THE PARABLES OF
JESUS, #042
A Chronological Study
"To Him who opened
His mouth in parables and|
uttered things hidden since the creation of the world."
Psalm 78:2
"The Talents"
Matthew 25:14-30;
Luke 20:9-19
[NASB]
THE INTRODUCTION
As is our usual approach, we need to step back and
see where Jesus is in His ministry, and where He is physically.
Jesus is in the last week of His life before He is arrested, charged, convicted,
brutalized, and killed on the Cross.
As to where in the timeline He is, Jesus has cleansed the temple and He
Matthew 24:1-2a
"came out from the temple and was going away and stopped on the Mt. of
Olives (just north of the city proper). His disciples came up to point out the
temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, "Do you not see all these things?”
It seems to me He is asking His disciples if they
are aware of the terrible things that Israel has done to get them to this point
in history. The constant going astray of the will of God and intermarrying with
pagan gentiles who have led them away from the God of Israel and into false
religions. Their leadership has strayed from the teachings of God through Moses
and the other Prophets into a false and self purposed way of legal life
developed by the Rabbinical system of Israel that has done away with the Grace
of God and His promise of a Savior from their sin and sins.
“Do you not see all these things?” He has
been trying to tell them of a great discipline that is coming to their nation
and especially to the city of Jerusalem: Complete and utter destruction.
Matthew 24:2a
“Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another.”
A little later
Matthew 24:3
The disciples came to Him privately. They asked, "Tell us when will these
things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the
age?"
He then speaks to them “Don’t be frightened” for
these things must take place…
Matthew 24:7-8
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in
various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are
merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Jesus then moves on from His introduction… to the
time of Tribulation.
Matthew 24:9-14
"Then... they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you
will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many (Jews) will
fall away and will betray one another and hate one another... 13 but the one who
endures (in believing in Me) to the end, he (that one) will be saved... 14 this
gospel (good news) of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a
testimony to all the nations (the Church Age), and then the end will come (The
Tribulation).
There is no talk of the Rapture here - as He is
speaking to His Jewish Disciples about Israel and her millennial reign.
Matthew 24:29
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the
sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then at the ending of the tribulation Jesus will come and rescue (gather) those
who (Jews and Gentiles) have turned to Him during the tribulation (Those who are
not of the Church Age). He will gather together His elect from the four winds
and from one end of the sky to the other - as He returns with His Church to
begin the New Millennium.
THE PARABLE OF THE FIG TREE
KNOW THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
He then tells them of the dangers and events of the
tribulation and warns them those will be especially perilous times.
As He stands there looking at the disciples and seeing the horror and confusion
in their faces… He moves on to telling them how to know when these times are
going to come.
Matthew 24:32
When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you
know that summer is near;
THE PARABLE OF THE FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL SERVANT
Jesus then asks His Disciples, “Who then is the faithful and
sensible servant?” (Rabbis, wardens, sextons, deacons, elders,
missionaries, pastors, teachers, etc.). Those whom He finds still serving when
He returns. This is a focused message – not directed at the “average” believer
who has put their trust in Jesus, but not become a “Servant” to the body of
Christ. It applies only in general, not like it applies to those whom God has
gifted with full servanthood wisdom. It should be clear to us that in the
average congregation (or synagogue, as Jesus was addressing His Disciples) there
are those who hold leadership responsibilities and those who do not.
And also, in a much broader sense, there are those in a congregation who have
never given their lives over to the Holy Spirit’s offer of salvation. It is
these that The Lord is singling out as evil servants. It should be noted that
God Almighty is the master of everyone when we read this next verse.
Matthew 24:48
48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a
long time,’
But the evil servant will be dealt with severely
because they are, in fact, unbelievers, making believe they are believers – the
wicked among the chosen.
