The parable of the talents is part of Jesus’ response to his disciples’ questions just before he is betrayed, arrested, and crucified. It is part of his final teaching, followed in a few chapters by the Great Commission.
It seems odd to me that modern English translators continue to use the word “talent” to describe the money entrusted to the servants in this parable.
There may be good reasons for doing so, but the obvious confusion with personal abilities could distract us from the lesson in financial stewardship.
Admitting that the master decides how much to entrust to each servant, the clear lesson is that our stewardship choices matter to the master. But what exactly is the lesson?
Some see the lesson summarized in Matthew 25:27—put the master’s money on deposit with the bankers so that at least it bears interest.
This sounds like prudent stewardship, right?
What about the servants who risked everything? That certainly doesn’t sound like prudent stewardship. It sounds reckless. Yet these stewards are the ones the master praises.
So, as servant stewards we obviously want to avoid the modern equivalent of burying the master’s resources in a hole. But after this the test is more difficult.
Do we aim for safe and predictable interest, or do we risk it all for the master?
I wish that Jesus would have included a fourth servant in this parable. You know . . . the one who risks it all and loses it all. It would be nice to know how the master would view that outcome.
But maybe that outcome is actually impossible.
Maybe in risking it all for the Master, we cannot lose.
