The Parable of the Talents
This week we’re uncovering the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25:14-30. Check out this video as we learn about this week’s Bible study (also available as a podcast!).
For our final week of study, we’ll read the Parable of the Talents, found in Matthew 25:14-30.
This parable is one of several that Jesus told His disciples concerning the last days and His return or second coming. Through this parable, Jesus exhorts all disciples of Christ to be faithful stewards and caretakers of all that God has entrusted to us. Prepare to receive more beautiful insights about the nature of God, about our role as we await Jesus’ return, and about the nature of God’s kingdom.
DAY 1 - READ AND REFLECT
READ the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Re-read the passage, preferably in a different translation to get a clearer perspective on what the passage is communicating.
For this story about a master and his servants, understanding the culture of Jesus’ original audience is necessary to comprehend His message. Ask the following questions to help your understanding:
Who is the audience and how would the original hearer have heard this?
What cultural reference points would the original hearer have known that I miss?
Does the parable have characters and how are they described?
Does the parable have an unexpected ending that highlights the point Jesus was trying to make?
If Jesus were to make this point today, what parable might He tell?
Further Reflection: Consider the title of this parable. Most scholars believe that one talent was worth 20 years of full-time wages! Imagine finding out tomorrow that you’ve been entrusted with a lump sum of 20 times your annual salary or household income. Imagine knowing that it will be a very long time before you will need to account for how you use this money. What would you do with it?
DAY 2 - CONTEXT
Today we’ll focus on the CONTEXT of the Parable of the Talents. Read Matthew 16:21, and Matthew 24:3 to understand the setting, the audience, and the overall rationale for Jesus speaking this parable.
The Parable of the Talents is the second of three parables Jesus told about how to live while waiting for His return. Read the preceding Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and the following Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46). What understanding do you gain through considering the Parable of Talents as part of a longer teaching given on a single occasion?
Jesus knew His death was imminent while He was talking with His disciples (Matthew 26:1-2). How would these parables have prepared Jesus' disciples for the time following His death and resurrection?
Further Reflection: Take some time to journal about whatever you learned through your study today. How has reading these three parables helped you know Jesus more - what did Jesus focus on most? Record any truth or encouragement the Holy Spirit is illuminating to your heart and mind for how these parables apply in your life right now.
DAY 3 - TRUST AND POWER
As we continue to study the Parable of the Talents, we’ll look at how the wealthy man (also referred to as the master), who represents Jesus, reveals God’s nature (Hebrews 1:3). The wealthy man went on a very long trip; and although all his resources still legally belonged to him, the master entrusted the entirety of his estate to his servants. Read Psalm 24:1. How does this relate to God and our job as stewards or caretakers of all He has given us?
Pause, and think for a moment about the reality of a master distributing a combined total of 160 years of wages among his three servants. Can you think of a current-day parallel? What can you infer from the master’s choice to initiate this relationship of trust with his servants?
Read Matthew 25:15 in multiple Bible translations (Tip: leverage the YouVersion Bible app to access multiple translations for FREE). What determined how many talents each servant received?
Fascinatingly, the Greek word that has been translated as his own ability (NIV) in verse 15 is ‘dynamin,’ a variation of the Greek word ‘dynamis’ which is often used in the Bible to refer to God’s power. ’Dynamis’ means “power to achieve by applying the Lord’s inherent abilities” and “miraculous power, might, and strength.”* Re-read verse 15 and replace “own ability” with “power through God’s ability.” How does the original Greek meaning affect your understanding of Matthew 25:14-18?
Just like the servants, your ability to invest and increase what God has given you depends on your perception and trust in God. That being said, what comfort does it bring you to know that God doesn't expect you to do this on your own - it's through His power, not your own?
What else can you learn about the nature of God through the actions and words of the wealthy man in the rest of the parable?
Further Reflection: Thank God for His nature, which empowers us to trust and faithfully serve Him according to His good will. How will you APPLY today’s study in your relationship with God?
DAY 4 - FAITHFULNESS AND JOY
The Holy Spirit’s fruit of faithfulness and joy are key in this parable.
Upon the master’s return, the first two servants were called “good and faithful” (Matthew 25:21, 23). How is faith integral to faithfulness? Overall, faith comes from knowing who God is; and faithfulness is the response. Read Hebrews 11:1 and 6 in several translations. What does drawing near to God in faith look like?
