The Parable of the Talents

Well, welcome, everyone, and good morning. It’s so good to see you today, a wonderful Lord’s Day, when we can meet together as God’s people, worship Him in spirit and truth, and to think about His Holy Word. And we’re so glad that Sister Sylvia Williams is back with us, and we’re thankful that she is on the mend and doing well, and thankful that many of ours who have had some illnesses are doing better.

Well, this morning, let’s turn in our Bibles to Matthew 25, and verses 14 through 30, as we consider the parable of the talents. And let’s just read 14 through 19 to begin with, and then we’ll go through and we’ll discuss this parable.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability.

And immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord’s money.

After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. Now, Matthew 25 is parables about the judgment. And specifically, we have here the parable of the talents. A talent was a large amount of money, a very notable sum, somewhere around $25,000 in today’s reckoning, and maybe more than that even with inflation, as much as it has been going up lately.

So, here was a large sum of money. One talent was a lot of money. Five talents was a tremendous amount. Two talents was also a tremendous amount. And then you had the one talent that was given. This parable was given by Jesus during His last week on earth, and so it was a warning parable designed to help us to think about what is going to happen when Jesus returns.

And in this parable, we see three main ideas that I think you will understand clearly as we go through them. First of all, there is the concept of ability. Second, there is responsibility. And finally, there is accountability. And so that’s what we have in this parable, and that’s what it’s designed to teach.

And so let’s think about this parable, thinking about these ideas, and how they may relate to our lives, because as we read through these parables, You know, Jesus gave these parables so that we could discern more about our spirituality and about our relationship with God.

And this parable is certainly talking about our relationship with God. First of all, we think about the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country. And the man here is the Lord. And the servants are us. And He delivered goods to them. These goods don’t belong to us. They belong to God. And we are simply stewards.

But He delivered them to each servant according to their ability. God knows what our abilities are, and you know, that’s the first point. When we think about the parable of the talents, it teaches us about ability. What is ability? It is very simply that which one is able to do. Everyone has the ability to do something. Now, not all abilities are the same. Your abilities are not the same as mine, and mine are not the same as yours.

But everyone has some abilities except for maybe the very youngest of those who are born into the world, but, you know, very soon they become able to do great things like walk and talk. And those are thrilling to us when we see those abilities manifesting in those young children.

But you know, we have words even for those who have abilities that some don’t have. For example, have you ever heard the term, she just has a green thumb? Right? That’s an ability that someone has, taking care of plants. Or maybe someone has a touch of the blarney, meaning they have ability to talk well and interact with people and speaking. Or maybe you’ve heard of the Midas touch, someone who’s good with money and can handle money. Those are abilities that each person has.

And these abilities all come through learning and growth. And God knows what our abilities are. And He has entrusted each one of us with certain abilities, and He wants us to use those abilities for His glory. Paul talked about being entrusted with the Gospel, 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 4.

Therefore, but as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. God has entrusted us with these abilities and entrusted us with the gospel to use our abilities to spread the gospel.

So, elders have been specifically entrusted as being shepherds of the flock. 1 Peter 5, verse 3, where Peter says, “…not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” Notice that word, entrusted. God has entrusted us. And we are then stewards of those things that God has given us. Those abilities that we have through learning, through growth, through possession, those are all things that we are ultimately then responsible for. And we’re going to talk about responsibility as we go forward here.

But look at 1 Peter 4 and verse 10. It says, “…as each one has received a gift, minister it or serve it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Everyone has an ability to do something, and we should use those abilities to serve one another, being good stewards.

And that’s what this parable of the talents is about, being a good steward. Do we know our abilities? That is something that we’ve each got to think about for ourselves. What are our abilities? And how can we use those abilities to serve God? As we grow, we learn new things and we gain new abilities. And that’s good.

Even the Bible talks about gaining abilities in some places. For example, in Hebrews 5 and verse 12, there we read, “…For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

That is, as we grow, God expects us to use our abilities and to improve and to gain new abilities. 2 Peter 3, verse 18 says, But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory both now and forever.

We have the responsibility to grow and to be able and to do with those abilities what God wants us to do. And what is that? Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God, 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 31.

And so ask yourself, what are your abilities? And how can you use those abilities to glorify God? And so this parable teaches us about abilities. But then second, it teaches us about responsibility. Look at verses 16 through 18. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents. And likewise, he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground and hid his Lord’s money. Responsibility. Responsibility is what we do with our abilities.

It’s the response to our abilities and includes all the things that we are capable of by through learning and through growth. Sometimes we say it like this, that being responsible is living up to our potential. It means taking what we’re able to do and exercising it, putting it into practice. That is responsibility. And so we are responsible when we act on our abilities, and God wants us to act on our abilities. He exhorts us in many ways to be diligent.

For example, in Romans chapter 12, in verse 11, we’re commanded not to be lacking in diligence, to make application to our lives of those things that the Bible has said by putting our abilities into practice. 2 Peter 1, verse 5. Giving all diligence, Peter says. Add to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, and on. Giving all diligence. In other words, we must make an effort.

And responsibility is making that effort. It’s trimming the plants of the unneeded parts. It is doing the weeding so that the plants can grow for those who have the green thumb. It is making proper accounting of money for those who have the Midas touch. Or, it is properly organizing your thoughts for those who have the touch of the Blarney. You know, there is the effort to be made to use our abilities. And whatever your abilities are, and they could be many others, How are you using them? What effort are you making to take those abilities as a good steward of the Lord and putting them to use for Him? Giving all diligence, not lacking in diligence. James wrote this in James 1, 22 through 25, but be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer of the word but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed.

