Parable of the Talents
The Parable of the Talents (also the Parable of the Minas) is one of the
Although the basic theme of each of these parables is essentially the same, the differences between the parables in the
In both Matthew and Luke, a master puts his servants in charge of his goods while he is away on a trip. Upon his return, the master assesses the stewardship of his servants. He evaluates them according to how faithful each was in making wise investments of his goods to obtain a profit. It is clear that the master sought some profit from the servants' oversight. A gain indicated faithfulness on the part of the servants. The master rewards his servants according to how each has handled his stewardship. He judges two servants as having been "faithful" and gives them a positive reward. To the single "unfaithful" servant, who avoided even the safe profit of bank interest, a negative compensation is given.
A thematically variant parable appears in the non-canonical Gospel of the Hebrews, wherein the servant who hid his money from his cruel master is rebuked, but presented as more righteous than the wealthiest servant, who squandered his money and was cast into darkness.[2]
Settings
While the basic story in each of these parables is essentially the same, the settings are quite different.
- The setting of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 is the Mt. Olivet discourse. In Matthew 24–25, the overall theme is end-time events, warning, and parables. "The direct cautions and warnings (Matthew 24:42, Matthew 24:44; Matthew 25:13) must be for the disciples (his audience)—warnings to be watchful and to be ready for Christ's coming".
- The setting of the parable of the minas in Luke 19 was out in the open among the crowd. Zacchaeus had just believed and the Lord acknowledged his salvation. But, the crowd was now looking for Jesus to set up his kingdom.[3][unreliable source?]
The values of a talent
A talent (Ancient Greek τάλαντον, talanton 'scale' and 'balance') was a unit of weight of approximately 80 pounds (36 kg), and when used as a unit of money, was valued for that weight of silver.[4] As a unit of currency, a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii.[1] A denarius was the usual payment for a day's labour.[1] At one denarius per day, a single talent was therefore worth 20 years of labor (assuming a 6-day work week, because nobody would work on the weekly Sabbath).
Narratives
Parable of the Talents
The "Parable of the Talents", in Matthew 25:14–30 tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second had received two, and the third received only one. The property entrusted to the three servants was worth eight talents, where a talent was a significant amount of money. Upon returning home, after a long absence, the master asks his three servants for an account of the talents he entrusted to them. The first and the second servants explain that they each put their talents to work, and have doubled the value of the property with which they were entrusted; each servant was rewarded:
His lord said unto him, Well done, 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.
— Matthew 25:23
The third servant, however, had merely hidden his talent, burying it in the ground, and was punished by his master:
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him, that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
— Matthew 25:24–30
Parable of the Minas
In Luke's Gospel (Luke 19:12–27), Jesus told this parable because he was near
The parallels between the Lukan material (the Gospel of Luke and
Version in the Gospel of the Hebrews
Depositing funds with the bankers
The third servant in Matthew's version was condemned as wicked and lazy, because he could have deposited his talent with the bankers (Greek: τραπεζιταις, trapezitais, literally, table or counter-keepers, just as bankers were originally those who sat at their bancum, or bench).[15] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that this was "the very least the slave could have done, [as] to make money in this way required no personal exertion or intelligence",[16] and Johann Bengel commented that the labour of digging a hole and burying the talent was greater than the labour involved in going to the bankers.[17]
Interpretations
In Matthew, the opening words appear to link the parable to the parable of the Ten Virgins, which immediately precedes it.[1] That parable deals with wisdom in an eschatological context.[1] This parable, however, has been interpreted in several ways.
As a teaching for Christian Believers
As personal abilities
Traditionally, the parable of the talents has been seen as an exhortation to Jesus' disciples to use their God-given gifts in the service of God, and to take risks for the sake of the
Finley suggests these interpretations among the teachings for Christians:
- The nobleman (Lk 19:12), or the man (Matthew 25:14) is Christ.
- The journey of the master to another place and his return (Matt 25:14–15, Matthew 24:19; Luke 19:12, Luke 19:15) speaks of Christ's going away to Heaven at his ascension and his return as the time when he comes again.
- His entrustment to his servants of his possessions while he is away on his journey should be Christ's gifts and various possessions ("capital") given to the believers in his church in anticipation of them producing a spiritual "profit" for Him in the kingdom of God. While he is away, he expects his believers to "'Do business with this until I come back.'" (Luke 19:13).
- His evaluation of the business they have conducted during his absence takes place upon his return and is an account of their activity (Matt 25:19; Luke 19:15). This must be the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is only for believers. This pictures an evaluation of stewardship.
- The positive rewards for two of the servants are based upon their faithfulness to properly use what Christ entrusted to them. This probably speaks of positive reward for believers who are faithful to serve Christ.
- The negative reward (recompense) for the unfaithful servant likely speaks of some negative dealing by Christ with an unfaithful believer.[3]
The poet John Milton was fascinated by the parable (interpreted in this traditional sense),[19] referring to it repeatedly, notably in the sonnet "When I Consider How My Light is Spent":[19]
When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent, which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience to prevent'
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."
