The Parable of the Talents: An In-Depth Look

The Parable Of The Talents is one of the best parables there is. In fact, when you understand what Jesus was doing, you’ll never think of this parable in the same way again. The last time I taught on this parable, one of the reactions I got was WOW!

So I’m going to break down this parable for you, and show you what most people miss. This way you won’t be one of them.

Setting the Stage

The parable of the talents is in Matthew 25:14-30. It’s 17 verses, but very simple to follow and understand on the surface. This is right after Jesus has given the parable of the ten virgins: five wise and five foolish. As you read through the chapter, it’s hard not to start this parable thinking about how important it is to be wise.

This sets the stage in a great way for the parable of the talents.

Introducing the Parable

Jesus begins the parable by saying in verse 14:

For [the kingdom of heaven is] as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.

God’s kingdom is like a man travelling into a far country. The man is Jesus. He is preparing people for His return. He describes the journey as into a far country, showing us there is a period in which He will be away.

Some people accuse Jesus of returning fast, but the verse says he calls his servants and delivers them his goods. To help you understand this, picture a wealthy businessman giving out his goods to his staff.

Understanding the Goods

The first key most people miss about this parable is at the end of the verse. It says, “he gave them his goods.“

Most don’t think about what kind, or how valuable those goods are. God’s goods are precious, valuable, and worth desiring. You’ll see why this matters in a moment. Once you understand this, the whole point of the parable of the talents takes on far greater meaning.

The Distribution of Talents

In verse 15, Jesus says:

And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

Jesus mentions three people. One received five talents, one two talents, and the third one talent. Most read over this and assume this is a small amount of goods. They think this is a small amount of money, but they’d be wrong.

Very wrong!

Once you understand what he gave them, it changes everything.

The Value of a Talent

The people hearing this parable knew what a talent was. One talent was equal to six thousand Denarii. To give you some context, one Denar was an average day’s wage.

One denar was the average day’s wage of a farmer or someone in a similar profession. So it’s like how one hundred dollars today, is how much someone waiting tables gets and so forth.

One talent equals six thousand times the average day’s wage. This is what the third person got.

To simplify this for you even more, one talent was equal to 16 to 20 years wages.

16 TO 20 YEARS WAGES! 😮 😮 😮 

The Actions of the Servants

The first guy received about one hundred years of wages. The second forty years worth of wages. And the third only received 20 years worth of wages.

I say “only” 20 years of wages in jest, but most people think these are small goods. This is why catching the point in the first verse about the goods being the man’s is critical.

Then in verse 16 it says:

Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made [them] other five talents.

He multiplied those wages into more. Notice he didn’t say, what he has was enough, or too much. He took it and multiplied it. 17 is more of the same. It says:

And likewise he that [had received] two, he also gained other two.

Like the man given one hundred years of wages, the man given forty years of wages multiplied the goods too. So far, the two with the most goods, multiplied it. Now look at the third person in verse 18:

But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

Notice it says he hid his lord’s money. This reminds you the goods were given by his lord. I remember the first few times reading this parable feeling a little sorry for this man.

But when you realize he had 20 years wages, and he hid it in the ground, it changes things. The emotions move from sympathy, to…

You should get judged for not multiplying it.

The Reckoning

Verse 19 says:

After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.

It doesn’t tell us a time, but the emphasis is clear. It was a long time. It was a far country.

Each individual had a long time to multiply what they had. After this long period, the lord returns and reckons with them. This means he took account, he wants to know what has happened since he left.

The First Two Servants

Verse 20 starts the accounts of the three men. Pay attention to the first thing each man says, because it’s telling. About the first man with five talents, Jesus says:

And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

As we already knew, he multiplied the goods given to him by his lord. Let’s see the reaction from his lord in verse 21:

His lord said unto him, Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

He gets spoken well of. Multiplying the goods God gives you is good, faithful and warrants “well done”. But notice what the lord in the parable calls the five talents, the one hundred years worth of wages.

He said you have been faithful over a “few things“. More on that later…

You have been faithful over these small things, you will be ruler over many things he says. Enter the joy of your lord.

In verses 22-23 we see the same thing with the second man. He gives his account. He had two talents, he multiplied them. His lord congratulates him and rewards him for being faithful.

The Third Servant

In verses 24 to 25, we see the account of the third man:

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: [25] And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, [there] thou hast [that is] thine.

A completely different account. We knew all had the ability to multiply, but this man didn’t. He says he was afraid, and his fear motivated him to hide the 20 years of wages in the ground. Now, after this long time, take it back, it’s like you gave it to me.

Now, after this long time, take it back, it’s like you gave it to me.

You would think this would be fine, but that is if you don’t know who God is. Going back to Genesis one and the creation, God is in the business of multiplication and fruit.

It’s the same thing Jesus says in John 15. God gets glory by his children producing fruit. And when you produce fruit, he will prune you to make more fruit.

It’s the same thing happening in this parable. This man who did nothing with such a set of goods, is rejecting God’s order.

The Master’s Response

Verses 26 to 27 shouldn’t surprise you:

His lord answered and said unto him, [Thou] wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: [27] Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.

Not multiplying the goods is wicked, slothful, that means lazy, and disobedient to his lord. He says,

“thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed,”

Even though he sowed into the man 20 years of wages. I believe this is the lord using the man’s own folly against him. The lord says, you should have gone to the bank at least, and got interest on my money. That way, on my return I would get what I gave you plus interest.

This way, there would have been some multiplication at least.

Interest was illegal for Israelites. This is one reason it puzzles commentators that Jesus said this. It might be a subtle allusion to gentile salvation. Matthew has a whole gentile theme, weaved through his who Gospel.

But like I said before, I think it’s the man using the foolish logic of the third man. 

If you’re afraid, you didn’t need to hide it in the ground, you could have given it to the bank to get interest.

There’s a few more verses to cover but did you remember to notice what every man said first?

The first two men started by saying “lord you”. But the final man started by saying “Lord I”. I’ll talk about the significance of that at the end.

The Consequences

Verses 28 to 29 might surprise you, but it lines up with earlier:

Take therefore the talent from him, and give [it] unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

God gives goods to people to multiply. If you don’t you will lose them. But that’s not all. Verse 30 says:

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Punishment awaits those who have goods but don’t use them to multiply it. They’re called unprofitable. Meaning the other two servants were profitable. God wants profitable servants, not unprofitable ones.

Lessons from the Parable of the Talents

Think about reading this parable on the backdrop of reading about the ten virgins. It screams out, be wise and multiply, don’t be slothful and do nothing. But also notice this is a financial parable.

The reason this shouldn’t surprise you is because, Matthew was a tax collector. He was familiar with money and speaks about money more often in his Gospel than the other three.

Three Key Takeaways

1. The Value of God’s Gifts: Most think a talent is small, likewise thinking what God has given them is small and not valuable. But in fact, what God has given you is precious, valuable, and worth desiring. You must use it to multiply.

2. Focus on the Lord First: The first two men said “Lord you” first, but the third man said “Lord I” first. The more you focus on the Lord first, the more you can achieve. When you focus on yourself first, you allow limitations like fear to hold you back like the third man did.

3. Trust in God’s Power: The things many think are major in life, like loads of money, are few things to God. We must believe in God’s power, more than any obstacle in our way. Sin is our biggest problem, but God’s sacrifice more than pays the debt. How much more other problems we have in life when we take it to Him?

If you have any questions about the parable, or anything Bible-related, let me know. Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you next time. God Bless.

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