This evening’s sermon is entitled, “Investing Our Talents,” and it’s taken from what is called “The Parable of the Talents.” In reference to this passage, Donald S. Whitney states, “[God] said in Matthew 25:14-30, that we are accountable for all the talents we have received and how we use them for the sake of our Master.”(1) The Lord has given all believers talents to use for His glory. So, what does this parable mean when it speaks about being accountable for talents? How is it that we possess them, and in what manner are we supposed to use them for the sake of the kingdom? These are some question for which we will seek an answer this evening.
The Bestowal of Goods (vv. 14-18)
14 For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
In verse 14, Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.” What did He mean by this statement? Jesus was sharing a prophecy concerning Himself and His followers. “The Parable of the Talents” actually lies within a long discourse given to the disciples, which begins back in Matthew chapter 24. In Matthew 24:3, the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age; and their question was partially answered with “The Parable of the Talents.”
The disciples wanted to know the sign of Jesus’ return. The question they asked suggested that Jesus was going somewhere, for a person has to be in another place in order to return. In Matthew 25:14, when Jesus mentioned “a man traveling to a far country,” He was speaking of His own departure. The man traveling to a far country was Jesus, and His servants were the disciples. So, is there a Bible reference to back this conclusion? Yes there is, and it’s found in Luke 24:49-51.
In Luke 24:49, Jesus said, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” We then read in verses 50-51, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.” This passage reveals that the man traveling to a far country was indeed Jesus, and the far country to which He traveled was heaven; and the servants He left behind were His disciples. This passage also reveals the “goods” that were delivered to the disciples.
The “goods” are stated to be “the Promise of My Father” (Luke 24:49). The promise of the Father was that the disciples would be filled with the Holy Spirit. John 16:7-8 speaks about the reason why He had to depart, and why the Spirit was so important to the disciples. In this passage Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”
Jesus departed in order for the disciples to be empowered with the Holy Spirit. If the disciples witnessed to people while filled with the Spirit, then their message would have been more effective at convicting those around them of their sins, and their need for salvation. The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples’ ministry, and allowed them to win more souls to Christ.
The Holy Spirit abides in each and every person who knows Jesus as Savior and Lord, because all believers are considered to be His disciples. The Spirit will enable us to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; however, one must not take this fact for granted. The Holy Spirit will only empower believers who allow Him to do so. This fact brings us to the bestowal of the differing amount of talents.
In verses 15-17, we can see that talents were bestowed on the servants; or rather, on those who follow Christ. In reference to this passage, A. T. Robertson said, “One talent represented a considerable amount of money at a time when a denarius was a day’s wage.”(2) Back in the 1930’s, Robertson stated that a day’s wage at top pay was a denarius, which equaled about 18 cents in U. S. currency.(3) Today, a denarius equals about 140 U. S. dollars. Robertson said that a talent equaled about 1000 U. S. dollars,(4) and today a talent is equivalent to about 840,000 U. S. dollars.(5)
The minimum amount of money that Jesus bestowed on His disciples was one talent, which is equal to about 6000 denarii, or 6000 days of work for the common laborer at top pay, and 840,000 U. S. dollars. This bestowal of talents is figurative, and represents how each and every person who truly comes to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord receives an abundant amount of grace. Therefore, each and every believer who receives a helping of the Holy Spirit will acquire nothing less than a rich man’s inheritance.
We read here that some people will receive more talents than others. What is it exactly that they receive? What followers of Christ receive from the indwelling Spirit are “spiritual gifts” that the Lord uses to further His ministry and kingdom. These gifts include such things as preaching and teaching, and a number of others. 1 Corinthians 12:4 says, “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” Please keep in mind that a talent was a monetary unit, and that the reference to talents must not be confused with the word that we use for “natural human abilities.” What the Spirit bestows on God’s people is far greater than “mere talent.”
Within each believer dwells the Holy Spirit; and we are each allotted spiritual gifts, but these gifts are not the same in type or amount. In reference to the bestowal of gifts, 1 Corinthians 12:11 states, “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.” It is up to the Holy Spirit as to how many spiritual gifts believers receive to use for God’s glory; and therefore, we must be satisfied with what we have, and learn to work with them.
The Faithful Make Investments (vv. 19-23)
19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, “Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.” 21 His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
22 He also who had received two talents came and said, “Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.” 23 His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.”
We read here that the one who received five talents gained five more (v. 20), and the one who received two talents gained two more (v. 22). According to commentator Greg Thurston, this gaining of money is a reference to banking, and this fact is later reinforced in verse 27. Thurston says, “The banker’s occupation consisted of three activities: exchanging, charging interest, and paying interest. They exchanged money: Roman money for Greek, Greek for Hebrew and Hebrew for Roman . . . These bankers lent money typically at twelve-percent simple interest, and when one banked money with them they typically paid six percent interest.”(6)
So, what happens to a person’s money after it’s placed in the bank? It doesn’t just sit there; it is used. The King James Version renders the word “interest” as “usury” (v. 27). Whenever we place our money in the bank, then the bank uses it for investing. The bank in turn pays us for the privilege of using this money – “at least in the good old days.” The two servants who were given their talents deposited their money with the bank, allowing it to be used; therefore, it multiplied. Because these two servants allowed their money to be used, and because it multiplied by gaining interest, they were rewarded.
