Parables Of Jesus Christ

The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30
The Parable of the Talents
"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And 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.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Following on from yesterdays ,i wish too try and explain the difference between the parable of the minas and the parable of the talents . Parable of minas was told to a large crowd on the road between jericho and jerusalem. The parable of the talents was told later on the Mount of Olives to the disciples by themselves. The parable of the minas deals with two classes of people the servants and the enemies. Whereas the parable of the talents deals only with professed servants. In the parable of the minas, each servant receives the same amount,in the parable of the talents, each servant receives a different amount also talents are worth far more than minas. The return is different in the parable of the minas, the servants report ten-fold and five-fold earnings in the parable of the talents, all the good servants double their investment. In the former, the servants received identical gifts in the latter, the good servants showed identical faithfulness.
This is part of jesus's final warnings, prophecies, and encouragements to His people Israel prior to His departure. He, who is their Lord, is leaving for an undisclosed period of time. He is delegating to them the responsibility, as stewards, to care for His kingdom. This parable impresses on them the weight of that responsibility and the serious consequences of neglecting to understand and apply His instructions. This is also a message to all mankind.
I said before the talents are worth more than minas may even be talents of gold. This would indicate the master was a very wealthy man. He is entrusting his wealth to three men who become stewards of his money. From this you can gather the stewards must know the personality and character of their Lord. He expects them to know Him well enough to apply the spirit as well as the letter of His instructions. Those that do are richly rewarded. The others receive severe judgment. The first two understand the spirit and letter of instructions and the character of their Lord. They both use the resources by "trading" to gain a profit. Each of them makes a 100 percent profit. Fear and mistrust of his Lord motivate the third steward. He buries the money in the earth and returns the original amount. The profitable stewards are praised, given increased responsibilities and invited to enter into the joy of their Lord. The untrusting steward is scolded, rejected, and punished.This is a message to the people of Israel that will live in the last days before the Lord returns. The point of the return of the master shows the first two understood and believed their Lord. The application to the people of Israel is graphic and relevant. Those that believe Him will be rewarded in His kingdom. Those who fear and do not believe will be rejected and judged.
There is also a message to all mankind. From the time of the creation of mankind, each individual has been entrusted with resources of time and material wealth. Everything we have comes from God and belongs to Him. We are responsible for using those resources so that they increase in value. As Christians, we have the most valuable resource of all - the Word of God. If we believe and understand Him, and apply His Word as good stewards, we are a blessing to others and the value of what we do multiplies. We are accountable to the Lord for the use of His resources.