While there are many informative sites about drug rehab, and there are even government resources to help educate people on the issue, that’s not what MessianicMusings.com focuses on. Go elsewhere for that stuff; come here for solid Torah teaching. Here’s my sermon on the Parable of the Talents. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
You know, usually when I’m asked to give a message, it’s a Torah commentary and my subject matter is determined by the weekly Torah reading. Today I was given more freedom to choose, and I finally settled on a parable of Yeshua that has always had some elements that puzzled me. So I leaped at the opportunity to study it more closely.
This parable is usually referred to as the “parable of the talents,” and I’ve heard teachers teach this parable many different ways. But before we get into analyzing it, let’s read through this parable now so that we all have a common frame of reference. Yeshua is speaking as we read this in:
Matthew 25:14-30
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Now, one of the most common ways that this parable of Yeshua is mistaught, and I believe it can lead us down a wrong path, is to look past the cultural context of this parable and interpret talents to mean the giftedness with which the L-RD has blessed each of us. So there are teachers who will go on and on about using your talents in the service of the L-RD, whether it be singing, dancing, writing, teaching, organizing, working with numbers, or whatever it may be that God has given you as a special talent.
Now, using your God-given talents in service to God is a good thing. I agree with it. We can and should all strive to live closer to that ideal. However … that’s not what this parable is about, and I believe Yeshua’s real point here has been missed by those who teach this parable in this way.
I believe the root of this misunderstand starts with simply misunderstanding what Yeshua means by “talent” here. So what is a talent? Well, it’s actually a unit of measurement, one that is used for measuring precious metals, primarily. The Greek word used is talanton, and we find this definition in:
STRONG’S G5007 talanton
• 2) that which is weighed, a talent 2a) a weight varying in different places and times 2b) a sum of money weighing a talent and varying in different states and according to the changes in the laws regulating currency 2b2) a talent of silver in Israel weighed about 100 pounds (45 kg) 2b3) a talent of gold in Israel weighed about 200 pounds (91 kg).
In addition to this, we are offered this insight by:
Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, p. 59
In Roman times one talent equaled 6,000 denarii, a denarius being roughly a day’s wages for a common laborer … Haman offered King Achashverosh of Persia 10,000 talents of silver to destroy the Jews (Esther 3:9).
So, a talent is a measurement of money used in the ancient world, and it’s a significant amount of money. In fact, if a talent is equal to 6,000 denarii, and a denarii is roughly one day’s wages for the common working person, then it would take the average person, taking only Shabbats off, around 19 years to earn a single talent. Add in the festivals of the L-RD and it’s probably closer to 21 years or more, just to earn a single talent of money.
Stern elaborates on this to give us an idea of just how much money we’re talking about; I’ve updated the amounts in the following quote to reflect today’s precious metal prices, as of this week:
Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, p. 59
If a day’s wages today is in the neighborhood of $80, 10,000 talents would be $4.8 billion! In the Tanakh a talent weighs 75.6 avoirdupois pounds. This amount of gold, at $1120/troy ounce, is worth nearly $13.54 billion; the same amount of silver, at $17.37/troy ounce, comes to over $210 million.
Now, applying this to the current parable, assuming it is speaking of talents of gold, the man with the five talents was entrusted with the equivalent of – in today’s prices – $6.8 million, the man with two talents with $2.7 million, and the man with one talent, $1.35 million.
So, what can we draw from this? Well, first and foremost, I think it should help us realize that even the man given a single talent by his master was given a vast fortune, not a limited resource. While his share may seem small in comparison to the other two, he in fact has been given much more than most people would ever have access to all at once in their lifetimes.
By now, I think it’s clear that this parable does concern itself with financial resources; this is supported by the text itself, when it mentions that the servants of the master are given “talents of money.”
So now that we know Yeshua is teaching us something about our financial resources, let’s take a step back and take note of the greater context of this parable. Without understanding the context of what Yeshua’s teaching here, it would be too easy to fall into misinterpreting what he means.
Remember the very first word of this parable? What is it? It begins, “Again.” The first few words, in fact, are, “Again, it will be like…” So the next questions we must answer are, why is the word “again” here, and to what is the word “it” referring?
Well, if we take a look at the first half of Matthew 25, we see that Yeshua is teaching another parable there, the parable of the ten virgins. The word “again,” therefore, means that whatever Yeshua is about to tell us is linked to what he’s already taught. This is done for emphasis, or to get a point across. Yeshua is telling us that he’s about to make the same point – again – and he’s hoping that if we didn’t get it the first time, we’ll grasp it the second time.
This teaching style is often used by parents teaching their younger children. It would be similar to telling a child, “Right now, it’s time for the dog to sleep,” and then saying, “Again, do not play with the dog right now.”
