14“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then 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.’21His 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.’ 22And 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.’ 23His 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.’ 24Then 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 seed;25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26But 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? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For 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. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
What good news do you see in this text?
What don't you understand?
What questions do you have?
What applies to you (or us) today?
I see trust in this text as good news. However small or abstract this might be, I see that the master is trusting his employees while he is away and that is something that doesn't always happen today.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is why he continues to say "you were trustworthy in a few things". What does he mean by that?
What is meant by a "talent"? At first I thought it meant he had actually taught them a skill but I am guessing that it just means money or property of some kind.
Today so many people are taking what they have and "burying" it, or just not investing it in small businesses and other people. In this economy we are all afraid to spend and even afraid to invest in ourselves. But our economy won't get better if we don't invest, take risks and support each other with what little we have.
Thanks for your comments, Abbie!
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that makes me a little uneasy is the idea of doing more. What happens when we're tired? Is it always about doing more, producing? What happens when we don't know what to do? What happens when we're scared or nervous? And what does it mean to take everything away from those who have nothing? What does that say about God?