The ultimate goal of such constructs is equality, as if the inequalities that exist among people are somehow inherently unjust. Yet this is not how Jesus tells it in the Parable of the Talents. The master entrusted to each of his servants talents according to his ability. One received five, while another received only one. The one who received the least does not receive sympathy from the master for his lack of resources in comparison to what his colleagues have been given.
We can infer from this parable, that the leveling of money or the reallocation of resources is not a proper moral concern. The individual talents and raw materials that each of us has are not inherently unjust; there will always be rampant inequalities among people.
A moral system is one which recognizes this and allows each person to use his or her talents to the fullest. We all have the responsibility to employ the faculties with which we have been endowed.
In our existing system, the labor of workers is taxed to provide support for many who do not work. Yet there is always work to be done. A man with two working hands can find work for a dollar an hour. He makes a decision not to work. Moreover, our welfare system discourages work. It creates the perverse incentive to go on welfare unless there is a job that will pay at least as much as government relief. God commands all people to use the talents they have been given, yet in the name of charity our welfare system encourages people to let their natural skills atrophy, or keeps them from discovering their talents at all.
We encourage sin this way. The Parable of the Talents implies that inactivity—or wasting entrepreneurial talent incites the wrath of God. He has also shown no contrition, and has blamed the master for his timidity. His excuse for not investing the money is that he viewed the master as a hard and exacting man, though he had been given generous resources. This parable also tells us something about macroeconomics. The master went on his journey leaving behind a total of eight talents; upon his return it has become fifteen.
The parable is not the story of a zero-sum gain. The successful trading of the first servant does not hinder the prospects for the third servant. So it is true in the economy of today. Unlike what is so often preached from the pulpit, the success of the rich does not come at the expense of the poor. If by becoming rich the most successful servant had hurt others, the master would not have praised him. A wise use of resources in investment and saving at interest is not only right from the individual point of view; it helps others in the economy as well.
A rising tide lifts all boats, as John Kennedy used to say. Similarly, the wealth of the developed world is not on the backs of developing nations. The Parable of the Talents implies a free and open economy. It remains true that for all of our worldly goods and deeds, we rely completely on God to attain salvation. Big or small, they made it count and were eager to hand back all they had earned.
He saw his master as a cruel taskmaster, not a generous, gracious lord. He saw no growth and no return as a result. Scripture promises that Jesus will one day return, and when he does, he will ask his servants to give a report of how they spent the time and opportunities he has given. Those who are not may face the harsh reality of being called a wicked and lazy servant.
Were we good stewards of what belongs to him? Did we grow his investment? Or did we bury our time, talent, and opportunities? The master is planning his return and will be back at any moment. In his blog, Perspectives off the Page , he discusses all things story and the creative process.
Share this. The parable of the talents describes what our work should look like while we wait for the return of Christ and the final consummation of his kingdom. But, what is the precise definition of a talent , and how might knowing this definition broaden our understanding of the parable of the talents?
According to the Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament , whatever its exact value, in the New Testament a talent indicates a large sum of money. No wonder the master was so upset with the servant who buried his one talent in the ground!
Among theologians, John Calvin has shaped much of our understanding of the word talent. However, many contemporary theologians have offered alternative views. According to Paul Marshall in his book A Kind of Life Imposed on Man: Vocation and Social Order from Tyndale to Locke , Calvin helped shape the modern meaning of the word talent by his revolutionary change in the interpretation of the parable of the talents.
Calvin made it clear that the use of our talents is not restricted to the church or to its pious duties. It encompasses the whole of creation. Additional difficulties arise when the one talent of the lazy servant is taken away and given to the first servant. I was recently asked by byFaith magazine to write an article answering these tough questions.
As I thought about how to approach these topics, I realized the Parable of the Talents in Matthew provides a helpful framework for thinking about them. Without further ado, here are five lessons the Parable of the Talents can teach us about work, success, and wealth:. In the book of Genesis we see that God placed Adam in the garden to work it and take care of it. We were made to work. As Christians we have a mission that our Lord expects us to accomplish in the here and now.
Biblical success is working diligently in the here and now using all the talents God has given us to produce the return expected by the Master. The Parable of the Talents teaches that God always gives us everything we need to do what he has called us to do.
We are tempted to feel sorry for the servant who received only one talent, but in reality he received as much as a million dollars from the master and buried it in his back yard. Just as the master expected his servants to do more than passively preserve what has been entrusted to them, so God expects us to generate a return by using our talents towards productive ends.
The servants were given enough to produce more — it is the same with the gifts God has given us. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians :. We want to protest this as unfair. Yet we know this is true from our own experience.
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