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Summary
- In the parable of the talents, a master gives three servants five, two and one talent, and judges them on his return by what they did with his money.
- Jesus is the master, and the parable teaches that he has entrusted his people with what is his until he comes again.
- A talent was worth about 6,000 denarii, roughly twenty years of a labourer’s wages, so even one talent was a fortune.
- The servants with five and two talents hear exactly the same praise, because the master asks for faithfulness, not equal results.
- The third servant buried his talent because he believed his master was a hard man, and his fear left the gift unused.
- Our English word “talent”, meaning a gift or ability, comes from this parable.
- The parable ends with the master’s invitation to every faithful servant: “enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”
Bibliography (Click to show)
- King James Version, quoted from Bible Gateway: Matthew 13:10–13; 18:24; 20:2; 24:3, 45–46; 25:13–40; 26:2; Luke 12:48; 19:13, 20–21; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 John 4:18. The note on Matthew 25:15 in the New International Version, on Bible Gateway.
- Strong’s Concordance, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon and Alexander Souter’s definition for talanton (G5007), denarion (G1220) and mna (G3414), on Bible Hub.
- “Talent,” Dictionary.com, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary.
- John Chrysostom, Homily 78 on Matthew, trans. George Prevost and M. B. Riddle, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 10 (1888), on New Advent.
- Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew 25, on Bible Hub.
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