To be away from home, go into another country, be away, be abroad. 10 For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them (Ephesians 2:8-10). So, whatever we are doing (provided its not a sinful activity), we serve God well by doing it well. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. We need to pursue the element of work a bit further. 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. (17) Because thou hast been faithful in a very little.--More literally, because thou didst become faithful. The one who gets the biggest return on investment gets the big promotion. He does not go to work with his masters money, over a lengthy period of time, and thus make a profit. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And part of the reward the faithful slave is entering into is the joy of his Master in bringing salvation to men. The element of money. What is it that you want Him to find you doing when He returns? When the master returned, the first two eagerly met their master, apparently delighted in the opportunity to multiply their masters money.273 Both were commended as good and faithful servants; both were rewarded with increased responsibilities in their masters service; both were invited to share in their masters joy. We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:13-14), according to plans he laid out before we were born (Jeremiah 1:5), to glorify him forever. Heavens work will be joyful labor. He demanded that they make something out of nothing, so to speak. In short, Jesus is a master who uses methods we dont always understand, which might even seem unfair. The one who has been faithful on earth with a little thing like money will be given greater work to do in heaven. 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. I am suggesting that we have come to view retirement as that time in life when we can greatly reduce or terminate our giving, and when we can cease our service. If Adams sin brought about painful labor for mankind, the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ (the last Adam 1 Corinthians 15:45) brought rest: 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Is this not cause for rejoicing (see Acts 11:19-24)? Then he went on his journey. Luke 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. When the third servants excuses are set aside, it becomes evident that this man is lazy he didnt do any work. 26But his lord answered and said to him, You (J)wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Indeed, it is used to explain what has been said before. Faithful saints are given even greater responsibilities, and even more work. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry (Matthew 11:28-30). I will put you in charge of many things. This parable is paired with the parable of the 10 virgins, who made the mistake of not having enough oil when the bridegroom arrives. To gain, acquire, win (over), avoid loss. If we loved our Master, we would view our labors for Him as joy. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. The element of money. There is no end to our labors for our God. He has granted the time and the resources for men to make a profit for the kingdom of heaven, until He returns. Lets call this aspect of profit exaltation. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Those who know not the day of their visitation shall have the things that belong to their peace hid from their eyes. God is both, and his plans will not necessarily make sense to our limited perspectives. In this show, one boss brings several employees into a room, gives them each cash, and tells them to invest to grow his corporation. 16 Then he that had received the five talents went and The masters dealings with the third servant is a very different matter. This servant offered a feeble excuse for his conduct. I saw something there that both amazed and troubled me. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21). It is the real Christian's liberty and privilege to be employed as his Redeemer's servant, in promoting his glory, and the good of his people: the love of Christ constrains him to live no longer to himself, but to Him, that died for him and rose again. wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. Matthew 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 20So 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 besides them. 21His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were (E)faithful over a few things, (F)I will make you ruler over many things. The master goes on his journey, which Luke notes has some opposition (Luke 19:14-15). This servant came to his master with only the talent his master had originally entrusted to him. He contended that this is why he was afraid to take a risk with any kind of investment. Dont bury what God has entrusted to you; go to work with it, for the glory of God, and for your eternal rewards. Most importantly, bringing glory to God is profitable. His servants will worship him, 4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads (Revelation 22:1-4). Provide a pair of oven gloves. parable in Luke is told when Jesus was near Jerusalem, before His triumphal entry; in Matthew, the parable is told when Jesus was in Jerusalem, a few days later. It is the end of the curse, and thus the end of futile labor. But a married woman is concerned about the things of the world, how to please her husband. Lets begin with the end result profit. The only difference seems to be in their abilities, and thus in the talents that were entrusted to them. But each man doubled his masters money. 13 And he summoned ten of his slaves, gave them ten minas, and said to them, Do business with these until I come back. 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, We do not want this man to be king over us! 15 When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned these slaves to whom he had given the money. The term employed in Matthew 25:16 emphasizes work. Let me see if I can defend my allegation. Get Your Bible Minute in Your Inbox Every Morning. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. See 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. However, since we all want to be little gods of our own lives, serving ourselves misses our true place in life. In that place (V)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.. Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed (Matthew 25:24, emphasis mine). Wrap a gift a number of times to create a few layers. Enter into the joy of your master. 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. He swallowed up death (1 Corinthians 15: 54) in a victory that involved him getting killed. 17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. The similarities between the parable in Matthew 25 and this parable in Lukes Gospel are easily seen: While the parable in Luke is similar to our parable in Matthew 25, there are some significant differences: The temptation is for us to carry details from the parable in Lukes Gospel over to Matthews account, but we should be careful about this, recognizing that these parables, while similar, were told on different occasions and contain significant differences. Heaven involves work, but it is profitable work. For this story about a master and his servants, understanding the culture of Jesus' original audience is necessary to comprehend His message. I am saying that our labors for the kingdom have no point of termination except for our Lords return, and even then fruitful labor will continue in heaven. All rights reserved. Some were saying, He is a good man, but others, He deceives the common people (John 7:12). Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! However, Jesus claimed kingship in a way that confused many people, and the way his kingdom operates often offends our sense of propriety. Its been referenced in many placeseven odd places like H.G. Let us listen carefully then, looking to Gods Spirit to enlighten our hearts and minds, and to empower our service, to the glory of God and our eternal good. First, they receive their masters commendation, Well done, good and faithful slave (verses 21, 23). The third servant did not invest his masters money at all; he dug a hole in the ground and buried his masters money. a certain weight or 'talent'. When our Lord talks about the kingdom of heaven in our text and elsewhere, He speaks of it in terms of work, not of relaxation or of play. Sometimes it is merely a connective, a virtual conjunction. Most of us find it hard to un-crack, especially given the third servant gets punished for doing nothing. Thus, time seems to be a more important factor in verses 14-31 than in 1-13. 18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lords money. 13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. The talent was the largest measurement of money in those days. I believe it is his view of his master, and thus the work his master has assigned. It is not the money that goes to work, as such, but the worker. And the longer the master was gone, the more interest was lost by the slaves inactivity. It is not meant that the improving of natural powers can entitle a man to Divine grace. Pertaining to self, i.e. Read: MATTHEW 25:14-30. While commentators differ somewhat over the approximate value of a talent in todays economy, all would agree that it was a large amount of money. Bible Memory Verse. I believe that we see this in Romans 9, where Paul speaks of the things God has entrusted Israel: 1 I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying! Is this not the way that our Lords adversaries looked at Him? Speed and thrust increase. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The Parable of the Talents 22 The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, 'Master, you entrusted me with two talents. The one who does not have but yet does have (because what he has is taken away) is the one who has his masters money, but has made no profit from it. 33 Bible Verses about Parable Of Talents Matthew 25:14-30 ESV / 15 helpful votes Not Helpful "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. It has taken a while for the thrust of this parable to come into focus for me. Jesus uses the Parable of the Talents to help us understand our calling as Christians and our responsibility to use what God has given us to bring Him glory and honor! What is the meaning of the Parable of the Fig Tree? Re-read the passage, preferably in a different translation to get a clearer perspective on what the passage is communicating. [14]For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. The degree to which our earthly labor has been faithful and profitable will determine the degree to which we enter into joyful labor in heaven. Jaye Martin, How to Know Your Life Purpose There is only one who is good. Jesus came into a world that was the devils domain (1 John 5:19) and claimed it for himself, despite opposition from demons and sinful people who disliked him calling out their flaws. I will end with these words from our Lord to the church at Sardis. An unmarried man is concerned about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. The element of profit. It was not until after the fall of man that mans labor became toil: 17 But to Adam he said, Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, You must not eat from it, cursed is the ground thanks to you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. They returned to their master with double the talents! Since a talent was actually a measurement of weight, it did not have a constant value. There is a great reward waiting for those who steward well with what the Lord has given them. You have been faithful with a few things. And so he simply hid the money, and now he returned it, without any gain. But none of them adequately explain it. which was given to the third (unfaithful) servant is taken away and given to the faithful servant who gained the most for his master. As we conclude, we should focus on what this parable is really about. In the parable, the gifts are given according to natural ability, but all who increase equally are rewarded equally. This story is called the Parable of the Talents. God expects a profit, and He holds us accountable for what we have done with what He has entrusted to us. In the Matthew version, he gives one servant 10 talents (or bags of gold), another five talents, and the third one talent. In fact, if this were to take place today, that money would likely be worth less, due to inflation. An unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the things of the Lord, to be holy both in body and spirit. He wanted to know how much they had earned by trading. 30And cast the unprofitable servant (L)into the outer darkness. (3) In my opinion, the main reason for assuming that verse 13 belongs with verses 1-12 is that the term (Greek, ou=n) is most often inferential, with the meaning therefore or then.274 It is not always an indication of a logical conclusion, however. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. Since help was available to him in the Church, the man had no excuse. Jesus was also the stone rejected by builders, yet he became the capstone (Matthew 21:42). These things are good and beneficial for all people (Titus 3:4-8). Includes discussion questions and verse by verse commentary for small groups. 12:6; 1 Cor. This slave actually thinks of his master as though he were a Pharaoh in character. In other words, Luke informs us that Jesus told this parable specifically to correct some misconceptions about the time of His return. A parable is a type of story Jesus would tell so we would learn something from it. 12 Therefore he said, A nobleman went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. Let them go and collect straw for themselves. One man may design a church building, a cathedral. What is the meaning of the Parable of the Vineyard? A primary particle; down, in varied relations (genitive, dative or accusative) with which it is joined). In the natural world, talents differ. Christians will spend all eternity at work, and this work will include ruling with our Lord and praising Him. Come and share your masters happiness! (Matthew 25:21). 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. After all of Jesus' teaching, the disciples, although still limited in their knowledge and understanding, knew for sure that Jesus was to restore His Kingdom to Israel ( Acts 1:6 ). Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. One's own; by implication, private or separate. READ the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The second slave presents his master with four talents. Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The Topic of Teenagers Open Heavens for Saturday 4th March 2023 Is "Parable of The Talents I". The Bible makes it clear that we dont really own our gifts. Please consider their relationship to our text, and to money, time, labor, and profit: 1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead. 271. gained. At this point we would probably do well to look at work from a broader perspective; we should consider work from the beginning of time to eternity future.
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