Matthew 25:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.

NIV: The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

NASB: The one who had received the five talents immediately went and did business with them, and earned five more talents.

CSB: the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more.

NLT: The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.

KJV: Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

NKJV: Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

This parable about how Christ-followers should make use of God-given assets uses the metaphor of servants. They have been asked to do business on behalf of their master. The story begins with a wealthy landowner who is leaving town to go on a journey. He entrusts massive amounts of wealth to three of his trusted servants. After sizing up their ability to do business, he gives one of them five talents, another two talents, and the last one a single talent. A "talent" in that era was an amount of a tradable metal, such silver or gold, and could weigh as much as 80 pounds. The master's clear expectation was that his servants would earn more money with the money he left in their care (Matthew 25:14–15).

The first servant begins immediately to start making his master's wealth earn more wealth. He does so by trading with it. That suggests that the servant entrusted with the five talents used it to buy goods and then sell them at higher prices. In other words, he went into business as a trader, and he did extraordinarily well. He used his master's five talents to earn another five.

It cannot be understated what a large fortune five talents would have been during this time. Depending on the scale used, a common laborer might earn a total of one talent for twenty years of labor. The first servant in this parable is responsible for more money than most people would see in several lifetimes. Some interpreters think Jesus may have chosen a deliberately unrealistic number to catch the imagination of His audience.

Matthew 25:14–30 compares the kingdom of heaven to three servants of a wealthy master. Each was given resources—the master's assets—and commanded to do business with them while he is away. Two of the servants apply the supplied funds and double the sums of money the master leaves with them. They are richly rewarded when he comes back. The third servant buries the money and does nothing with it out of supposed fear of the master. The master condemns his laziness and evil, casting him out. Jesus' servants must work diligently for Him while waiting for His return, not wasting the talents and resources which they have been given.

Jesus uses two additional parables to illustrate a state of constant readiness for His return after He has gone. His followers should be working for Him while they wait. They must not be like the foolish young women who missed a wedding feast because they forgot oil for their lamps. They must be like the servants who doubled their harsh master's investments while He was away. Jesus concludes with a third descriptive passage, showing how He will judge between the righteous and evil when He returns as King.

Matthew 25 concludes the "Olivet Discourse:" Jesus' teaching to the disciples about future things as they sit on the Mount of Olives. This follows His dire predictions about the Temple and Jerusalem in chapter 24. He gives two more parables to emphasize that they must be prepared for His return. Finally, Jesus describes the moment of His return, after a time of tribulation, when He will judge all who live on earth at the beginning of His kingdom. This leads into Matthew's account of Jesus' Last Supper, betrayal, and arrest in chapter 26.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.