THE PARABLE OF THE 10 VIRGINS
Matthew 25:1
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took
their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
This parable is the first of three that concern the
coming judgment. “Jesus is reminding His disciples that the day is coming when
He will return as Judge of all men and that all who are wise should prepare to
meet Him in that Judgment.” [i] The kingdom will be full of both faithful (the 5
prepared virgins) and unfaithful (5 unprepared – ready to use the resources of
the faithful servants) "servants." These two types: those who
call themselves
His, and those who are His. Those who are empty of the Holy Spirit, and those
who are indwelled by Him.
The unfaithful will be found out and dealt with
severely because they are, in fact, unbelievers.
THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
Matthew 25:14-30
INTRODUCTION
This parable is the second of three that concern the
coming judgment. “Jesus is reminding His disciples that the day is coming when
He will return as Judge of all men and that all who are wise should prepare to
meet Him in that Judgment.” While I was studying, merrily on my way, I ran
across an “alternate” view discussion by Iran Paul on the Psephizo (PHES-ID-ZO) website. Iran
is a biblically trained theologian, author, speaker, etc.
We’ll try to tackle two different interpretations of
this parable and try to come away with a balanced view. This alternative view
will also affect the deeper understanding of Jesus last parables and hopefully
bring deeper understanding of Jesus… to us all.
Before engaging with the text let’s get the definition of a “Talent” down first.
1 Greek/Roman Talent
VALUE FACTS
A single [New Testament]
Dinarii coin was the standard payment for a single day’s work. A single
Talent
coin (shown) was worth 6,000 Dinarii or about 16.7 years wages.
In today’s marketplace using a common state minimum wage of $15… those 5 Talent
coins would be equal to $3,657,300.00 which will be given to our first servant
in the story, $1,462,920.00 to the second servant, and $731,460.00 to the third.
These are extremely large amounts of money given.
The word “Talent” refers to MONEY, not the God given talents (abilities and
gifts). The Greek Word Talanta which means an ancient weight or measure – of
money. Through the influence of the Latin and French languages, the English word
was developed, as a state of mind, inclination, disposition, or passion – or as
we now know the word talent as a natural ability or aptitude. However, the New
Testament word “talent” is a coin of great value – more to come.
In the back of our minds, we may remember the “Parable of the Vine-growers. In
that parable “a man” planted a vineyard and rented it out while he went away for
a long time. In that parable we had no problem with that man representing Jesus.
There was nothing about the parable that distracted us from that interpretation.
Here, we are faced with another “man” who went away for a long time… but…
Matthew 25:14-30
"FOR IT (THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN) WILL BE LIKE A MAN"
We will explore two different interpretations of
this parable. First the "Popular" interpretation, and then an interpretation
that digs a little deeper as to its nature and meaning. So let us get a
read-through of this oft-misunderstood parable.
14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own
servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents,
to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he
went on his journey.
16 Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with
them and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had
received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent
went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those servants *came and *settled
accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came up and
brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me.
See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done,
good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you
in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you
entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master
said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few
things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your
master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master,
I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where
you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in
the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy servant, you knew
that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then
you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have
received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from
him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance;
but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.
30 Throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
THE POPULAR INTERPRETATION
Depending on how you divide up Christianity, there
are at least three different popular views on the qualities of Salvation. First
there is Salvation is by faith alone. Then there is Faith and Works. And last
the position that Salvation is by faith alone but works must result as proof.
All three of these last parables of Jesus demonstrate the third position.
The first, faith alone, position is an easy one to
believe in because in its most liberal sense, you just get saved and when you
die you go to heaven – regardless of how you have lived or have any evidence
that you were indeed really saved at all.
The second position, the “faith and works” position basically means that without
doing required works (law) your faith alone has no value.
The third position fits well with these last three parables. Without
demonstrable life changing efforts in doing right (in the eyes of God), there is
no evidence that this person belongs to Him. No evidence that the Spirit of God
is indwelling and enabling the individual to do God’s work on earth.
James 2:14-17
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no
works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing
and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be
warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their
body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by
itself.
