14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
This Sunday’s gospel continues the theme of Paul’s letter: the end times and the accounting each must give of our actions on earth. Like last Sunday’s gospel, this parable is strongly allegorical. The master represents Jesus while his servants symbolize the Church, whose members have received various talents and responsibilities. The master’s departure is that of the Ascension of Jesus and his return, of course, is the Second Coming. At that time, Jesus’ servants will receive rewards or punishments. Some will be condemned to darkness while others are invited to joyfully participate in the great Messianic banquet of paradise.
A talent was a huge sum of money and probably weighed between 50 and 75 pounds – so some translations use “bags of gold” instead of “talents” to give a more accurate impression. Interestingly enough, the current meaning of the word “talent” comes from this parable. In Jesus’ time, five talents seems to have equaled 30,000 denari and one denari was a typical laborer’s wage for a day. These immense sums symbolize the generosity of God in bestowing his gifts on us.
We learn that the first servant doubled his talents from five to ten while the second turned two into four. However, in verse 18, we discover that the third servant buried his one talent. He shows himself as lazy since he makes no attempt to develop what he has been given. Then the master returns and is pleased with the first two slaves. Disciples and master rejoice together at the messianic banquet. Note that the two servants receive the same reward just as the laborers in the vineyard did in that parable. What matters is not the full tally of one’s deeds or the length of time one has worked but one’s commitment.
The third servant may have expected that his master would praise him for his caution but this certainly does not happen. He tries to excuse himself by shifting the blame to his master, whom he calls a harsh man since he reaps what he did not sow and gathers what he did not scatter. In verse 25, the servant says he was afraid but the master rejects his explanation and accuses him of laziness. The slave who hides his talent is as senseless as the one who hides his lamp under a bushel. Indeed, in verse 27, the master tells him he should have, at the very least, deposited his talent with the bankers and earned interest.
One scholar summed up the message of this parable as: the Church is called not just to be but to obey, and Christian obedience is meant to be active. God gives us our talents, our personal abilities for free, but it usually takes great effort on our part to develop them. Finally, we must always remember that our lives and abilities should be used for God, not just for ourselves.
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