TALENTS and MINAS
(The Money in Trust)

Matthew (25:14-30) and Luke (19:12-27) give variant versions of this parable, but just what did Jesus mean by it?

[As a background for this article, may I recommend first reading my studies "On the Sheep and the Goats," and "Parable of the Ten Virgins."]

The context in Matt. is a group of sayings by Jesus which began in ch. 24:2 and ended in ch. 26:1.  In ch. 23 Jesus has spoken against the scribes and Pharisees of His time, ending in saying that their house - meaning both the Temple and their way of life - was going to be left desolate.  I suggest that the parable of the talents in ch. 25:14-30 arises directly out of the historical situation of that day.

Choosing the elements which are common to both Matthew and Luke, C.H. Dodd gives the following short summary:
"A man called his servants and gave them sums of money in trust, and
went away.  Later he returned and called them to account.  Two of them
had largely increased their capital and were commended.  A third
confessed that he had been afraid to risk his master's money, and had
carefully hoarded it: he now restored the precise sum he had received.  It
is implied that he expected to be commended for his caution and strict
honesty.  The master, however, retorted... "Wicked slave!  You knew me
for a man to drive a hard bargain.  You ought to have invested my capital,
and then I should have got it back with interest."  The third servant is
thereupon deprived of his money, which is given to his more enterprising
colleague."  (The Parables of the Kingdom, pp. 117-118)

In Matt., the context has been teachings of the kingdom (parable of the ten virgins), and prior to that, in ch. 24, the coming and presence (parousia) of the Son of man, with this latter theme taken up again in 25:31, following the parable of the talents.  In 24:14 He had spoken of "the good news of the kingdom" being preached "within the whole inhabited land for a testimony and witness [going] into and for (or: by) all the ethnic multitudes - and then (at that time) the goal (the finished product; the final act; then end [of the age?]) will have arrived."  I suggest that the goal was the fullness of the kingdom, which arrived with the fullness of His presence (parousia).  The rest of ch. 24 describes the setting and characteristics of His presence and coming in judgment.  Note that vs. 34, as well as the parable of the fig tree in 32 & 33 (letting them know that "it (or: He) is near - at [their] doors"), told them plainly that their generation would not pass away until all those things should occur.

So what is He saying in this parable about the man, his goods, and his servants?
In the Matt. version, the man simply took a trip to another country and left his servants to make profitable use of his capital.  In the Luke version, this man is a nobleman and his trip is "to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return."  But in Dodd's synopsis of the main elements of the story, the man leaving on his journey simply gives opportunity for the servants to show their qualities and prove their worth to him.

The central message of the parable is to show the need for taking a risk in following the master's instructions: invest his goods so as to obtain growth in his capital.  To those who have the courage to invest, more responsibility in handling more capital is given.  Dodd points out that the master's judgment is based upon the servants conduct.  The money belonged to the master and was entrusted to each servant for him to invest.  By doing nothing with the money, the third servant committed a breach of trust and was thus unprofitable to his master.

Dodd points out that in the Old Testament and in the history of the Jewish people, their relationship to God was their being God's servants, and He being their Lord and Master.  They had a long history where some were faithful servants, such as Moses and the prophets, and many were faithless and worthless servants - normally the leadership in Israel.

The capital which Israel was given to use was God's Word and the Light of His Law.  Dodd suggests that the over-cautious servant "is the type of pious Jew who comes in for so much criticism in the Gospels.  He seeks personal security in a meticulous observance of the Law.  He 'builds a hedge about the Law,' and tithes mint, anise and cummin, to win merit in the sight of God.  'All these things,' he says, 'I have observed from my youth' - 'Lo there Thou hast what is Thine!'  Meanwhile, by a policy of selfish exclusiveness, he makes the religion of Israel barren.  Simple folk, publicans and sinners, Gentiles, have no benefit from the Pharisaic observance of Law, and God has no interest on His capital.... they are defrauding Him.... [they were] hiding the treasure in a napkin[.]  To abandon the scrupulous discipline of Pharisaism would be a risk, no doubt.  It was precisely the risk that the early Christians took, and they took it under the inspiration of their Master." (ibid., p. 119)

I believe that Dodd has hit the mark on his interpretation of the basic meaning of this parable.  It, like other parables, was directed toward the leadership of the Jews who opposed Jesus.  Note Matt. 25:26-30.  This servant is called "slothful" (KJV) or "lazy; sluggish" and "worthless."  Then, Jesus says, "you had seen and thus know that I am habitually reaping where I did not sow, and I am continually reaping (harvesting) where I did not scatter or disperse" (vs. 26).  Consider the implications of this statement in the context of God being the one who did sow Israel in the land.  There is a strong suggestion of inclusion of more than just "His own people" here.

In vs. 28 we see that what was given to the servant (think: the Jews) is taken from him and given to another.  In Matt. 21, when Jesus had come into the temple, He spoke parables against the chief priests and the elders.  Then in vs. 43 He addresses them thus:
"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God shall be taken away from
you folks and shall be given to a nation (ethnic group) producing its
fruits."

Going back to ch. 25:30, we see that He tells His other servants to cast the unprofitable servant out, into the outer darkness.  This is a figure of being removed from God's kingdom.  Outside the kingdom of God is darkness.  This was fulfilled in Christ's return in judgment on Jerusalem and the Jewish leadership in A.D. 70.  They had the position of being a light to the world removed from them, and they went into a time of grief and despair, inhabiting darkness rather than light.

Luke's version gives some other insights, where the nobleman is a figure of God, and his receiving a kingdom is a figure of Israel being established as a theocracy.
In ch. 19:13 they are given ten minas (or: pounds) - think "ten commandments," or, really, they were "ten promises," for He used the future tense, saying "you folks shall..." - and told to "be doing business within which I am repeatedly and habitually coming [to folks]."

But His citizens (the people of Israel) were hating Him (vs. 14), and wanted to be like other nations and have their own king.  They were not willing to have "this One to reign" on them.  The rest was the OT history.

In vs. 15 we are brought to the time of Jesus.  God returned to Israel, Christ having received the kingdom from His Father, and it was a time of accounting.  Now we have the same story as in Matt.  The message is being given to the Jews, and "the kingdom of God was going to display itself instantly" (vs. 11).  Jesus was looking for fruit from this fig tree (Mark 11:13); He was looking for the increase of God's Word and His kingdom, but all the Jews could do was to give Him the Law, which they tried to use against Him.

There were profitable servants, God's prophets, and now Christ's disciples, and they would be given authority over ten cities (figure of Christ's new commandments) and five cities (figure of grace to the nations).  But the unprofitable leaders came to their end in A.D. 70 (slain, corresponding to vs. 27).

But this history lesson has a serious message to us, that we do not repeat the error of the scribes, priests and Pharisees.  Let us not hide our vision of sonship, of the kingdom, of the salvation of all, within our own earth, neatly stored away in the napkin of our personal view of the call of God.  He is still looking for increase.  Let us invest what He has given to each of us, that His kingdom may increase.

Shalom,
Jonathan