Parable of the Talents

"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. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey".

-Matthew 25: 14-15

In this parable, Jesus teaches us what the "Kingdom of Heaven" is like. He likens it to a wealthy master who was leaving his home to travel, and before going entrusted his property to his servants. One servant received five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, according to their respective abilities. 

The man in this parable giving the talents is referring to Jesus. The talents or coins given to the servants, primarily refer to the spiritual, physical, and intellectual gifts that God gives each one of His believers to fulfill a certain role in His kingdom. 

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are and what role you have in the advancement of His kingdom?

When we accept Jesus as our Messiah, we become His disciples. He expects each of us to develop our relationship with Him through prayer and worship. As our communion with Christ deepens, the spiritual gifts, talents and abilities He has given us will increase as we reach out to others with God's love. 

How many people have you been reaching for Christ?

Each servant that has utilized their gifts and sowed a saving faith in the lives of others, will reap a spiritual harvest through their righteous actions and obedience. They will receive their reward for their faithful service to God on earth before the judgment seat of Christ, which is known as the Bema Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). The following section of the parable of the talents illustrates this principle:

Servant 1: “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  

Servant 2: “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 

Servant 3: Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. 

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What kind of servant have you been for Christ? 

Have you been a good steward of what He's entrusted you with? Have you been utilizing all your talents, spiritual gifts and material resources to advance His kingdom or have you been like the third lazy servant, who buried His talent in the ground? When Christ returns, what will we have to present Him? What will He say to us?

I don't know about you, but I refuse to bury Christ in the ground or  keep His saving grace in my pocket, like a coin, all to myself! We are commanded to go and make disciples of all the nations (Great Commission). Jesus showed us how serious He took His ministry when He emptied Himself on the cross to save our souls. How serious are you about reaching souls for Christ?

Spiritually speaking, some of us have been unwisely sleepwalking through life, expecting others to witness to strangers including the ones we love. Who is the last person you shared the Gospel with? By only praying and occasionally attending church we are disobeying Christ's orders to evangelize. We are burying Him in the ground and keeping Him all to ourselves. This parable clearly states what He expects from us at His second coming!

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is".

          -Ephesians 5:14-17

 We should all eagerly desire to use everything Christ gave us for His glory! This parable really set a fire in my heart to use all my gifts to reach people for Christ. It is my desire to motivate, encourage, and edify the body of Christ. 

And I pray that this passion ignites you... setting you on fire for Christ!

You can feel the writers passion for Christ in this old hymn:

"Let my hands perform His bidding; let my feet run in His ways; Let mine eyes see Jesus only, and my lips speak forth His praise. All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed powers; All my thoughts and words and doings, all my days and all my hours... All for Jesus".

If we live every day of our lives with the firm hope of hearing these words, we will 

never 

fail...