Jesus said that if one loves Him, that person will
keep His commandments (John 14). The Apostle John stated that a Christian is to
walk in the same manner as Christ walked (1 John 2). He also said, “This is
love, that we walk according to His commandments.” (Receive, Pray, Feed, Obey,
Honor, Study, Preach/Teach, Convert, Disciple, and Tremble).
2 Peter 1:10a
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His
calling and choosing you;
I'll give you the interpretations before we look at
the text so you can be prepared to analyze the story.
The normal “today” interpretation of this parable involves “people being
exhorted to shine [invest] with God-given light (their Talents) lest in hiding
it away they find themselves cast into outer darkness to gnash their teeth.”
[ii]
Quite often, even in conservative Christian environments, Talent in the English
(natural ability) should be “invested” and expected to grow with interest. Our
banking systems are based upon these principles – and often the church sees
great value in this kind of interpretation. That may be well and good, but I
believe that might not be what this parable is talking about.
The historical difficulty comes when we take a close look at the ancient Jewish
culture of Jesus’ time and see that if your neighbor was having more wealth than
you it would lead you to believe they were involved in something dishonest.
Thus, the general attitude toward Jesus’ disciple Matthew in the New Testament
who was a tax collector – those who often required more tax from their charges
than the Romans demanded, making themselves rich, and compounding their wealth
through investment and charging high interest rates. Just not seen as a
righteous way of life in those days.
To further complicate this interpretation is that the Old Testament forbids
charging interest when loaning money to those who have less than you [Exodus
22:25].
So, based on the culture, it would seem hard to understand why Jesus would use
investment as the basis of a parable teaching good things.
SO… Perhaps we need to see this parable from a different angle. It became
obvious to me upon first reading that there was something wrong with the way
this parable was normally being interpreted.
First, I couldn’t fathom Our God disciplining believers, especially those
specifically trained and ministering, and sending them to Hell, because they
didn’t invest their gifts properly.
Second, the defining of our God, and Jesus Christ, as:
‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and
gathering where you scattered no seed’ (Matthew 25:24b).
And the Master’s response:
‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather
where I scattered no seed.
Just not Our God, or Our Lord, or resembling Him in
any way throughout Matthew’s Gospel. I think of Him as the one who, because of
the Gift of His Son, “has Forgiven, from before the foundation of the world,”
based upon Jesus’ gift of His life and blood on the Cross, “Once for All.”
And then, it would seem to me that someone who had violated the Law of God –
that no interest should be charged for any loan given to another believing
member of the Jewish community, especially if their wealth was lower than yours.
But, here in our parable the servants are rewarded for the maximum return on the
loaned monies.
And lastly, that these rewards are being administered to those who violate the
culture of their day. Those, like the tax collector, who took advantage of their
charges and taxed them more than the Roman law demanded to make themselves an
excessive income advantage by robbing their fellow citizens. The local community
hated the tax collectors for such actions.
Therefore, I see this parable to be all about A MAN who represents
the nature of
the society in the End Times (or possibly the evil one). I believe this parable
is all about the wicked actions that permeate the Last Days. That’s what “The
Kingdom of Heaven,” the area of God’s focus upon His people of the time will be
like during those Last Days.
Think about the society in which we now live (God’s Kingdom of Heaven on earth).
Money, power, and self-importance seems to be everything to this culture, and
evil runs rampant.
Our culture is that of the “evil man” who has given wealth and power to three
types of people while his evil minions work in our cultures of the world. Some
were given great power and with that great power have caused worldwide havoc.
Some were given much power and with that power have caused individual and
corporate corruption and disturbance. The third was given some power and failed
to invest it to cause it to grow – and that Evil One condemned this third party
to utter darkness because of their failure.
Thus, we end up with a meaning that fulfills every aspect of the parable. An
evil wealthy and powerful man, three servants with three levels of
responsibility. One very successful, one successful, and one failure – investing
in Evil and making it grow. An apt picture of the then and now cultures and two
interpretations, however different, that come to good conclusions.
