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

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents, saying, ‘Look, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore 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 abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

- Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus has been speaking to His disciples about the end of the age, and of His Second Coming. He has been preparing them for the time in which they will await His return. He has taught them that they must be like the faithful steward who awaits the return of the master, and doesn’t know what hour this will happen. Does he become lazy and abusive, lawless and careless, or does he run the house in proper order, caring well for his fellow servants? He told a parable in yesterday’s reading: “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” The bridegroom was unexpectedly delayed. All slept until midnight, when the bridegroom suddenly arrived. The foolish asked the wise for oil, but they were told to buy some for themselves in case there was not enough for all. But while they went to buy, the bridegroom arrived and the others went into the wedding with him, and the door was shut. Jesus taught: “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' But he answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.” My study bible says that a talent was a great sum of money and came to designate a special gift or endowment. No doubt our current use of the word “talent” comes from this story. I think it’s important that we look at the fact that each was given according to his own ability. This isn’t a question of equality, really – that doesn’t come into it. They are all equal before their lord. But it is a question of uniqueness, and because it is a parable we are once again in mystical territory, just as in yesterday’s reading. The talents then symbolize for us the gifts of grace, given to each in a unique sense, for each to use in accordance with their service to the master, and their ability. Just as we await the return of the Master, so the master in this parable symbolizes our Lord.

“Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.” Each puts in his own effort with the talents given by the master. How do we cultivate what we are given? One servant left his hidden. After a long time, the master returned. So we await our Lord’s return. We note that here the master came to settle accounts. Our accounts are always with the Lord, not with ourselves or simply between one another. Judgment is in His hands, with His vision.

“So he who had received five talents, saying, ‘Look, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” If we take a close look at the story, the judgment of the lord really depends on what each servant did with what he was given. He says the same thing to each one, although one made ten talents from five, and the other four talents from two. It’s not the size that counted, but the faithfulness of the servant, and what was done with them. Each was able to “enter into the joy of your lord.”

“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.” I note two things of interest here: first of all the steward has not acted with trust in the master, but rather with fear. His expectations are of harsh treatment. Yet, out of that very sense of fear he does what is incorrect. Rather than going out and doing something with the talents he was given, he hid them from fear of the master. In effect, he did nothing with them. Secondly, even the most minor effort – depositing the talents with bankers – would have been recognized. While these traits seem strange for the Christ we know (a hard man who reaps what he hasn’t sown, speaking of bankers and interest), I feel that we can also compare these things to a worldly sense of the story. While we await His return, we live in a world that is far less than perfect, and it is in this world, full of lawlessness, that we are told to make use of our talents for the Lord. Even a person with a very worldly outlook, like this man full of fearful expectation, could have done something for the Lord with what he was given. To my mind, the lord’s words echoing that of the servant are like a refutation – that even with his perspective, even though he expected the lord to be such a man, there still is no excuse for him. It's also of note that he was considered the one with the least ability; he was only given one talent.

“Therefore 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 abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew chapter 13, we read: “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have; even what he has will be taken away from him.” In this verse, Jesus was speaking of his very use of parables: that those with ears to hear would hear and understand, and those without this zeal for the spiritual reality of God would not. So, Matthew himself ties in these two statements, and we come to understand that grace works not just through what we commonly consider talent, but through the gift of faith itself, and the wisdom and discernment that grows from that faith.

My study bible points out the full accountability that’s on display here in the parable. “The wicked and lazy servant,” it says, “could not evade responsibility for ignoring his talent. We are stewards of every gift, using each for our own and our neighbor’s salvation. Idleness is a renunciation of God’s grace, as well as a lack of love for God and humanity. Since people are managers, or stewards, of God’s gifts, each of us will give account of how we used the abundance.” I think once again the parable in a certain sense, as in yesterday’s reading, teaches us about a state of prayer. Prayer is dialogue and relationship. We act “in the name of the Lord” and in His spirit, through the grace of the Spirit. This is, in the truest sense, what it is to be in a state of prayer. We note again the failure of relationship between the lazy steward and the lord in the parable. Oftentimes I think it’s a wrong focus that leads us to ignore the things we’re given by God, whatever talents those may be, in order to focus on a worldly perspective that sells ourselves, and our loving relationship with God who is our Creator, short. Sometimes it takes a great many “wake up calls” to focus in on what is truly God-given, the things God calls us to do with our lives and the talents with which we’re graced. So when we think of our gifts, it has to be inseparable from a life of prayer, and entering into the joy of our Lord. Therein we take our cue for how to live our lives, what to do with whatever it is we’re given, who we are inside – and we make the kinds of profits that lead us to that joy.