“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 ‭NRSV‬‬

This parable always tests me. One reason is because it is a conversation between a master and his slaves, and I am against slavery in any form. The second reason is because the slave that was punished in the end had every good intention when he buried his master’s talent (3,000 shekels).

I’ll admit there are quite a number of things that would be wrong with this situation if it had not been a story of metaphors. But Jesus is teaching a lesson on faithfulness, so he uses the master-slave relationship to paint the picture for those who are being taught this lesson. 

The master in this case represents God, and the slaves represent us; those who serve God and seek to do what ever he commands. The talents represent the good things that he has given us to manage (ie. all that we are responsible for).

A faithful person sees value in what ever they get from God, so they protect it and learn how to multiply its value then they act on that knowledge. They increase the value on what God has entrusted to them, even though this forces them to take on more responsibility.

An unfaithful person sees little to no value in what they have been given, this is why I think the unfaithful slave in Jesus’ parable is only given one talent. Maybe he did not appreciate what had been entrusted to him because he was comparing it to what the other slaves had (one give 5 talents and the other given 2). In the one called the “wicked and lazy slave” There was no desire to increase value and add to his responsibilities.

Consider your own life as a servant of God. Have you added value to what God has made you responsible for? Or have you been so busy comparing yourself to others, that you feel like you are being cheated by God?

How do you prepare for God’s judgement? Do you have any fruits to show for your faithfulness? Let’s learn from the unfaithful slave’s mistake, and seek to add value onto what God has made us responsible for. Yes, I know this requires work and more responsibility in addition to all the other things already our plate. But to work for God is work that produces the greatest reward.

Im convinced that if we work for our employers or clients with endurance and long suffering, that we should be even more willing to do the same for the One from whom all blessings flow. So let us ask God for the wisdom we need to be able to add value on what he has entrusted to us, and let us commit ourselves to the blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices that might be required.

Most Gracious God,

We thank you for all that you have blessed us with. Make your direction on how we should handle those blessings clear. Give us your word and instruction, so that we don’t make the same mistake as the unfaithful slave in Jesus’ parable. We don’t want to be caught doing the wrong thing even if we have the best intentions, so help us, Lord. Teach us how we can add value to the gifts you have placed in us. Tell us when to work and when to rest. Tell us how to serve and how to be served. All things come from you, so teach us how to be good managers of what you have entrusted to our care; even if it is only the faith we have in you. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen!