14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.”
Now we come to a section of the Sermon on the Mount of Olives dealing with wasted opportunities (vv. 14-30), the parable of the talents.
25:14
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants [slaves] and delivered his goods to them.
Jesus compared the kingdom to a man embarking on a trip, who entrusts his resources to three men. This trip would take a long time because he went to “a far country.”
25:15
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one,
The three men, having been left with the owner’s wealth, operated under the owner’s authority. These slaves were responsible for handling his assets properly. The owner expected to profit from his investments.
A “talent” is a measure of weight or unit of exchange, not a specific amount of money. A talent of gold and a talent of sliver would differ greatly. A talent weighed somewhere between 58 and 80 pounds, indicating a large sum of money.
to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
The owner left his capital in the hands of these three according to their ability to handle the money.
The owner in the parable represents Jesus. The slaves represent believers in the kingdom.
PRINCIPLE:
There is a common answerability for differing levels of accountability based on personal ability.
APPLICATION:
God expects us only to do what we can with what we have. He does not expect more or less than that. Differing individual believers range in intellect and natural talents; they also vary in opportunity and privilege. God wants us to achieve as much as our opportunities, capacities, and talents will allow.
God requires the same fidelity of everyone no matter how much talent they have. If God gave us one talent, He expects us to be true to that responsibility. We have a responsibility towards the capital we possess.
1 Co 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
