Matthew 25:14-30
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Matthew 25:14-30
25:14-15 In this parable Jesus continues His teaching on the kingdom of heaven (Matt 25:1). It is a simple story of "a man" (Jesus) getting ready to travel "to a far country" (heaven). Before going, he entrusted three servants with his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. They were to invest what had been given to them. Then he left on his journey.
Christ is teaching that prior to His millennial kingdom each believer is responsible to capitalize on the opportunities God has given him. Certainly that responsibility includes preaching the gospel. In the parable the talents were to be invested so they would make more money. Believers are to be industrious in using their valuable opportunities to further the King's work. Everything believers have belongs to God (v 14) and He has given each believer opportunities to invest in the lives of others "according to his own ability" (v 15; cf. Rom 12:6).
25:16-18 The first servant doubled his "five talents" to ten. The second doubled his two to four. They put the owner's money to work and made a profit. The last servant, by contrast, did not work, invest, or take risks. He simply buried his one talent in the ground. Burying one's money was a common practice during the first century (Matt 13:44).
25:19-23 "After a long time, the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them." The time of the reckoning emphasizes the delay involved (cf. Matt 24:48). One day Jesus will settle accounts with every believer (2 Cor 5:10; Phil 4:17). Sufficient time had expired for the servants to make the most of the money entrusted to them. But the lateness of the reckoning had the potential of creating an illusion to some that the Lord would be negligent in holding his servants accountable.
In other words his delay could encourage indolence and indifference among those who were so inclined. When the time for rewards came, the first two servants were commended and promoted. Such a joyous occasion implies celebration with a feast (cf. Matt 24:30). The promotion to rulership "over many things" because they were "faithful over a few things" suggests the reward of regal authority in the kingdom reign of Christ (24:46-47; cf. 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26-27). If believers take advantage of opportunities for faithful service to promote God's interests, they will be rewarded. If others waste opportunities for effective service, however small or insignificant, then even greater opportunities will be lost.
The last servant, in contrast to the first two servants, was reprimanded (vv 26-27), demoted (vv 28-29), and excluded from the joy of co-ruling with Christ (v 30). Even though he had been entrusted with less, he was still responsible for it.
25:24-25. The last servant attempted to cover up his irresponsibility with faulty reasoning and blaming of his Lord for holding him accountable to work for him. He called the master "a hard man," that is, harsh and exacting. He portrayed himself as virtuous for being cautious and playing it safe. "At least I did not lose anything," was his defense.
25:26-27. Jesus portrays the last "servant as wicked and lazy," in contrast to the "good and faithful" servants (vv 21, 23), as borne out by his actions. The Lord was angry, not because he "received back" exactly what he gave to the servant, but because the servant wasted an opportunity to further his interests. Ultimately his motivation was entirely self-centered.
25:28-29 The master told one of his aides to "take the talent from" the wicked servant and "give it to him who has ten." Those endowed with opportunities to further the Lord's kingdom interests can be stripped of future ones if they are unfaithful. "To everyone who has" something to show because he is diligent, much more "will be given." One who "does not have" anything to show because he is not diligent, will lose "even what he has." Jesus' lesson pertains not to salvation but to rewards in the form of expanded or diminished opportunities for service.
25:30 The "outer darkness" here refers to exclusion from opportunities for rulership and the privileges associated with it. This is the darkness outside a well-lighted banquet hall where others are enjoying a feast or celebration of some kind. To be cast into outer darkness means being excluded from the joys of ruling in the kingdom. They are cut off from experiencing the full destiny of man - which is to inherit dominion over the earth as a co-ruler with Christ (Gen 1:26-28; Heb 2:5-8; 3:14). The phrase outer darkness appears only here and in Matt 8:12 and Matt 22:13. See the discussion there. "Weeping and gnashing of teeth" represents intense grief over opportunities lost.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30 (cf. Luke 19:11-27)
(Salvation) Interpretation: When Christ returns, those people who are not faithful stewards prove they are not saved and will not enter the kingdom, while faithful stewards prove they are saved and will be rewarded in the kingdom.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: When Christ returns, those believers who are not faithful stewards will be excluded from kingdom rewards, while faithful stewards will be rewarded in the kingdom.
This parable continues the theme of anticipating the Lord's return as an answer to the disciples' question in Matthew 24:3. It emphasizes the virtue of faithful stewardship in light of Christ's return.