Some critics interpret the poem's exhortation to be ready to receive God's will as a critique of a misunderstanding of the parable as literal or economic, and that waiting, rather than amassing wealth to prove one's worth, is the proper way to serve God.[20] While the narrator worries over his limited accomplishments, Patience reminds him that God does not need "man's work". Milton may even be contrasting God (as King) with the lord of the parable.[21]
As love or mercy
Catholic bishop
As gifts from God
As a critique of religious leaders
Joachim Jeremias believed that the original meaning of the parable was not an ethical one about every man. Instead, he saw it as aimed at the scribes who had withheld "from their fellow men a due share in God's gift."[26] In his view, Jesus is saying that these scribes will soon be brought to account for what they have done with the Word of God which was entrusted to them.[26]
Jeremias also believed that in the life of the early church the parable took on new meaning, with the merchant having become an allegory of Christ, so that "his journey has become the ascension, his subsequent return ... has become the
As social critique
In Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed (1994), William R. Herzog II presents a liberation theology interpretation of the "Parable of the Talents", wherein the absentee landlord reaps where he didn't sow, and the third servant is a whistle-blower who has "unmasked the 'joy of the master' for what it is — the profits of exploitation squandered in wasteful excess."[27] Hence, the third servant is punished for speaking the truth, and not for failing to make a profit. From the critical perspective of liberation theology, the message of the "Parable of the Talents" is that man must act in solidarity with other men when confronting social, political, and economic injustices.[27]
To describe how scientists are awarded authorial credit for their work, the sociologist
Depictions in the arts
The "Parable of the Talents" has been depicted by artists such as
In religious music, the hymn "Slave of God, Well Done!", by John Wesley, notably alludes to the "Parable of the Talents" (Matthew 25:23), which was written on the occasion of the death of George Whitefield (1714–1770), the English Anglican cleric who was instrumental to the First Great Awakening (ca. 1731–55) in Britain and in the American colonies.[30]
The hymn "Slave of God, Well Done!" begins thus:
Slave of God, well done!
Thy glorious warfare's past;
The battle's fought, the race is won,
And thou art crowned at last.[31]
Parable of the Talents is a science fiction novel, published in 1998, written by Octavia E. Butler.
See also
- Life of Jesus in the New Testament
- Matthew 25
- Matthew effect
- Ministry of Jesus
- Monasticism
- Sabbath economics
- Stewardship
- Usury
References
- ^ ISBN 0-8028-6077-X, pp. 271–281.
- ^ a b Eusebius, Theophany on Matthew 22
- ^ a b Finley, Tom. The Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Minas (Matthew 25:14–30 and Luke 19:11–27). Online: "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Ridgeway, William, "Measures and Weights" in Whibley, Leonard (ed). A Companion to Greek Studies, Cambridge University Press, 1905, p. 444.
- ^ Luke 19:11: NKJV: ...as they heard these things
- ISBN 0-8146-5805-9, p. 292.
- ^ Steve Mason, Josephus and Luke-Acts, (1992), pp. 185–229
- ^ Gregory Sterling, historiography and Self-Definition: Josephos, Luke-Acts and Apologetic historiography (1992)
- ^ heinz Schreckenberg, Flavius Josephus and the Lukan Writings (1980), pp. 179–209.
- ^ Max Krenkel, Josephus und Lukas (1894)
- ^ Luke Timothy Johnson, Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Luke (1991), endnote 12, page 289
- ^ a b Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 17:11
- ^ Luke Timothy Johnson, Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Luke (1991), endnote 14, p, 290
- ISBN 90-04-09737-6.
- ^ Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers on Matthew 25, accessed 21 February 2017
- ^ Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Matthew 25, accessed 21 February 2017
- ^ Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament on Matthew 25, accessed 21 February 2017
- ISBN 978-1-58768-570-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-8229-4216-X, pp. 1–18.
- ^ Lewalski, Barbara. The Life of John Milton: A Critical Biography, Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2003. Ebook. Page 306.
- ^ "When I Consider How My Light Is Spent (On His Blindness)." Shmoop Editorial Team. Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 5 Aug. 2014.
- Robert Barron (September 22, 2014). "The Deeper Meaning of the Parable of the Talents". Catholic World Report.
- ^ "Lectio Divina: Matthew 25, 14–30". The Order of Carmelites. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis (1996). "The Meaning of the Parable of the Talents". Taken from Fire of Mercy: Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew Vol. 1. Ignatius Press.
- ^ Lapide, Cornelius (1889). The great commentary of Cornelius à Lapide. Translated by Thomas Wimberly Mossman. London: John Hodges.
- ^ a b c Joachim Jeremias, The Parables of Jesus, Scribner, 1954.
- ^ ISBN 0-664-25355-5, pp. 150–168.
- ISBN 1-4223-7290-1.
- ISBN 0-14-001515-9, p. 365.
- ISBN 0-405-08748-9, p. 222.
- ^ The Cyber Hymnal: Slave of God, Well Done!
- Crossan, John Dominic The Power of Parable (HarperOne 2013)
- Malina, Bruce J. and Rohrbaugh, Richard L. Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels (Fortress Press 1993)
- Meier, John P. A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Volume V: Probing the Authenticity of the Parables (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library 2016)
Further reading
- Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). . A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder.
External links
- Biblical-art.com
- Parable of the Harsh Master at The Brick Testament.