The parable of the talents illustrates the characteristics of two types of people in this world—the “So what?” people and the “What if?” people.
The parable of the talents illustrates the characteristics of two types of people in this world—the “So what?” people and the “What if?” people.
The “So what?” people plunge into life with all their adventures. They act first and think afterward. They are not afraid of change. Other people may view them as impulsive, impatient, and impractical. The “So what?” people get a lot done in a short amount of time, however.
The “What if?” people are gun-shy. They don’t like things stirred up. They are more likely to encourage the status quo—the way things are operating currently—than seek change, even if the current situation has major flaws. These people may be viewed as slow, methodical, and analytical. The “What if? people put off acting until they have sorted out all possible outcomes of their actions. They can procrastinate in decision-making and acting for years and years.
What Happens in the Parable of the Talents?
In Matthew 25:14-30, a master of three servants is leaving town for a spell. He assigns each of the servants to be a steward of a share of his talents while the master is away. A talent’s value is no small sum—it is worth around $400,000 in today's dollars.
One servant is the guardian of 10 talents, the second servant is entrusted with five talents, and a third slave is held responsible for two talents. The first two servants invest their talents and earn double on their money. When the master returns home, he is very happy with what his first two servants have done with their talents. The master praises the ambition and work ethic of the first two servants. The third servant, however, buries his talent for fear of losing it. He hoards his share, and the master is not happy with him, because there is no return on the master’s money.
The third slave buried his talents because he was afraid he would lose the two talents he had by using them.
The third servant is afraid of loss when making a risky investment. He also has the excuse that he suspects his master is unscrupulous in his business dealings. The servant says in Matthew 25:24-25, “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” The fearful servant decides he will not work with the master’s talents unless he finds the master worthy. The master’s business dealings are not honest; therefore, the servant does not buy into the task of investing the master’s money.
What Is the Moral of the Parable of the Talents?
We are given a life with time and talents, including money, to spend. How we spend it is critical. When the Master is away, we’re stewards of some of the Master’s fortune until he returns. How we use and spread our talents exhibits how we serve God, who gave us the talents. We can hesitate, procrastinate, and do nothing to avoid making a mistake. In this non-action we preserve our own ego—we don’t fail. We can ridicule the system and communities in which we carry out our talents. Or we can hoard our gifts from God so we don’t use them up, believing we have a limited supply of gifts from God. Another course of action is to frivolously waste precious gifts from God without planning or using best practices to allow a large return on our investment of gifts.
The parable of the talents is all about examining how we use the life God has given us. It is about stewardship, taking care of God’s kingdom in the way we are “talented.” It is about giving to a community of believers and nonbelievers, being a light to the world. Investing our talents may be donating money we were blessed with. It may mean giving time to physically, emotionally, or mentally demanding projects for someone else. It may also mean finding the niche where your gifts are needed and fulfilling the need for your skills.
I can write articles for my church newsletter, but even though I can cook fine at home, I don’t want to be responsible for preparing large quantities of food for a banquet in the fellowship hall. Other church members understand the boiler system and what is wrong with the plumbing. Their skills are deeply appreciated and valuable to the church community. There are volunteer opportunities of all sorts at secular and school organizations that are desperately in need of help. Using your talents is answering that request for help, whether in your church or in public life.
Our vocation can also be a response to a calling. After floundering in one field of work, you may hear God’s voice calling you to use your talents more effectively in another career. My daughter is switching from human resources to marketing, hoping to use her creative and artistic skills more regularly in that line of work. A friend was a graphic designer in a large, metropolitan area and then became an elementary art teacher in a much smaller town. She needed to use her people skills more to fulfill her calling and use her talents to the fullest. We are more productive and happier when we use our talents.
What Are Some Warning Signs that We're Wasting a Gift from God?
Naysayers do not spend their limited energy building God’s kingdom on earth. They may not join in giving to a faith community for several reasons.
You may hear God’s people complain about the church and its weak leaders. Critics of the church might also discuss the church’s irrelevance and shaky existence in modern society. In the real world, some people do not want to get up and get dressed to attend Sunday service. They would rather make Sunday a true day of rest. Along these same “I’m too tired” lines, people may say volunteer work within the church wasn’t designed for working people, women and men who are exhausted physically and mentally by their job. The same tired arguments are used by people who don’t get involved in their public community.
When you hear this type of conversation, remember the parable of the talents. Two of the three servants in the parable are praised by their master. They invest their talents and double the return on their investments, their gifts. The master of the slaves says the timeless words, “Well done thy good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21, 23). The third cautious, frozen-from-action servant is scolded: "You wicked, lazy servant" (Matthew 25:26). The third servant does not invest his talents and though his inertia is well-intended, his cautiousness is not rewarded by the master. The master takes the third servant’s silver talents and gives them to the servant who invested and doubled 10 talents. Furthermore, the third servant is thrown out of his master’s presence. In Matthew 25:29-30 it says, “for whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Why Is Taking Risks Important for Christians in Their Faith Walk?
There is no guarantee that any project we undertake is going to be a success. Yet success builds upon success and confidence in what we are doing grows. It becomes easier to start a new project if we have succeeded in past projects. As the master says to the first two servants, “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). A job well done is a joy for the worker and the overseer. Work can build up people. As St. Benedict wrote in his fifth-century rule: Work is a lesson in miracle-making. Part of the miracle is that despite our doubts and insecurities, God’s gifts allowed us to be victorious in our task. As it’s written in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
The master in the parable may represent God who gives us intelligence, physical strength, coordination, health, creativity…The list goes on and on. We must have faith in what God has created in us. As the prophet wrote in Psalm 139:14, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. We walk our faith to please God and ourselves. When a person answers his or her calling, life is good. There’s peace and happiness for the person giving and doing and those blessed by the person’s gifts.
Finding your gifts is a challenge, especially in early adulthood or in a midlife crisis. Fortunately, there is a whole array of ways God blesses us with gifts. New Testament Bible passages in 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, and Romans 12 list spiritual gifts from God, as follows:
Administration / Ruling
Apostleship / Pioneering
Discernment
Encouraging / Exhorting
Evangelism
Faith
Giving
Hospitality
Knowledge
Leadership
Pastor / Shepherding
Prophecy / Perceiving
Teaching
Serving / Ministry
Showing Mercy
Wisdom
The Master of our hearts gives each of us gifts we need to use to further God’s kingdom on earth. We are caretakers of these gifts. Each of us a temporary holder of a unique treasure. Using our gifts is our mission in life. It is a huge responsibility with a huge return on investment.
How Does the Parable of the Talents Warn Us against Wasting God's Gifts?
God sends each of us a “calling” as our part in building the kingdom of God. He gives us a purpose and enables us to achieve our purpose through opportunities and our gifts. These gifts come in the form of our material and physical blessings that we receive from God.
If we don’t use our gifts, it is disappointing to God. As illustrated in the parable of the talents, the “master” of the slaves gives talents to each one, expecting them to be good stewards of their talents. The master is very angry when one of the three servants does nothing with his talents. This servant—entrusted with the smallest share of talents—buries the money to avoid losing any of it. Rather than be happy the money still exists upon the master’s return, the master is furious that the servant was overly cautious and afraid to use the talents to increase the master’s wealth.
Further Reading
What Is the Parable of the Talents?
What Does the Parable of the Talents Mean for Us Today?
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This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible parables. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of parables within Scripture. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