In what He does. And so there is that effort that we need to make to be doers of the Word, as we have the ability. And that blessing comes only when we make the effort. Only when we are responsible with the abilities that God has given us.

Jesus said in John 13 and verse 17, if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. Knowledge is one thing, but doing is another. We must both know and do if we want to have the blessing of responsibility.

Colossians 3, verses 23-24 discusses this also, whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of inheritance. For you serve the Lord Christ. Do it heartily. Be responsible. Take ownership.

It is irresponsibility when we do not act on the abilities that we have. And the Bible discusses this also. In that passage in James 1 that we just read, he talks about the one who hears but does not do. That’s irresponsible, you see.

And he’s like someone who looks at himself in a mirror, as probably most of us did this morning before we walked out of the house. We got up, we took a look in the mirror, we combed our hair, we brushed our teeth. Maybe we shaved, maybe we didn’t. Some of us didn’t.

But what if you looked in the mirror and you, I’m not going to bother, and you just walk off? Well, then, nothing would be done. When something needs to be done, you would not be using your abilities. You would not be responsible.

James 4 and verse 17 talks about irresponsibility, leaving things undone that need to be done. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. That’s irresponsible. Why is it irresponsible? Because he had the ability, he had the knowledge, but he did not act.

Oh, there are many ways that people try to avoid responsibility. They try to avoid the idea that they know and they’re able. Sometimes we lie to ourselves about it. Oh, I don’t really know the things that I really do know. Or I’m not able when we really are able.

Sometimes we’re just lazy. We try to find excuses not to do the things that we need to do. Sometimes we procrastinate. We put things off, not really thinking properly about our knowledge and our ability. Sometimes we simply get lost in entertainment and finding things to do rather than to do the things we know we should be doing. Entertaining ourselves instead of being responsible. Are we being responsible?

Which person are we in this parable of the talents? The five-talent man? The two-talent man? Or the one-talent man? This parable teaches us about responsibility. But finally, this parable teaches us about accountability. Look at verses 20 through 25. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, “‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents beside them.’ His Lord said to him, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You are faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, “‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Look, I have gained two more talents beside them.’ His Lord said to him, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.’ Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “‘Where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.’ And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” But his Lord answered and said to him, “‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers.

And at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from Him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So finally, we have here accountability. Verse 19, after a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. For our abilities, there will be a final accountability.

Whether we are responsible with those abilities or whether we are irresponsible with those abilities, there will be a final account ability. What is accountability? It’s when we give an account to another of what we have done with our abilities.

Sometimes, we use the word responsible to mean accountable. Have you ever heard your mother or father say to you, young man or young lady, you are responsible for your words and your actions? They’re holding you accountable. They’re saying you’re accountable.

Sometimes we use the word responsible like that, but let’s just think about it in terms of accountability. Being held to account, we need to hold ourselves to account right now while we have time because one day Christ is coming back and then He will hold us to His accounting.

And so the Bible tells us we are accountable for our behavior. Matthew 12, verse 36, Jesus said, But I say unto you that for every idle word men shall speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. Every idle word. Are we thinking along those lines?

Elders have a special role in giving account. Hebrews 13 and verse 17 says, “…Obey those who have rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

We will give an account of our own lives before God. Romans 14, verse 12 says, So then each one of us shall give an account of himself to God. Are we ready? Are we prepared to give an account? And there is no creature hidden from His sight. But all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him, to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4 and verse 13. How conscious are we of our words and of our actions? Will we take ownership of those things? Oh, yes. I have abilities that God has given me. I’m a steward for those abilities. Yes. Oh, yes. God has given me many other things. I’m a steward for those things.

But what do I have ownership of? What I say and what I do. And that’s true for every single person. That is what we really own, our own words and our own deeds. And how will we then give account of those things? You know, this parable isn’t about money.

Jesus is using money to teach us something else. It’s about how we use our lives. Will we take what God has given us and use it to His glory and then bring back to Him something to show? That’s what the five-talent man did. That’s what the two-talent man did. But what about that one-talent man? What did he bring back to God? Nothing. Because what he had been given, he gave back. It already belonged to the Lord, and so he gave nothing.

What about us? What are we giving to God? I’m not talking about what goes in the contribution plate, although that is included in this. I’m talking about our lives, our service, our words, our example, our deeds. What are we giving?

Not hoarders, as the one-talent man was. God knows your abilities. You are responsible to His Word. And one day, He will hold us all accountable. What needs to be done about that today? Maybe you need to become a child of God today and recognize what God has already established.

You see, that’s what becoming a Christian is about. Really understanding that God is the owner of your life and returning your life to Him through Jesus Christ. Do you need to do that this morning? Have that knowledge, recognize ability, and begin to be responsible. And the first thing you can do is to hear His Word and believe it, repent of your sins, confess Jesus as Lord, and be baptized for the remission of sins. That’s owning up to what God has given you. Don’t take His Word and bury it in the ground and ignore it.

What will happen with that one talent man? We know what will happen. Respond to His invitation this morning. Live for Him. Give yourself. And guess what will happen? You will be blessed beyond measure. Why not become a Christian this very hour?

And so if you have need to respond for what you are able to do this morning, we encourage you to do that. While together we stand and while we sing.

End of transcript. Thank you for reading along!