Parable of the Talents

Introduction

Thank you, Matt, for those songs.

I also want to extend a warm welcome to all those here this morning, especially our visitors. We’re glad you’re here with us. And I also want you to know that we have an excellent preacher here at the Decor Prairie Church of Christ, but he’s not here this morning. So you have me. And I’m honored to be up here.

After leaving the military, I joined, it was a long time ago now. I joined a very large multinational corporation for 15 years, primarily in a sales role. And every year we would have these annual sales meetings. There would be two to three hundred people just from the division that I was in at those meetings. But eight years ago, I left and joined a much smaller private company. And I probably won’t forget the first sales meeting we had there. It was in a conference room, and there were 12, about 12 of us, including myself. And at these meetings, you talk about regions and people that are doing well, and regions and people that are not doing so well. And that night they took us all to dinner at this very nice steakhouse in Chicago.

And we’re sitting there waiting for the waiter to take the orders, and the vice president of sales, who was kind of in the middle of the table and was also a junior owner in the company. He leaned out over the table. And he said, Listen up. If you didn’t make your number, you better be offering ordering off the kids’ menu. I want to see chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, not steak, because I’m carrying you. You’re not carrying me. And he was kind of joking. And he was kind of not joking. But the message was clear. Produce or go somewhere else. And I thought to myself, for about the thousandth time in my career, welcome to sales. This is it. Produce or go somewhere else. And you know that kind of started my pondering process that I have about the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25.

That’s where we’re going to be going. But this is kind of a block of teaching that Jesus is giving to his disciples that begin in Matthew chapter 24 at the temple, when he’s talking about the destruction of the temple. And from there they leave and they go to the Mount of Olives and they kind of ask him privately, but what will be the signs of your coming in the end of the age? So he starts talking to them about the times, the tribulations, the wars, the rumors of wars, the abomination of desolation, and the coming of the Son of Man, and that no one knows what that day will be except the Father. And then he moves into the parable of the ten virgins, which we’re all familiar with.

The kingdom of heaven is like. That want to take a parable and ascribe some detail to every single thing in the parable. Well, the lamps mean this, and the oil means that, and I’m not convinced that parables are all that granular. It’s a laying alongside. But basically, the gist of that was stay prepared. Some virgins were wise, and they took extra oil, and some were not. This thing might take longer than you’re expecting, so stay ready.

And then he’s going to be coming back. And then he begins to teach them and tell them about the parable of the talents. And we’ll read that first off, starting there in verse 14. 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. And 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 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 reaped where I had not sown and gathered 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 ten talents. For to everyone who has more will 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 outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

1. The Talents, the Slaves, and the Master

Now in this parable, we’ve got these three main components. We’ve got the talents, we’ve got the slaves. Now, most versions render this a servant. It’s a little bit kinder language, but this is the Greek word doulos. It’s the same as in Romans 6, you know, your slaves to the one you obey. Same word. And the master. And how we see each of these things really affects how we see this parable. And now their master told them you were faithful, the two servants, you were faithful over a little. And now in their system they had deneri, which was a like a daily wage amount. And then you’ve got shekels and you’ve got minas. But at the very top, the highest denomination of monetary units, you’ve got the talent.

And it’s a weight. It’s heavy. They estimate somewhere between 75 and 129 pounds. It could be gold, it could be silver, it could be copper. It’s a denominational weight. And this is the highest they had. It represented 5,000 days of average labor. If I’m assuming silver, it would be about $800,000 in our money. So the first servant got four million bucks. The second got just over a million and a half. This third guy with his one talent got eight hundred thousand. Each according to their ability to manage it. Now of the apostles, probably Matthew maybe had seen this kind of money. He’s a tax guy, right? These funds are flowing through on their way to Rome all the time. Peter, Andrew, James, and John, they had a fishing business.

They had a couple of boats. Maybe they could get their mind around it. The other apostles were not so sure about. But this is a tremendous amount of wealth for that time. It’s not small today. Jesus is shocking them with the value of this. Okay. Now it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a successful businessman to take a trip in the Roman era. Travel wasn’t the speediest. If he was going out to Spain or around to Britannia, possibly over to India, the Silk Road to China, it could take months, if not over a year or more. But what is a little out of the ordinary is the tremendous amount of treasure that this master is leaving with these servants on his behalf. It’s a lot.

