Talents a Reflection

"What would you do with $13,316,953? What would you do with it if it was handed to you by Jesus Himself?"

Matthew 25:14-30 is written by Matthew, a tax collector, who gets to witness Jesus speak about the Kingdom of Heaven and describe it in a topic Matthew knew well - finance. Who better to write about this parable than one who understands money and investments? We get a glimpse of what restoration is like, the final Metanarrative of Scripture in this parable.  

Jesus is sitting on the slopes of the Mount of Olives after visiting the Temple grounds and telling the disciples that “one day the buildings will be knocked down with not one stone left on top of another.” Mat. 24:2. Jesus had just told the disciples the Temple will fall to the ground, that the end of the world is coming, and that He, too, is leaving them for a while. Speaking of what is yet to come in Mat. 25, Jesus gives the disciples an illustration of hope about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like.

How amazing is our King, that He doesn’t leave the disciples in the dark? (He doesn’t leave us in the dark either!) Jesus tells the disciples that the Temple will fall and in Mat. 24, Jesus warns in detail what they can look out for and what to do while He is away, but Jesus doesn’t stop there in the desolation and storm. He, who is living hope, gives hope by describing the Kingdom of Heaven!

Jesus tells the story of a man traveling out of the country, leaving with his servant's talents for them to invest while he is gone, according to their abilities. A talent is a measurement of weight equal to 75 pounds. Depending on the Bible translation, the description may be of gold or a monetary sum. The first servant was entrusted with 5 talents of gold. I’m no tax collector, and while I do math daily, it is not my favorite subject. Looking at the numbers, 5 talents of gold at 75 pounds each would equal about 375 pounds. Today 375 pounds of gold is worth $13,316,953.  He gives 2 talents of gold to the next servant so about 150 pounds of gold, worth today around $5,326,781. To the last servant, he entrusts 1 talent of gold, 75 pounds at a value of $2,663,391 in today's currency exchange.  After handing out the loans, the man leaves for his trip.

The first servant receiving his responsibility gets to work immediately buying, selling, and raising his amount to $26,633,906.  The second does the same and to his ability raises his original amount to $10,653,563. The last servant dug a hole and buried his $2,663,391, not raising his amount as the first two servants had done.

The man comes home from his trip and, pleased with the first two servants and the profit they raised, gives them even more than they raised. The man also puts them in charge of many things. The servant who buried his loan, not wanting to give up his profit, had his gold given to the servant who raised the most and was thrown into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It seems the first two servants were excited to get to work, they trusted the man and wanted to do good for him while he was away. The third servant didn’t seem to have the same relationship. He didn’t view the man the way the other two did. The third servant viewed him as a hard man and was afraid he would be robbed of his earnings.  The third servant did not share in the joy of the work as the first two did. Why do you think that is?

What would you do with $13,316,953? What would you do with it if it was handed to you by Jesus Himself? Would you know what Jesus would want you to do with it? Do you have a relationship with Jesus that would cause you to hide what you are given out of fear and greed, thinking it will be taken from you, or would you feel encouraged to use what Jesus gives you? What has Jesus entrusted you with now, while you await His return? As I read over this chapter, I found myself humming the song “This Little Light of Mine”. I wondered, what am I hiding under a bushel that God has gifted me with to grow? What am I being lazy with? What am I letting Satan blow out or extinguish, that God is encouraging me to shine?  My prayer for us is for God’s will to be the same on Earth as it is in Heaven, and that we will continue to be good and faithful servants with all that God has entrusted us with from now until the time of Jesus' return. 

~Nikki Fiedler