This information tells us that we will be rewarded when we use our spiritual gifts for God’s glory. We must invest in the lives of other individuals, thereby allowing ourselves to be used by the Lord. When we are used then we will gain interest, and that interest is the accumulation of numerous other people who will one day enter into the kingdom of heaven. The interest we gain is souls won for Christ, and when we are obedient in allowing ourselves and our gifts to be used then the Lord will reward us.
The Unfaithful Fail to Invest (vv. 24-30)
24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” 26 But his lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.”
28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In verse 25, this last servant – who Jesus called wicked and lazy (v. 26) – hid his money in the ground. His one talent represented his life. Commentator Greg Thurston says, “[In ancient] Palestine . . . the practice of hiding valuables in the ground was quite common. Because of the uncertainty of the times, most people protected their valuables by burying them in a secret spot in the ground. When they needed money or decided to sell or trade a piece of jewelry, for instance, they would go to the place at night, uncover the jar or storage box, take out what was desired, and rebury the rest.”(7)
This last servant did not intend to leave his money sitting in the ground untouched, but he planned to eventually spend it on himself. He kept it from the bankers, because he didn’t trust them to protect and invest his money. If the bankers had used his money then it would have accrued interest. Spiritually speaking, if he had used his life for the Lord, then he would have put his trust in God and labored to win people to Jesus Christ.
We learned from the ancient practice of hiding money in the ground that individuals didn’t always leave it sitting there. Sometimes a person would pull the money out to use on himself; and likewise, there are people today who keep their life all to themselves. They don’t invest their time or energy in other people, by helping them come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. They only care about doing what makes their own life comfortable, and about how their time can be used for themselves.
2 Corinthians 4:7 says that genuine believers are as jars of clay, in which is contained the power of God. We can either unleash the power of God to help others, or we can keep it all bottled up, never to be utilized. James 2:17 says, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The New Testament scholar John Polhill says that this verse should be interpreted as “Faith without fruit is dead.”(8) Bearing fruit is bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ; and if we are failing to bring others to Christ, then our actions – or lack of actions – speak louder than words.
You will meet people who profess Christ, who in reality have never actually known Him. This man who buried his money in the ground didn’t use it. He did not bear fruit, revealing that he had a lack of faith in the Lord. How do we know that he had a lack of faith in the Lord? In verse 24, he said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.” He didn’t trust the Lord to reward him for investing. This unprofitable servant didn’t really know Jesus Christ. The one talent – or single talent – that he was given represented his life. It was not a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. Because he wasn’t saved, verse 30 shows that he was cast into outer darkness, which is hell.
Verse 29 says, “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” This verse can be interpreted as saying, “To him who knows Jesus Christ more will be given, but to him who does not know Christ, even what ‘he thinks he has’ will be taken away.”
Time of Reflection
This parable reveals that when Jesus left the earth to enter His Father’s kingdom, that He left His disciples the power to help others come to know Christ as their Savior. This power is bestowed on His disciples until the Day that He returns. Jesus’ followers are supposed to invest their spiritual gifts, and multiply them by winning other people to Christ, and helping them to become filled with the Spirit of God themselves. When His disciples help others to become filled with the Holy Spirit, then there will become more people endowed with spiritual gifts to use for God’s glory; therefore, the efforts of His followers will have accrued interest and His disciples will be found faithful.
All who know Christ as Savior and Lord are considered Jesus’ disciples. We have a responsibility to multiply our spiritual gifts by helping others come to know Christ. If we fail to labor in the kingdom, then perhaps we don’t know Christ at all, and we will be cast into outer darkness. It’s very important to make sure that we have a relationship with Christ, and that we are obedient to Him. We need to first make sure that we know Jesus as Savior and Lord; and secondly, that we have a desire to serve Him. The desire to serve the Lord is a sure sign of our faith in Him.
NOTES
(1) Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1991), 136.
(2) A. T. Robertson, “Matthew and Mark,” Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Broadman, 1930), 199.
(3) Ibid., 206-207.
(4) Ibid., 150.
(5) “How Much Is A Telnt Worth?” http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_is_a_talent_worth (Accessed September 11, 2012).
(6) Greg Thurston, The Parable of the Talents, taken from the Internet August 2000 at http://www. geocities.com/Athens/Styx/4119/para/para2.html.
(7) Ibid.
(8) John Polhill, a conference entitled “Winter Bible Study Preview,” held at Campbellsville University, August 2000.