I’m making the same point each time, but saying it in different ways to emphasize the point. This teaching style can also be used to help eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding. So one thing we gain from the context immediately is the insight that, whatever point Yeshua is making with the parable of the talents, it must be congruent with the point he’s making in the parable of the ten virgins.
Now let’s read how the parable of the ten virgins begins. We read this in:
Matthew 25:1
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”
Well, this answers what the “it” refers to in the parable of the talents. The “it” is “the kingdom of heaven.” Yet we have a new question arising from this verse as well. Yeshua starts the parable of the ten virgins with the phrase, “At that time.” Since he’s making the same point in both parables, we need to understand what he means by, “At that time,” in the parable of the ten virgins, in order to understand the parable of the talents properly, don’t we?
So, if we back up to chapter 24, what well see is that both of these parables are building off of an earlier discussion with his disciples, as we read in:
Matthew 24:3
As Yeshua was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Since this point, Yeshua has been teaching the twelve about this period of time – the sign of his coming, the end of the age – without interruption. Each thing he teaches is designed to add another layer of understanding to what he’s already taught. And throughout these few chapters, to remind us that he’s still responding to his talmudim’s questions about the end of the age and His coming, he begins to use this phrase, “At that time,” as we read in:
Matthew 24:10
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,
And again in:
Matthew 24:23
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
And again in:
Matthew 24:30
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
And this pattern simply continues until Yeshua is done teaching on this topic, and we know that both parables are part of this teaching because it is not concluded until we read, in:
Matthew 26:1-2
When Yeshua had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away–and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
So now, with confidence, we can pinpoint the time Yeshua is teaching about with both of these parables, when he uses the phrase, “at that time.” The parable of the talents is a teaching about the return of Yeshua.
Now, Rabbi Stan has often taught on the parable of the ten virgins. And from his teaching, we know that the thing which separated the five wise virgins from the five foolish virgins was what? The oil in their lamps. And what does the oil symbolize? Well, it does not symbolize the presence of the Holy Spirit – the Ruach haKodesh – as some teachers suggest, does it? No, it represents our acts of giving, of charity, our good deeds, our mitzvahs, our kindness shown to others, the way in which we treat those who are in need. And we know this is Yeshua’s message because it is stated even more implicitly later in chapter 25, which we’ll look at in a moment.
But before we do, let’s apply this insight to our understanding of the parable of the talents. Yeshua has been teaching us of his return, of the Day of Judgment. So this is a teaching related to which fall festival of the L-RD? Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement! What do we know about the Day of Atonement? We read this in:
Leviticus 16:29-31
“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work–whether native-born or an alien living among you–because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the L-RD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
And again, in:
Numbers 29:7-11
“‘On the tenth day of this seventh month hold a sacred assembly. You must deny yourselves and do no work. Present as an aroma pleasing to the L-RD a burnt offering of one young bull, one ram and seven male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bull prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with the ram, two-tenths; and with each of the seven lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the sin offering for atonement and the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.
So the Day of Atonement is the day when our sins are paid for and the books between ourselves and the L-RD are brought into balance. This insight is reflected in the parable when Yeshua teaches, “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.” This settling of accounts alludes to the Day of Judgment. It is the day Yeshua has been speaking of, the day referred to in the parable of the ten virgins and now the day he’s referring to here.
And this makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, if the oil in the lamps in the ten virgins parable represented the Holy Spirit, how long could it take to be filled with the Holy Spirit? Not long, right? But if the time for the wedding supper has come and the oil represents our good deeds – what we did with what we were given by the L-RD – then how long would it take to make up for a lifetime of neglecting the needs of those around us? A pretty long time, right? And too long for them to be ready for the wedding supper once the bridegroom’s return is imminent.
So, if Yeshua’s point about our mitzvahs – our good deeds – being significant at the Day of Judgment is unclear in the parable of the ten virgins, it becomes clearer in the parable of the talents. Remember, all three servants have been entrusted with different resources according to their abilities, but each is still entrusted with plenty, right? I mean, sure, servant with five talents may have more – about $6.8 million, remember – but even one talent is $1.35 million in assets, and if someone can’t figure out how to bless others with those kinds of resources, well, they need a deeper prayer life.
But now we’re getting to the heart of what used to confuse me about this parable. At the master’s return, on the Day of Atonement, at the settling of books, the servant given five talents has doubled what he was given and so has the servant with two talents. Yet the servant with one talent was afraid and instead of putting that talent to work, he hid it and returns to his master exactly what was given him.
Now, the master’s reaction is what used to confuse me, because it doesn’t appear that the servant with one talent did anything wrong. I mean, he didn’t sneak off with his master’s money, or spend it on himself, did he? And yet he’s called wicked and lazy and is tossed outside of His master’s presence!