In Matthew 25:21 and 23 (NIV), “faithful” is translated from the Greek word ‘peitho’ which means to listen, obey, yield to, comply with, have confidence, and to be both trustworthy and trustful. How did the first two servants demonstrate their faithfulness?
The faithful servants entered or shared the master’s joy. Read Matthew 25:21 in several translations. The underlying Greek word for happiness (NIV) is ‘charan’ which means joy, gladness, or source of joy. Why was the master so joyful?
Sometimes we don’t know God as joyful. Perhaps our upbringing, trials in life, fear, guilt, and/or shame skew our perception of God and ourselves. If you struggle with this, ask God to reveal to you His joyfulness activated by your faithfulness… and how YOU stir His joy.
In contrast to faithfulness and joy, false belief and fear marked the unfaithful servant, indicating that he never truly knew his master. Read Matthew 25:24-25. What falsehoods about the master did this servant say he believed? What was the servant afraid of?
The master’s response implied that he thought the servant’s explanation wasn’t fully true, otherwise the servant would have deposited the talent in the bank to collect interest. What did the master conclude about this servant?
The servant’s fate of being cast out of the master’s household into faithless darkness communicated a strong admonition to steward provision from God in a faithful way. Thankfully, there’s NO condemnation for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus (Romans 8:1). In fact, Jesus is both the initiator and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). So we can confidently know that God’s loving faithfulness is the source and sustainer of our faith, faithfulness, and joy.
Further Reflection: Most likely you don’t consider yourself lazy or a bad person, let alone evil. But, maybe, like the unfaithful servant, you’ve played it safe. Maybe you’ve been afraid to use what you’ve been given when you compare yourself to others who seem to be or have more or do something better. Maybe you’ve been afraid of failure or of being judged. Identify any fears or false beliefs hindering you from stewarding in faithfulness and joy what God has given you. Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you, replacing any fear or false beliefs with truth and life. Record what God reveals to your heart and mind.
DAY 5 - GRACE OF GOD’S KINGDOM
The Parable of the Talents illustrates God’s amazing grace. According to Matthew 25:29, what is an underlying principle of grace in God’s kingdom?
Everyone who faithfully uses what they’ve been given will be given abundantly more! The Greek word translated as abundance (NIV) is ‘perissos,’ meaning to superabound, to be in excess, and to cause to excel. It’s important to note that the two faithful servants received the exact same reward, indicating it is faithfulness that is rewarded, not results. Read Matthew 25:21 and 23 again. What are the two faithful servants given more of? Has your faithfulness with a little ever given you the capacity and opportunity for greater and more fruitful service?
What about our weaknesses? As Jesus taught this parable, He understood the imperfect nature of His disciples and community; of the parable’s servant who buried his talent; and of us who seek Him millennia later. According to 2 Corinthians 12:9, what is the remedy to our weaknesses? Interestingly, the underlying Greek word for both mentions of power in this verse is ‘dynamis;’ the same word used to refer to the servants’ ability in Matthew 25:15. How wondrous that believers in Jesus are so well equipped to fruitfully steward God’s resources in faithful confidence. For every weakness of a disciple of Jesus is an opportunity to acknowledge, receive and move forward in the grace and power of Christ!
Christ’s grace allows us to enter into a more complete relationship with God. According to John 15:9-17, instead of as servants, how does Christ relate to those who know Him and do what He commands?
If we truly know and serve Jesus, abiding or remaining in His love, we are Jesus’ faithful friends, whom He entrusts with His wealth. Our faith (knowing who God is) and our faithfulness (our response to God’s faithfulness and joy) multiply God’s kingdom according to His endless grace and love! Fellowship with the Holy Spirit empowers our ability, our ‘dynamis,’ to steward all we’ve been given, to know God, and to respond faithfully. Followers of Jesus are chosen and appointed to bear abundant fruit (like in the Parable of the Sower).
Read Ephesians 1:17-23 as a prayer. Note the word power (verse 19, NIV) is translated from a version of ‘dynamis.’ Ask God for wisdom and insights about what He has given you to steward and anything else He wants you to know.
Contributed by Guest Writer: Lenee Fuelling
*Strong’s Concordance, and HELPS Word-studies by Helps Ministries, Biblehub.com, https://biblehub.com/greek/1411.htm
List of Parables
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