The Parable of the Talents
During his ministry on earth, Jesus often used parables to teach his followers. The word ‘parable’ signifies the placing of two or more objects together for the purpose of comparison. Specifically, parables reveal something that is unknown by comparing it to something that we already understand.
In his parables, Jesus used common everyday objects like seeds, lamps, yeast and weddings to reveal or explain truths about the kingdom of heaven. Thus, parables are sometimes described as ‘earthly stories with heavenly meanings.’
In today’s post, we are going to examine the parable of the talents, found in Matthew 25:14-30. Please take a few minutes to read this passage.
In this parable, a rich man (the Master) was going on a journey. He entrusted three of his servants with money and each was to conduct business on his behalf while he was away. Scripture tells us that each received a different amount:
Matthew 25:15 – To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey. As you probably know, the servant with five talents set to work and earned five more. Likewise, the servant with two talents got to work and earned two more. Upon his return, the Master called his servants in to give an account of their service. He was very pleased with his first two servants:
Matthew 25:23 – His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.’
But that was not the case with the third servant. Instead of using the talent his Master gave him, he chose to bury/hide it and consequently there was no increase. When he gave an account of his service, The Master strongly rebuked him, calling him wicked and lazy. The one talent he had was taken from him and given to the servant who now had 10. Instead of entering into the joy of the Master, he was cast out of the kingdom.
In this parable Jesus is the Master, we are the servants and the money represents the talents God gives to us.
While there are several amazing lessons contained in this parable, we are going to focus on just one: The divine law of increase. This principle states that whatever we use multiples/increases, while whatever we neglect dries up and disappears.
This principle is true in the physical realm. For example, the athlete who consistently works out increases the size of their muscles while the ‘couch potato’ finds the muscle mass they have slipping away. The person who continuously practices cooking soon finds they are capable of producing an award-winning meal without a recipe, while those who rarely cook will give up altogether or burn everything.
This principle is true in the mental realm. The person who continuously uses their mind in reading, solving puzzles or learning new things sharpens and increases their mental acuity. However, the person who does not exercise their mind soon loses the ability to think and reason; they become mentally dull.
This principle is true in the spiritual realm. Scripture tells us that God gives each person a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). When we use or exercise that faith, it grows/increases, allowing us to accomplish more or greater things in the kingdom of heaven. But those who do not use their faith become slaves to fear. The small amount of faith they had eventually withers away and they are incapable of living in victory.
Likewise, those who actively seize opportunities to do good works will find more and more opportunities open to them. Those who refuse to do anything soon find themselves on the sidelines of the kingdom, have nothing to do.
It may seem intuitive, but let me just state that the divine law of increase does not mean everything goes perfectly. I have no doubt that the servants who used their talents faced some set-backs, some learning curves and even some failures. But they didn’t give up and as they continued learning and growing, they prospered.
Now let’s apply this truth/principle to our own lives. What talents has God given to you? How are you using them to glorify his name and expand his kingdom? What growth have you experienced over the years?
Are there any talents that you’ve been neglecting? If so, I encourage you to pick them up, dust them off, and begin to use them. If you do, you can be sure that God’s law of divine increase will bless your efforts. And most importantly, you will hear God say to you, ‘well done!’