Yet what I have realized as I have studied this parable over and over again is this: my understanding of this parable had been influenced for many years by yet another off-target way of looking at this parable. Too often, people approach this parable like it is the secret to financial success in this life. They interpret it by fleshly definitions, when in fact Yeshua is offering a deep teaching of the Spirit. Does it make sense, then, to treat this parable like “God’s Secret to Earning Quick Cash Now!”?
Of course not. That’s not what Yeshua is teaching here. He’s not instructing us on how to invest in Wall Street; he’s instructing us on how to invest in the streets of gold in the kingdom of God! You see, the talents each servant is given represent our earthly treasures, all that the L-RD will bless us with over the course of our lives. This is a teaching about how we use the resources we already have to advance the kingdom of the L-RD. Will we be like the faithful servants, who “put their money to work” and doubled what they were originally given? Or will we fear our L-RD and hide all that we have so that it cannot grow beyond us?
Again, this is not about gaining riches in this life, but storing up for ourselves treasures that cannot perish in the World to Come. As we read in:
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
So in light of this, what is Yeshua teaching here? Do we want to keep all that the L-RD has blessed us with in this life to ourselves, and go before Him on the Day of Atonement to offer it all back, but with nothing beyond what he’s given us to show for it? Or do we want to expand His kingdom? If our heart is focused on His kingdom, then we’ll invest our treasure beyond ourselves. We’ll put food in front of the hungry, clothes on the backs of the needy, offer shelter to those without homes. We’ll treat others with the same unearned kindness the L-RD has shown us, won’t we?
You see, the key to handling our treasures in this life is not to tithe, is not to give away no more than twenty percent lest we become destitute ourselves as the rabbis teach, but to realize that all we have belongs to God; it’s not even ours to begin with, but the L-RD’s and we’re to do His work with it.
We find out just exactly what Yeshua is driving at as we read beyond the parable of the talents, in:
Matthew 25:41-46
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Could it be any clearer? By the end of chapter 25, Yeshua is being about as unveiled as possible. Our faithfulness to our master, Yeshua, is measured by our deeds!
So is Yeshua teaching that it is our deeds that are our salvation? No! Yeshua alone saves us. He is offering us a deeper teaching, a teaching about how to pursue righteousness, holy living. He is speaking to his disciples, his talmudim, to those of us who have already been saved and he’s asking us, “OK, now what are you going to do with it?”
Now, some might object and claim this is putting us back under the idea of works. But this is not so; even James, the very brother of our Messiah Yeshua, agrees on this point, as we read in:
James 1: 22, 27
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says … Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
And also:
James 2:14-18
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
So one question remains, one passage that for a long time has eluded me. In the master’s rebuke of the lazy servant, he says, “So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”
The meaning of this passage eluded me until preparing this sermon. Then the pieces started to fall into place.
If the talents of money are about using our earthly resources to store up treasure in the World to Come, then what’s this about putting it on deposit with bankers and having the master get it back with interest?
Now, clearly, the wicked servant is operating out of fear. Perhaps he was afraid he’d lose his master’s fortune. But how can you lose a fortune if your job is to give it away to those in need? You can’t. But another fear paradigm is this: perhaps the servant feared he’d invest it poorly; like the person who means to help a homeless person by giving them money, only to find out those funds bought the last bottle of whiskey that left them dying in an abandoned alley.
So, using the fear explanation, could one understand the concerns of a person who is afraid of using what they’ve been given in ways that don’t advance the kingdom? Possibly, but is that an excuse not to give, not to help? No. That’s why I think the comment about the bankers is here. Could it be that Yeshua is telling us, “If you’re afraid to invest your earthly treasures yourself, then entrust them to those with experience.”
Again, this is not about banking in this life! This is about spreading the kingdom of the L-RD. If you don’t know how best to invest in spreading the kingdom of the L-RD yourself, then give to those who do; there are many ministries that help the needy. It can be as close to home as your local community of believers, or as global as giving to ministries that help poor Jewish people return to the land of Israel, or anything in between. And I’d suggest this; if you pray long enough and hard enough, the L-RD will not return vacant anything you give in faith. Your treasures in heaven will accumulate.
The bottom line on the parable of the talents is this; we all have more than we think we’ve been given, and we should use it prayerfully and wisely, putting it to work to advance the kingdom of heaven, rather than invest in our comfort and convenience in this world. While none of us are complete works in this regard, all of us – I’m including myself – can do better in trusting the L-RD enough to turn our treasures, our finances, over to Him. For it is far better to enter into the World to Come hearing Yeshua say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” than it is to hear, “Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
May we all live toward, and earn, that “Well done” praise from Messiah Yeshua, our master, on the Day of Judgment and in the World to Come.
Shabbat Shalom.
