The Parable of The Talents

Matthew 25:14-30 NKJV

“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. 15And 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. 16Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24“Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Application to Our Lives

So, what is the message for us today that we are to take away from this parable? God, in his love and mercy sent Jesus Christ to the cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live for God in walks of surrender and submission and in obedience to his commands. So he has provided the way of salvation from sin for all who will receive him and for all who will obey him and for all who will serve him with their lives. But we have to take the way that he offers, and not ignore it.

And the Bible teaches that for all who believe in Jesus, we are gifted of the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts which we are to use for the spiritual encouragement and strengthening of the body of Christ, as a whole. And God has assigned each one of us within the body of Christ our “body parts,” i.e. the ministry areas to which he has called us. And he equips us for these areas of ministry when we listen to him and we follow him and we submit to him and to his purposes he has for our lives. So these are our talents.

And he gives us the Holy Spirit to indwell his followers, to give us counsel, guidance, and direction in the ways in which the Lord would have us to go. And he teaches us all things about Jesus, and he leads us in the ways of righteousness, and he empowers us to live holy lives, pleasing to God. And he gives us courage to step out in faith and to share the message of the gospel with the people of the world, and to endure persecution for the sake of righteousness, all for the glory of God and for the salvation of souls.

He also gives us the written Word of God in the Scriptures to teach us the ways of the Lord and to counsel us in the ways that we should go, and to warn us against falling back into sin. And they are to encourage us and to help us to walk worthy of the Lord in obedience to his commands and in the forsaking of all sin in order to live holy lives, pleasing to God. And in reading the Scriptures, and in putting their truths for our lives into daily practice, we are thus multiplying the gifts given us by God, which is pleasing to God.

And one day our Lord is going to return and we are all going to have to stand before him in judgment and give an account for what we did with Jesus, and for what we did with the salvation from sin he provided, and what we did with the gift of his written Word, and the gifts of the Spirit, and the body parts assigned to us, and the indwelling Holy Spirit sent to teach us all things and to help us walk worthy of our Lord in obedience to his commands. And if we were faithful in service, we will receive our eternal rewards.

But for those who buried the gifts given by our Lord, who did not submit to Christ as Lord, who did not obey his commands, in practice, and who did not die to sin, but who continued to make sin and disobedience their master, there will be “hell to pay.” For what God provided, they buried, they ignored, and they did what they wanted to do with their lives, instead. And it was not out of ignorance that they did this, but out of a lack of desire to please God, but with a desire to please sin and self and the flesh, instead.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Gift of God  

Based off Various Scriptures 

An Original Work / October 25, 2016

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus Christ, Son of God,

Died for us on a cross;

Conquered death, sin, and hell,

So, with Him, we would dwell.

For, by His grace, we are saved.

He set us free from all sin.

Thanks be to God for His Gift.

Through faith in Him, we’re forgiven.

Holy Spirit of God,

Given to us who believe,

Gives us new life in Christ;

Made to be just like Him.

We died with Christ to our sin.

New lives in Him we begin,

Walking with Christ day by day.

We read His Word, and we pray.

Jesus, He is our Lord.

Follow Him where He leads.

Tell the world of His grace.

We’ll see Christ face to face.

Soon He is coming again.

We’ll be forever with Him.

He’ll wipe our tears all away.

Oh, what a wonderful day!

https://vimeo.com/188931779

The Parable of The Talents

An Original Work / May 6, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love