2. They Were Stewards of Those Talents

Verse 14 there says he called his servants and entrusted to them his property. They did not own the talents. They were stewards of those talents. Now I went out and looked, and I’m telling you, there are dozens of sermons on the internet using this parable to teach about managing money. How we need to give more at church, a lot of preachers, you hear them talking about that. I think you could stretch into those applications, but I don’t think that’s what Jesus is trying to teach his disciples here, and I don’t think they would have taken it that way. Jesus is not going to leave and leave them 10,000 pounds of silver. That’s not the talent he’s leaving behind. And material wealth is not going to be in these men’s future at all.

Many times they’re going to be living hand to mouth. But stewardship is an extremely important and extremely important principle we need to understand. Parents in here, you ever taken a cell phone from a young person? But that’s my phone. Really? Because I remember buying that phone. And I’m looking at the bills every month, and I’m making the payments for the call hours. That’s not your phone. That’s my phone that I’m paying for, and you are a steward of that phone, and I can take it back at any time. But don’t we mess up as Christians when we think about what we have that is ours, and we’ll use it in the way that we see fit. That’s mine. I’ll do with it whatever I want. That’s my stuff.

Without giving thanks to God. You know, one of the most profound parenting tips I think I’ve ever heard was from Sean O’Linick, right here in this building in a Bible class one time. And he said, I try to remember that my children are not mine, but souls that belong to God. And they’re going back to meet him, and I need to help them prepare for that. My children, those are souls that belong to God. Be careful when you start thinking about what is mine and what I will do with it as a servant of Christ. Everything we have, everything, is from God. And we need to think about using those things for his purposes.

3. He Went at Once

Let’s look back at these servants there. In verse 16, he who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them and made five more talents. When did he go? He went at once. This man was busy. This was his focus. It was for his master. There in verse 17, the man with two talents, so also. You know what? Just like that. And I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful for the two talent guy. You know, if it was just the five-talent guy and the one talent guy, that would be kind of a spread. Maybe I’m in there, maybe I’m the two talent guy. But the two talent guy went hard at it with what he was responsible for. Doubled it. And then the one talent guy in verse 18.

Dug in the ground. A hundred pounds worth? You think about a big old head bag of cement? Did he get a cart? He got a shovel. Did he get a cart? He had to haul it somewhere. He was looking around for a spot where there was little travel, you know. I know I said I was going to stay behind the podium. I’m trying. He had to haul it somewhere. Did he make a map? You know, it’s 10 paces from this tree. Put it in the ground. Or did he just dig a hole under his bed, you know, in his residence, and that would have been safer. Nobody will find it there. And then he left it. He left it. Knowing. Knowing the master was coming back.

And the master did return. Verses 19 through 21, the five talent guy. Now, after a long time, the master whose servants came, the master of the servants came and settled their accounts with him. And he who 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. And his master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little, and I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. Over a little. He got eight million bucks here. That’s not so much. I’m going to put you over a lot more than that. We see the generosity and faithfulness of the master as well as the servant.

Verses 22 and 23. 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. And his master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little. I will set you over much. Enter the joy of your master. This guy was happy too, right? He was looking forward to this with anticipation. Look what I did for you with what you blessed me with. Turned over a million and a half into over three million bucks. And the master was like, That’s nothing. That’s nothing. Enter into this joy. I got something much better for you than that. And now we come to verse 24. 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. So when he heard the master was back in town, he had to go get that shovel again and that cart and dig it up and haul it back to where the master was.

4. How Do You See Our God?

Reaping and gathering off of other people’s labor. Basically calling him a thief. This is what this servant says. How do you see our God? Remember how we how we view these three things will impact how we learn from this parable. Is he hard? Is he sitting on high, waiting to send a lightning bolt down on you? I gotta say, in some churches when I was young, and even some when I was a young adult, I saw God kind of portrayed this way in many places. It was similar to this. And you know, the thought of we really need to, you know, convert people into this. Come on in and join us. You’re gonna be terrified most of the time.

Fear. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. But that’s not really a place we want to stay. Fear can be paralyzing. We’ve got the letters from Paul, some of the letters from Paul to his son in the faith Timothy. And I’m sure there were probably letters from Timothy going back to Paul about things he needed advice on, things he was working with. There in the letter of 2 Timothy in the first chapter, starting in verse 6, Paul is encouraging him to get going, to not be afraid in the face of the things that he’s come up against. In 2 Timothy 1 6 and 7, it says, For this reason I remind you to fan the flame, to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of hands.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control. Now we didn’t get the laying on of hands of the apostles, but from 1 John and the fourth chapter, starting there in verse 17. This was an apostle who sat and heard this parable directly with his own ears. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment. Because as he is, so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment. And whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

I have used it myself many times. But it’s not a long-term strategy like love. Love is a motivator for eternity. We have to know our master, our father.

