Talents not Talent (Nov. 19, 2023) Mt. 25.14-30

There are many times when I wish that Jesus had been clearer about what he was speaking. In his parables he tends to shade his words and cloaks them in mystery. Or it could be that we are 2,000 years removed from the time of Jesus and therefore separating us from the culture and the understanding of what he was speaking. See, when Jesus spoke his parable, or stories, those listening would understand completely what was being said. They would understand the nuances of the culture, the agricultural references, the little things that we miss. And so it is with this parable. There are things in it that we believe we understand, but in reality, we do not.

One aspect that we do not quite understand about the culture and times of Jesus is the institution of slavery. Slavey in ancient times differed from the type of slavery in America in several ways. It was not based on race; slaves could become citizens after emancipation, and citizens could sell themselves into slavery; they could own property; they were treated as persons (not just property or subhuman); they could be educated (something American slavery abhorred with a passion), with some being better educated than their masters; they could be employed in a number of skilled professions such as tutors, accountants, bankers, business managers and agents, even sea captains. What distinguished a slave from a free person (and is the one similarity with American slavery) was that the slave was owned by another person. It was a part of the culture and was assumed to be the way things were to stand. That does not mean that it is right, but there you have it.

Jesus, knowing this, used slaves for many of his parables. He wanted to show that God cared for even the lowly.

The reason that I gave such an explanation of slavery is that it is crucial to understand it in this parable. It is crucial because the main players are master and slaves. Some translations have servants, but this does not quite adequately grasp the relation between those in the parable.

The parable begins where another parable ends. Jesus is talking to his disciples in the last week of his life. He has been explaining to them that he must go and that they will be left to do the work that he has called them to do. The disciples, as usual, do not quite grasp what is being said here. But Jesus is telling them that while he is going away, he will be returning in a second Parousia or coming. The parable that comes before this one is one of the ten virgins who are waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. Some are ready and some are not. Those who are ready are joyously greeted and welcomed to the feast while those who were not ready are left out of the wedding feast. Jesus ends this parable by saying, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”[1]

Then he goes right into the next parable by saying “For it is as if…” What is the “as if” one might ask. This is the kingdom that is expected by those who are gathered around and waiting for the coming Parousia. It is the setting to rights all the things that are going wrong with Israel.

Jesus tells them of a man who is going on a journey. Whether he is a businessman going on business or a wealthy landowner we do not know. The text can go either way with the man. What we do know is that he is wealthy. How do we know this? He gives money to his slaves. Not just any money, but talents. Now, a talent was a lot of money. It was equal to about 6,000 denarii. A denarius was the daily wage of a day laborer. So, a talent was the equivalent of about 20 years wages for a day laborer. A huge sum that only the top 1% would ever see.

And the man is a master of slaves. He is a generous and gracious man because he gives to three slaves talents and the number of those talents to each of the slaves abilities. It is interesting that talent has come down to us as meaning gifts, skills, or resources. To us a talent is being able to play the piano, have a knack for finances or business or some other trait that people can use. This is not what the word talent means here. It is money. And three slaves are given money with which to work. They are given an amount “each according to his ability.”[2] The first is given an absurd amount, five talents; the equivalent of 75 years wages for a day laborer, an amount that the day laborer would never see. To the second, two talents, the equivalent of 40 years wages. To the third slave, one talent, which while smaller than the other two, is still a significant amount of money. Remember, it was 20 years’ worth of wages.

As stated before, the master is a generous and gracious man. He knows his slaves and what they are capable of and in his giving them the money he knows that they will do with it as they are able. Then, without giving them any instructions, the man goes away leaving the slaves to do business on their own. Do you see how different slavery of ancient times was from American slavery? One cannot imagine an American master ever giving a slave even a paltry sum of money.

The parable then shifts to the slaves. The first takes his five talents and puts them to work. In doing so, he makes five more, doubling the amount that he was given. The second, with his two talents, goes and does likewise. But the third, the third takes his talent and buries it. Now this is a prudent man. He knows that if he tries to put his talent to work, then he is liable to lose everything. He is worried about this and therefore puts the talent in the safest place he can imagine, the ground. Again, this is a man who is not taking a risk and is prudent about what he was given.

After a certain amount of time, the master returns and calls his slaves to give an account of what they have done. The first and second slaves tell of what they did and of how they doubled the amounts given to them. The master is pleased with their work and tells them both, “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.’”[3] This could mean that the slave is taken into the household and is given equal treatment, that he is equal to the master. It could also mean that he is given some of the profits that are gained by the work that he has done with the talents that were given to him. We don’t know because that is not the point of the story. The point is given with the third slave.

The third slave comes with fear and trembling. He tells the 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.”[4] The master is given back what he had given, safe and sound. Some would praise this, here was a man who was prudent and gave back what was given. Here was a man who did not go on a spree of prodigal living, wasting the talent and returning nothing to the master.

But this is not what happens. The slave is called wicked and lazy. He is denigrated for saying that the master was a harsh man and one who reaped where he did not sow. The master tells him that if he was not going to do anything with the talent, then he should have taken it to the bankers and have it sit there; it would at least earn some interest.

The slave’s talent is also taken from him and given to the one with five talents. The master says, “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.”[5] and he is thrown into the darkness where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

What do we take from this parable? Again, it is not about stewardship, about using talents or gifts that are given to us by God. Though this could be the focus of the story; it is not. It is not really about the other two slave and what they did. It is about the third slave and what he did not do.

See, the talents are the Gospel, the good news that the Messiah had come and indeed, was now here. The slaves were given this news and this grace to go and tell others. The first two took risks, they went out when the master left telling others about what they knew and had seen. The third, took no risks. Instead, he was timid, refusing to do what the master might expect of him. And he saw the master as he expected to see him, a man who was ruthless and scheming. How often do we see God as we expect to see God? If we see God as generous and gracious, then that is the God we find. However, if we see a God who is capricious and ruthless, again that is the God we will find. One must remember that the master was a generous and gracious man for giving his money for the slaves to use. Do we see God in the same light?

John M. Buchanon says this about the point of the parable: “The point here is not really about doubling your money and accumulating wealth. It is about living. It is about investing. It is about taking risks. It is about Jesus himself and what he has done and what is about to happen to him. Mostly it is about what he hopes and expects of them after he is gone. It is about being a follower of Jesus and what it means to be faithful to him, and so, finally, it is about you and me.”[6]What is at work with the third slave is the ancient sin of sloth. It means “… not caring, not loving, not rejoicing, not living up to the full potential of our humanity, playing it safe, investing nothing, being cautious and prudent, digging a hole and burying the money in the ground.’[7]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that the sin of respectable people was running from responsibility. Our faith is oftentimes turned inward. It does not call us to risk anything. It is comfortable. It is believing the right things about God and Jesus and worrying about the hereafter. What if it is not that? What if responsibility calls us to do more? We are called and invited by Jesus to risk and invest our lives to the fullest. It is to be Jesus’ disciples and to experience a renewed sense of purpose. It is to go out and tell the Gospel, to risk that we might fail, but that we might also gain more back than we invested. Let us take our responsibility seriously and be bold, reach high and care deeply. For the point of the parable is not about talent, but about talents and the high-risk adventure of getting to work as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [5] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [6] Bartlett, David L.. Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 4, Season after Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) (Kindle Locations 11104-11107). Kindle Edition. 7. Bartlett, David L.. Feasting on the Word: Year A, Volume 4, Season after Pentecost 2 (Propers 17-Reign of Christ) (Kindle Locations 11111-11113). Kindle Edition.