The parable of the talents

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 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? 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. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 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. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

- Matthew 25:14-30

Over the past several readings, Jesus has been preparing his disciples (and we who would follow) for what it is to live in a state of preparedness, and in awareness of his return. We don't know the time or the date, and speculation is beside the point; spiritually, it's out of the question -- not even the Son knows the time or date of his return. Jesus is giving us parables through which to learn about this state of watchfulness which we all belong to who claim to be his followers. In Tuesday's reading, Jesus spoke of the householder who didn't know what time in the night the thief was coming; in Wednesday's reading he contrasted the faithful and wise slave - who feeds and cares for his fellow slaves and responsibly cares for the master's household while the master is away - with the one who misuses power through corruption and mistreats his fellow slaves. Yesterday's reading gave us the contrast of the wise and foolish bridesmaids in the parable about their lamps of oil.

Today we have yet another parable about how we are to live in this time while the master is away. It is again a tale of contrasts: we get a comparison from Jesus about different ways in which we could choose to live our lives in this present period of watchfulness while the master of the house is away.

"For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away." My study bible has a note that reads as follows: "A talent was a great sum of money and came to designate a special gift or endowment." In fact, our modern English use of the word "talent" actually comes from this resource, and the Greek word τάλαντον ("talanton"). Historically, then, this parable has been interpreted in terms of how we use our gifts.

"The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them." None of the figures in this story start off as equals: each of them is given a different sum or level of talents with which to begin this time of awaiting the master's return. But each is expected to do something with the talents they're given, to create a kind of increase or return. Each has the opportunity to do whatever he or she chooses to do with those talents.

"After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 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.' 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.' 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.' 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.'" I think the crucial word in this passage is "trustworthy." The root word in Greek is the same word we translate as "faith" (the exact word in the text is an adjective, πιστός, "pistos" or faithful). But "trust" is an important part of the definition of this word for faith or belief in Greek. So the master was able to put his trust in the slave, just as the slave or servant was faithful to the master. This is a relationship of mutual trust; the goals and interests of the household are shared in willing hands.

"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; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' 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? 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. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.' " The most notable part of this parable for me, upon reading it this particular time for commentary, is the difference in trust between the other slaves and this one. This one is clearly fearful. That's quite a difference from a relationship of love, trust and shared concerns. The master calls him "wicked and lazy" - at least the talents could have been invested with bankers who would have seen to it that the talents were returned with interest. The notion of fear alone, rather than trust, is nonsensical. Without the shared goals and values of a relationship of trust and faith, fear alone produces nothing worthy of investment.

"So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 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. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This isn't the first time that Jesus has preached these words in this gospel. In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus teaches his disciples why he preaches in parables, and tells them that "to those who have, more will be given." So we are given an interesting parallel between the notions of faith and its inclusion of trust, belief and relationship of love and shared intentions in both this parable and Jesus' preaching in chapter 13. Those who perceive meanings in the parables are already invested in faith and trust, and shared values, and they will receive more. The fearful slave is paralyzed, he perceives nothing of what is desired from the master, nor does he think about what to do with the talents - even the simple solution of investing with the bankers, those who have the skills to make an increase on the investment. Faith, with its components of belief and trust, is creative. Fear paralyzes. With faith are eyes to see and ears to hear; with fear there is a spiritual blindness and deafness, a lack of capacity for perception. A fascinating look at this contrast teaches us something important about what it is to be followers of the master while he is gone, and what he will look for in his reckoning of relationship with us. We don't put our spiritual gifts or talents away, hidden and undisturbed and neglected. They are to be used for good, to produce fruits and interest.

The important thing, it seems to me, is simply that we try. But that begins with love and trust, and the faith and belief that is tied into this sense of relationship to the master. We look upon the gifts or talents we have as something given for stewardship, blessings of grace. Or perhaps we see them merely as possessions to hang onto. How do we bear fruit or yield increase? What is the purpose of the gift? How do we use it sharing the goals and values of the master? What does love and trust, faith and belief teach us about that? In the abundance of gifts, each of us is unique, different, an individual. We're not compared to one another in terms of the amount of investment or the amount of return. But our relationship to the master is what counts, and our work with those investments of faith and love in us, and all that a gift or blessing may mean, is there for a purpose which we choose to serve.