They weren’t fearful before the master left, and they weren’t fearful about his return. They were joyous. They were ready for it. They were busy because they saw him in the right way.

5. Wicked and Slothful Servant

He was benevolent. He was faithful. He was a rewarder of the good and faithful servants. If you have to make an excuse when you meet God, I don’t know what to tell you. Except do not use I was afraid. That one’s out. Don’t use that. Verses 26 and 27. But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I had not sown and gather where I hadn’t scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was mine with interest. Is that what you thought I was? You should have at least given the money to the people who knew what to do with it. 800 grand, drawing three to four percent interest while I was gone with the hard money lenders?

I mean, it’s not going to double the money, but it would have been something. I just wonder, you know, why didn’t you go to the five-talent guy or the two talent guy? Hey, I’m not the most comfortable handling this stuff. I’m a little bit out of my lane. What if I throw mine in with you? I’ll do whatever you need to do, and I’ll have something to give back. Ask for some help. Everybody doesn’t know everything. To do that, you need to throw away your pride. Ask for some help. And not get trapped by fear. Too much fear. Just causes paralysis. The kingdom of heaven is like. Verse 28. So take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents, for to every one 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 outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. This servant is defined as being wicked, lazy, and worthless. And outer darkness is where he’s going. And now again, looking around over the internet. This parable gives some consternation to a lot of faith-only people. And I’ve heard several explanations as to why what this is plainly saying is not what it’s plainly saying. Because it creates a tension, it creates a tension between a good and merciful and gracious God and what God’s expectations are of us in his service. Don’t get confused.

That’s not happening. Master, look at what all I did. You gotta let me in. That’s not us. That’s not how we’re operating. We’re gonna get there by grace. But God has expectations of how we behave with what he gives us according to our ability. Because every one of these servants, they all got treasure. They all got treasure. But one did nothing with it. A lot of people use Paul and talk about the Roman road full of grace. But also Paul in 2 Corinthians in chapter 5 and verse 10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Not how hard we believed, but how we produced, how we performed with the blessings and the treasures that he left with us.

6. The Talent Is the Saving Gospel of Jesus Christ

So how do I see these talents that we’ve been given? And hopefully, is there something you can take with you today? Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven is like a master who was going away and then returned, but leaving talents with his servants. So what did Jesus leave his disciples? Matthew 16 tells us that Jesus left the keys of the kingdom with his apostles. Okay, that’s not us. But also just over in Matthew chapter 28.

Starting there in verse 18 of Matthew 28. And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. They faithfully performed that task. They took that treasure of the cross of Jesus Christ and committed it to more faithful people who through tribulation and trial and danger and work passed it down and down and down. And we sit here this morning because of that faithfulness. But we can’t let it end with us. I see the talent that I have been trust entrusted with as the saving gospel of Jesus Christ and all that entails.

I think he expects me to see him as he is. That he is faithful, that he is promised, that he has forgiveness, that he has love, that he has grace. I don’t believe I had a full appreciation of how much treasure I had received when I was baptized into Christ as a young person. What a treasure. Anyone that knows anything about investing knows that the sooner you start building, the more returns you can achieve. It takes being busy and prioritizing, putting the things of God first in life and working for that increase. We are rich in Jesus Christ. We need to be busy and being happy in that work for what our gracious and loving Father has done for us. We are rich. If I find that the only time I am God focused, is when I’m here.

Conclusion

More coworkers that I need to try to influence, family that I need to try to help. It can’t be the last thing I try to fit into an over busy life. We’re too busy. Or I feel that way most of the time anyway. I can fit that in. Fitting God in to my over busy life in the world is failure. He has to be first. Everything I have, I owe him. But especially the treasure of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. I need to make increase. We need to make increase. Have you been baptized into Christ to be born again? To be regenerated. There is treasure there that no one, no one can take away from you. Or you, a Christian who perhaps is struggling, maybe you buried your talent, you need to get back on track.

If you need the prayers of this group for any reason, we would be so overjoyed if you would come to the front as we stand and sing the song of encouragement.