PARABLE OF THE TALENTS

Matthew 25:14-30

Introduction

In this parable we will study how God deals with believers and the gifts that He imparts to them.

First, we look at the MASTER.

  1. We see that he is a wealthy man evidenced by the talents (money, 1 talent = over $1000) and he is going on a trip.
  2. We see that he trusts his servants, as he is willing to leave them in charge of his money with the freedom to make their own decisions as to how to best use it.
  3. We see that he knows his servants as he entrusts each one with a different amount of money, according to each one’s ability to handle it.
  4. Later in verses 21-28, we find that the master will reward or punish his servants for the ways in which they handle the responsibility of putting his gifts to the best use for his glory.

Second, we look at the SERVANTS.

  1. We find that ALL of the servants are faithful to the master up to a point. Even the one who used poor judgment regarding his responsibility toward the master and the gift, was not criminal in his actions. He didn’t take the money and use it for himself, for example.
  2. The servant who was given the most was able to use that gift and double it and he received his reward of being placed in charge of many things and being able to share in the master’s happiness.
  3. Likewise, the servant that had been given two talents also was able to use his resources and double them. He too was given the same reward of being placed in charge of many things and sharing in his master’s happiness.
  4. Now we come to the third servant who was only given one talent. See the master knew that this man could not handle much, but he did have the ability to handle a little, if he tried. This man comes up with several excuses, the main one of which was that he was afraid to use his ability because he might fail and instead he doesn’t even TRY to gain anything for his master. He instead buries his gift and attempts to return that and that only to the master.
  5. We see that the master is furious with this man and calls him wicked and lazy. He rebukes the man for not even TRYING to gain interest on his gift by at least placing it in the bank. He orders the talent taken from the servant and given to the one with ten talents.

Third, we look at BELIEVERS today.

  1. We learn that God gives EACH of His servants (believers) gifts. It is interesting that the parable uses the word TALENT which was money in those times and we use the word talent today to mean many things usually having to do with personal skills. So the talents God gives us today as gifts can be many different things. The gift of music, teaching, giving, sharing, parenting, encouraging, the list goes on and on.
  2. We also learn that when God gives a certain kind of gift to a believer, He will also give that believer ALL that is necessary to use that gift for His glory. He will NOT give the believer the gift and the responsibility to use that gift without giving the believer the means to use it! In other words He will not give the believer more than the believer can handle with God’s help.
  3. God loves those who use their gifts for His glory and will reward those believers with much more than they give -- crowns in heaven.
  4. We also learn that God HATES indifference and the I won’t even try attitude. We get the feeling in the parable that if the third servant would have just tried something, anything, that even if he failed the master would have been satisfied with the attempt and things would not have turned out so bad for the servant.

CONCLUSION

We are ALL given talents from God as believers. The choice is ours. We can ignore, neglect, or squander what God has given us and run the risk of sharing the fate of the third servant. That being thrown outside in the darkness (v.30) and losing what gifts we had been given. OR, we can, with His help and guidance, use the gifts we are given and one day hear Him say to us, ‘WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, COME AND SHARE YOUR MASTER’S HAPPINESS. Amen.

ASSIGNMENT

Make a list of all talents that God has given you and then devise ways to use those gifts in service to and for the glory of God.