The Parable of the Talents

A talent was a very large sum of money worth something like 15 years wages for a laborer.

The three different sums of money entrusted to the servants in this parable represent the differing wealth and abilities God has entrusted to us. In fact, the English word "talent," meaning a natural ability, comes from the symbolism in this parable.

The first two servants invested the money that had been entrusted to them wisely and earned a return for their master. The master praised them greatly. However, the third servant simply kept the money and did not put it to good use. The master was very angry with this servant for his laziness.

Like the money entrusted to the servants, the gifts we have received are not ours alone. God gave them to us for the purpose of serving Him and serving other people.

Like the master in the parable, Jesus has departed from earth and entrusted His work to us. But also like the master in the parable, Jesus will return someday to judge how well we have performed our duties. The lesson is that Christ will judge us for what we have done or not done with the abilities and wealth we have been given. It is not sufficient for us to merely live without sinning. We must actively use the gifts we have been given to serve God and to serve other people. Each of us

must honestly evaluate our gifts and prayerfully decide how they can be put to the best use. Some of us have been given small gifts and some great gifts, but we must all do our best with what we have:

" From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. "(NRSV, Luke 12:48)

Each of us has something to give. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker, teacher or minister. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents. We may choose a service-oriented occupation, or we may just do our everyday jobs with integrity and respect for others.

Related Verses

 * Leviticus 19:18
 * Matthew 20:25-28
 * Mark 12:28-31, 12:41-44
 * Luke 6:38, 12:42-48, 19:11-27, 21:1-4
 * Acts 3:6, 20:35
 * Romans 12:5-8, 12:11
 * 1 Corinthians 1:24-30, 3:7-9, 4:1-2, 7:7, 12:4-11, 12:27-31, 14:12
 * Galatians 5:13-14, 6:9
 * Ephesians 4:10-12
 * 1 Peter 4:8-10
 * 2 Peter 1:5-7
 * Hebrews 6:10-12
 * James 1:22-27