TO BE CLEAR
I’m taking this moment to make it clear that you may
find different explanations of what Jesus’ words may be saying, not only in His
parables but in other places in the Scriptures. This is evidence that you are
thinking, and that is a good thing. This is especially true when reading what
others say about what a passage means. Always try to find the clearest meaning
you can and then check it against what others may have to say – you may be
surprised that many think what you did was good. You may be completely surprised
when others find your meaning important. One famous writer, Arthur Pink[iii],
was long dead when someone found his writings and now, they are a trusted, often
required, source in theological schools and universities – you just never know!
I like my understanding of this parable - I didn’t like the usual “Sunday
School” interpretation I had found with it. Does that make mine right? That’s a
question for others to think about and do their own research. If it’s not… that
is all right with me, at least it gives me the satisfaction to find an answer
that has the right ending and does no violation to the Lord and His meaning.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS WITHOUT ANSWERS
1. Why is it good to always read, if available, the chapter (or chapters) before
your study text?
2. There are so many translations of the Bible, how can I know which one(s) to
trust?
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
1. Why is it good to always read, if available, the chapter (or chapters) before
your study text?
The text that you may be studying is part of a
longer on-going story. In order to understand the character(s) involved in that
story or dialogue, you need background - often called the context of the story.
When understanding Scripture, you may even have to delve into ancient cultural
history to find the fullest meaning.
2. There are so many translations of the Bible, how can I know which one(s) to
trust?
Most all modern
translations found in churches today can be trusted in the core messages found
in the Bible. There are, of course, a couple which have been written
purposefully to mislead certain areas of central doctrine. Most people have a
favorite. Different Bibles have different translation backgrounds.
A “Translation” Bible should be translated from the text’s original language
documents (scrolls and such) and be translated by scholars of the same
languages.
A “Version” is a Bible based upon someone elses
translation of the original language text and re-worded to further define
meanings.
A “Paraphrase” is a Bible, like a “Version” but re-worded to reflect the message
the current writer(s) wishes to promote.
Both the “Version” and the “Paraphrase” can be excellent, but it is always good
to understand the difference and the goal of the writers.
There are literally hundreds of different translations. Ask your pastor or other
trusted friend when looking for a Bible that will suit your needs and desires.
I also recommend having a few bible translations (versions, paraphrases) so that
you can understand the process of translation and get a fuller understanding of
the Scriptures themselves.
Translation from one language to another can be a challenging task. Choosing the
best words to reflect what the primary language was saying in my language… is
like a police officer trying to figure out a traffic accident based on several
witnesses – all using different words to describe the same event what they saw.
Most translations have been superintended by the Lord God over time. Many who
don’t believe the Bible, try to say that all these translations, versions, and
paraphrases just mean you can’t trust any of it. That’s just not true. Almost
all of those people who have given their lives to biblical translation have done
so because they either love accurate word-for-word translation, or because they
love the Lord God with all their heart, mind, and soul – and wish to accurately
communicate the message that He gives to them through His holy influence upon
them, or both.
Here is a link that will take you to a Wikipedia page that lists most all of the
English Bible translations, versions, and paraphrases.
The "The Ancient Path"
Study materials on this website are made available here free and may be copied
for use in Bible study groups, in limited numbers, providing that no charge is
made for them. Items that appear as copyrighted materials that are not of our
authorship are not to be copied without the express permission of the original
copyright holders. Every effort has been made to give proper footnote credit for
items that are quoted.
J. Deering [AncientPath.net] is the author and editor of this study.
AncientPath.net © 2024
Jeremiah 18:15
"Don't stumble from the Ancient Path.”
2024-02-21 updated
________________________________________
[i] James Montgomery
Boice, “The Parables of Jesus,” Moody Publishers, Chicago, Ill.
[ii] Ian Paul, Theologian, author, speaker, Adjunct Professor, Fuller
Theological Seminary, “The parable of the ‘talents’ in Matthew 25,” Psephizo.com
[iii] Arthur W. Pink,