The Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told a parable about this, the Parable of the Talents.  A certain man was employed by the owner of a large estate.  One day he and his fellow-servants were sent for by their master who told them that he was going on a long journey and was leaving them to look after his property.

Before he set out, he put each of them in charge of a sum of money.  One he entrusted with five talents, another two, and this particular servant with one.  A talent was a large sum of money – it would have taken a labourer more than 15 years to earn one talent. (2)  After their master had gone, the three of them talked together about what they were going to do with the money.  The first two decided to make the most of the opportunity by trading with the money and in this way to add to it.  But the third servant, who had been given the one talent, was a lazy fellow who simply could not be bothered.  So he put his talent in an earthenware jar and dug a hole and buried it.

A long time passed and then, quite suddenly, their master returned.  The first thing he did was to ask them to make their report to him.  While the other two went to him, the lazy one hurried to dig up the one talent he had hidden.  The first two servants had doubled their talents during their master’s absence, and were at once promoted by him.  Then it was the lazy one’s turn.  “Sir”, he said, “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground.  Here it is;” (and he held his hand out), “it was yours, you have it back”.  His master pounced on his words and used them against him.  “You wicked and lazy servant!  So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?  Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest” (Jerusalem Bible, Matthew 25:24-27).  So the talent was taken from him and he was expelled.  And Jesus explained it all by saying, “For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Jerusalem Bible, Matthew 25:29).