The master who leaves and returns obviously pictures Jesus Christ. As in the previous parables involving servants, there is good reason to view these servants as believers. They belong to the master, they are entrusted with money, "each according to his own ability," and they are held accountable for faithfulness. The issue is not their faith in who the master is. Jesus is speaking this (Discipleship truth) privately to His disciples about an issue of Christian living—faithfulness and stewardship.
The servants who receive five talents and two talents invest them wisely and are not only commended as "good and faithful servants," but are promised a share in kingdom rule (vv. 21, 23). The reward is not entrance into the kingdom. That would condition entrance upon performance, which is contrary to salvation by unconditional grace. The reward is co-ruling with Christ and accompanying joy. This reward for faithful believers is not unfamiliar to Bible students (see Rom. 8:17: 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26-27). It is noteworthy that the reward is the same for the two servants though they each had different amounts to invest. Each was held accountable for what he had received.
What influences the interpretation for many is the master's words to the unfaithful servant, calling him "wicked and lazy" (v. 26) and consigning him to "the outer darkness" where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (v. 30). Admittedly, this is severe language addressed to a Christian, but not without precedent. We saw this in relation to the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:21-35), the improperly clothed guest at the wedding (Matt. 22:1-14), the evil servant (Matt. 24:45-51), and the five unprepared virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). In those discussions, we argued that Christians can be unforgiving, be unfaithful, do evil, and be unprepared for the Lord's return. Likewise, we have seen that "the outer darkness" speaks of exclusion from kingdom blessings, and "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is a metaphor for profound regret at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The additional statements that might give some pause are in verses 28-29. What is taken away from the unfaithful servant? Salvation does not fit the context in any way—would Jesus take salvation away from a believer or entrust anything to an unbeliever? What is taken is the talent that was entrusted to the lazy servant who did not produce a profit for the master. The master takes it and gives it to the servant who made a profit from his ten talents. The master is, after all, a good steward himself! As a picture of a believer's relationship to Jesus Christ, the Master in His absence, has entrusted to each believer many things: a new life, spiritual gifts, abilities, ministry, opportunities, resources, etc. When Jesus returns, each believer will be held accountable for how he used these things "each according to his own ability" (v. 15) while he waited for the Lord. There will be rewards in the kingdom for those who use them faithfully and an exclusion from rewards for those who do not use them.
We should note the similarities and differences that this parable of the talents has with the parable of the minas in Luke 19:11-27. Both parables address a question or thought about the timing of the coming kingdom.
Other similarities include a master who leaves, trusts his wealth to his three servants, and later returns to hold them accountable for how they used it. Also, both parables show rewards in the kingdom for the two faithful servants and a loss in the kingdom for the unfaithful third servant. Both unfaithful servants make the same excuse to the master, both are called "wicked," and both have the money taken from them and given to a faithful servant. We can make the same inferences here, that the master represents the Lord Jesus Christ, and the servants represent believers.
Differences between the parables include the amount the master gives to each servant—a mina was substantially more money than a talent. While in the parable of the talents, the servants are given different amounts, in the parable of the minas, the servants are given the same amount. However, the two who were faithful with the differing amounts of talents receive the same reward whereas the two who were faithful with the same amount (one mina) receive different rewards proportionate to their profitability (ten cities and five cities; Luke 19:16-19). There is a little difference in how the fate of the unfaithful servants is stated, because the servant in Luke's parable of the minas is not threatened with "the outer darkness." One significant addition in the parable of the minas is the contrast between the three servants and those called the "enemies" of the master who did not want him to reign over them. The master commands that they be slain (Luke 19:27). This contrast shows the difference between believers (the three servants) and unbelievers.
The (Discipleship) message of these two parables is similar: Believers should be faithful in how they use their lives while the Lord is away, because when He returns, there will be consequences, good and bad, in the kingdom. However, there seems to be a different emphasis in each. The parable of the talents teaches us that believers must be faithful to use whatever different resources are given to each, while the parable of the minas teaches us that believers must be faithful to use the same opportunity given to each.
The apostle Paul wrote this relevant (Discipleship message) to the Corinthian church:
"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Cor. 4:1-2).
As believers waiting for Christ's return, we must be faithful as servants and stewards to invest our lives to profit Him. This gives every Christian a purpose in life. The Lord will not accept any excuse for not investing our lives for His glory. Each Christian will be held accountable for what God has entrusted to him.