnt want to hear. ), [Rom. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. 14(A)For (B)it will be like a man (C)going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. It is a time when one should have the wisdom of age, financial freedom, and flexibility. The one-talent slave is clearly not saved; he is condemned to hell. How different was the outlook of the first two slaves. 16 So the first one came before him and said, Sir, your mina has made ten minas more. 17 And the king said to him, Well done, good slave! We find this same principle stated in connection with the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18). Luke, the man who went away is a nobleman who leaves to obtain a kingdom; in Matthew, no such information is given. Works are the result of faith, not a substitute for faith. Each (of more than two), every one. The one who does not have but yet does have (because what he has is taken away) is the one who has his masters money, but has made no profit from it. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. As I thought of this slaves attitude toward his master, I was reminded of this passage in the Book of Exodus: 1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Release my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the desert. 2 But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. You have been faithful with a few things. Eventually, he tells his sister he will go to the Olympics and then to the mission field, because both honor God. And,. Start FREE. Our Lords rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees is often couched in stewardship terms. Then he (F)went away. If we were to make an equation of this parable, it would probably go like this: Resources (talents) + Labor (work) + Time = Profit. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. The term employed in Matthew 25:16 emphasizes work. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. What Does It Really Mean That Your Body Is a Temple? The element of money. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. However, as planned, he becomes king of the distant land and returns home to see how his servants have done. 30And cast the unprofitable servant (L)into the outer darkness. Sharon Jaynes, Make the Most of Your Talents But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. Enter into the joy of your master. 24He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be (N)a hard man, reaping (O)where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. And part of the reward the faithful slave is entering into is the joy of his Master in bringing salvation to men. Revelation makes it clear that in the last days, Jesus will subvert his opponents, punish them and be named king over the world. Parable of the Talents 12 Therefore he said, A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. His doom is, to be cast into outer darkness. 2 Samuel 7:1-3 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; , 1 Chronicles 13:1-3 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader, 1 Chronicles 22:1-26:32 Then David said, This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel. Rick Warren, Be Faithful in Small Things See, I have gained two more.' 23 His master replied, 'Well . What is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares? Playlist: Go to the Parable of the Talents (topic) playlist . Let me call your attention to the most important elements of the parable, as I now understand it. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. Look, there you have what is yours.. So you knew, did you, that I was a severe man, withdrawing what I didnt deposit and reaping what I didnt sow? First, they receive their masters commendation, Well done, good and faithful slave (verses 21, 23). But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Second, because they have proven themselves to be faithful with the few things entrusted to them, they are now given even greater responsibilities by their master. What is it that you want Him to find you doing when He returns? 14 "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[ a] and entrusted to them his property. Kathy Sweeny, Choices Determine Destinies 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents (or the Talents' parable) to his disciples. Since a talent was actually a measurement of weight, it did not have a constant value. 8 But you must require of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! Im not saying that one should never cease their employment nor end their career. We often mix up the word talent in the currency sense with our modern English word talent meaning gifts, and its important to understand the money context of what Jesus was saying. This story is called the Parable of the Talents. Most of us find it hard to un-crack, especially given the third servant gets punished for doing nothing. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)? English Standard Version (ESV). Pertaining to self, i.e. 20And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more. 21His master said to him, Well done, good and (J)faithful servant. 46 Bible Verses about Talents. 15 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. It is the word Moses uses in Genesis 42:7,280 to describe Josephs disguise of harshness before his brothers. At this point we would probably do well to look at work from a broader perspective; we should consider work from the beginning of time to eternity future. Here, as in what was said to the faithful servants, our Saviour goes out of the parable into the thing intended by it, and this serves as a key to the whole. If so, then what is the fruitful labor God has given to you? Crucially, Jesus says that both the parable of the 10 virgins and the parable of the talents are about what the kingdom of heaven will be like in the last days (Matthew 25:1,14). Their trading of the talents signifies the faithful use that one should make of gifts and opportunities of service to God. The question for us to consider is this: Just how do we measure spiritual profit? ), [Rom. 20 For the creation was subjected to futilitynot willingly but because of God who subjected itin hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of Gods children. We should be careful to recognize that in this parable the mere possession of a talent is not evidence of salvation. The joy that was before our Lord would seem to include the salvation of lost sinners (Luke 15:4-10). Matthew 25:29 (NIV) ANSWERS. William Hendriksen, The Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1973), p. 881. God is both, and his plans will not necessarily make sense to our limited perspectives. John Driver points out in his book Parable Church that at 2018s average household incomes, one talent would be about $1.2 million. It seems safe to deal with the first two servants together, since they are so similar. Anyone is at liberty to use this lesson for educational purposes only, with or without credit. Father, deliver me from this hour? Remember, this is a parable, and all ofJesus parables are about a bit more than they seem. 7 And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life. 8 This saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on such truths, so that those who have placed their faith in God may be intent on engaging in good works. Heaven can hardly be described in terms of retirement. Sometimes the term is not translated at all. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. third servant hides what was entrusted to him. 281 Remember that one manifestation of the harshness or hardness of Nabal was that he refused to reward David for his faithful service to him (1 Samuel 25:2-13). Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. 272 I am assuming that the second servant acted just as quickly as the first, because our Lord tells us that he acted in a similar manner. ESV Text Edition: 2016. 27 Now my soul is greatly distressed. 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 1 "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work270 and gained five more. 19After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. A parable is a type of story Jesus would tell so we would learn something from it. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree? Multiply Your Talents Each one of us needs to ask the question, Just what is it that I am doing that is kingdom work? Just what is it that I am doing for Christ and His kingdom that is profitable? 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Let us then consider the primary message in this text. Before he leaves, he entrusts money to his slaves. (17) Because thou hast been faithful in a very little.--More literally, because thou didst become faithful.