This parable challenges believers to emulate their Master
by using all that God has given them for the sake of the kingdom.
By Santiago Lange
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
(Editor’s note: Pastor Lange wrote this article for Equipper one month before his death in April 2025. He is missed.)
Before we read the parable of the talents, let’s look at six rules of interpretation that apply to parables from missiologist, Hans Finzel.[1]
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- Study the story as a story until you get the full impact of its meaning in that day.
- Study the story with strict regard to the author’s interpretation and application. (He will tell you what it means.)
- Study with strict regard to the setting of the context and the theme of the passage.
- List the points of comparison between the truth and the story.
- Some points have no meaning. Don’t try to tack a meaning onto every element.
- Find the one central teaching of the parable. Don’t get sidetracked in the fine details.
The parable of the talents is among the most abused texts in the New Testament. The parable does not justify a gospel of economic prosperity. Instead, it challenges believers to emulate their Master by using all that God has given them for the sake of the kingdom.
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The “Parable of the Talents,” in Matthew 25:14–30 tells of a master who was leaving his house to travel, and, before leaving, entrusted his property to his servants. According to the abilities of each man, one servant received five talents, the second had received two, and the third received only one.
Jesus said,
For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. At once the one who had received the five talents went off and traded with them and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:14–30 NRSVUE
The parable is located in Jesus’ eschatological discourse (Matthew 24:1-25:46) where he instructs his disciples to endure through difficult times and to live in anticipation of the Lord’s return. Like all the parables in this section, it exemplifies the certainty of the Lord’s coming and how the disciples are to live in the meantime.
The talents in this parable are not just monetary gifts or natural abilities, as they are often interpreted. Instead, they represent the deposit of God’s truth. When Jesus entrusts his servants with talents, he is giving them the revelation of the kingdom — the gospel message.
[1] Hans Finzel, Opening the Book, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), p. 336
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