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Messages in the Parables of the Talents/Minas

The parables of the talents/minas/bags of gold/coins are technically two different parables with very similar settings and contexts. They have the same message held within them. Depending on the version of the Bible you are reading, the name of the parable changes. The Parables of the Talents/Minas/Bags of Gold/Coins can be found in Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:11-27. Talents and minas are names used to represent a type of money used in ancient times. 

Summaries and Differences

In Matthew and Luke, Jesus tells a parable of a man who goes on a journey. Before leaving, the man entrusts his servants with some money and instructs them to invest and manage the money while he is absent. In each account, some of the servants invest the money and gain an income, some more than others. However, there is one servant in each story that hides away the money given to them and keeps it safely tucked away until the man comes back. When the man returns, the servants are to report back on how well they managed the money. The man is very pleased with the servants who have multiplied their money, yet he gets very upset with the men who did nothing with what he had given them. 

The two accounts of this parable are very similar with only minor differences. One of the differences between the parables is in Luke, the man who went on a journey was of noble birth and we went on a journey to be appointed king. Another major difference is the amount of money the man gives his servants. In Matthew, one servant receives 5 bags of gold, another 2 bags, and the third gets 1 bag. In Luke, 10 servants each received 10 minas. The last difference is Jesus told the parables on two separate occasions. The parable in Matthew is a part of the lessons taught by Jesus on the Mount of Olives, whereas the parable in Luke is following the incident with Zacchaeus the tax collector. 

Symbolism

The man who goes on a journey is Jesus

The servants are His Disciples (us)

The journey is the ascension of Christ

The return is the return of Christ

Lessons in the Parables

We are His Servants

We are God’s servants, and with that comes the responsibility of growing our faith by allowing Him to use us for His work. To help us get His work done…

God Provides Each of Us with Gifts

Everything we have in life is a gift from God. Each of our gifts can be vastly different. Maybe someone has a beautiful singing voice, and someone else is exceptionally skilled with numbers. Some people have been blessed with great financial wealth, others with physical health. No matter what you or someone else has, it has all been provided by God. It is important to remember that… 

We are not all created equally

God has given each of us different skills, talents, expertise, monetary advantages, and experiences and each manifests with varying extents and degrees. God does this because we are each unique and not created equally. Which is why…

God will not give us more than we can handle

Because our gifts are different and distinct from one another, God will not give us more than we can handle. Our gifts from God will help us get through any specific hardships we will endure in life. And…

We are Expected to Use What We Have Been Given to the Best of our Abilities

God expects us all to use our gifts from Him to contribute to the good of mankind, and we all have something to contribute. Yet, because our gifts are catered to fit the individual, God doesn’t expect perfection. He recognizes that someone may technically do better at something than another. He wants us to use our gifts to the best of our ability. Which is why… 

Your faith is proven by your works, not by your accomplishments 

Attending worship, prayer, and studying your Bible are all excellent examples of habits Christians should incorporate into their life. But that isn’t all. Being a Christian involves constantly growing in your faith, living humbly, caring and helping those in need, and working toward living a Christlike life. Utilizing your gifts to help you stay on the path of living righteously will help you grow closer to Him. That is why…

The righteous will be greatly rewarded

When we use our gifts for good, God will continue to bless us. It is important to remember that…

When more is given more is expected

As we continue to use our gifts and strengthen our relationship with God, we are entrusted with more. As we are given more, God expects us to continue to use the added blessings to further our work in Him. Remember…

You are responsible for your inaction

Through each gift, God has provided us with a way to grow ourselves. It is up to us to decide how we use our gifts if we use our gifts, and when we use our gifts. All too often it can be easier to blame others for our lack of inaction. Making excuses and putting the blame elsewhere does not slide with God. He is all-knowing and…

We will be held accountable

Fear, laziness, and lack of preparedness are not viable reasons to neglect using what God has given us. God doesn’t want us to hide away, misuse, or neglect our gifts. He gave them to us for a reason. He knows that we can use them for growing our faith and living a more Christlike life. If we don’t, we will be held accountable. And there will be consequences…

God Will Take Back our Gifts

If we don’t use our blessings to do His work, we have proven to be untrustworthy. He will take back what He has given us. 

Evidently…

The parables of the Talents/Minas/Bags of Gold/Coins show us that God expects us to use and grow our blessings for His Glory. The more we use our gifts, the more God blesses us. Be sure to use your gifts wisely!

- Torrance Church of Christ

The Parables in Full:

Matthew 25:14-30:

 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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Luke 19:11-27:

While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

The Banquet Parables

The Parables of the Embarrassed Guest, Luncheon for the Poor, and the Great Banquet can all be found in chapter 14 of Luke. These three parables begin with the same setting. One Sabbath day, Jesus is dining at the house of a prominent Pharisee. Jesus knew that he was being scrutinized throughout the meal. He took the opportunity to teach the Pharisee and his guest a valuable lesson about the New Covenant, The Kingdom of God, and the attributes that are required to get into His Kingdom: compassion, humility, kindness, and charity, just to name a few. 

We will also discuss the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, which is found in Matthew chapter 22. In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus is teaching to a crowd gathered at the temple. Chief priests and elders came over and began to question Jesus and His authority. 

The Parable of the Embarrassed Guest 

When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 14:7-11

The message is clear here. Dodge prideful ways. Keep pride out of your thoughts and actions. Don’t assume your esteem. Humble yourself. 

Humility is a resounding theme throughout the Bible. 

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The Parable of the Luncheon for the Poor 

Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Luke 14:12-14

Remember, act with kindness. Don’t do things just because you expect something out of them. Do something because it is right. Show compassion and love. Be charitable. Help others, even if you don’t agree with them; even if you don’t like them. 

Give, help, and support because you can. 

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The Parable of the Great Banquet 

When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

Luke 14:15–24

There are a couple of things to consider in this parable. 

The original guests invited to the banquet made up excuses as to why they wouldn’t be able to attend. These guests put their own wants and desires above their prior obligation to the host. 

So the host had his servant go out and invite people on the street to his banquet. Not just any people, but the poor, downtrodden, and dejected. 

Breaking it down:

• The Host is God
• The Banquet Hall is the Kingdom of God
• The Original Guests are the Pharisees and others of the Old Covenant
• The Servant is a disciple of Jesus
• The New Guests are the unclean, common man. You and me

The Pharisees of the Old Covenant mocked Jesus and His teachings. They put their wants and desires above God and His teachings. They were prideful and did not feel the need to submit themselves to Him. 

Meanwhile, the common people, Gentile or Jew, who were willing to listen and commit themselves to follow the New Covenant are invited to God’s Kingdom. Despite being seen as less in the eyes of the Pharisees, God knew their worth. 

Everyone who puts God and His teachings first is invited to the Kingdom of God-the sinners and righteous alike. 

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The Parable of the Wedding Banquet 

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:1-14

This parable is interchangeable with the Great Banquet. But there is a dark twist. Some of the people who denied the king’s invitation abused and killed his servants when they came calling. 

As a follower of God, there will be people who don’t understand you. You’ll come across those who will mock and criticize you and your faith. Don’t judge them, but stand firm in your faith. 

At the end of the parable, a man who was not dressed for the occasion was found among the king’s guests. The man wasn’t welcomed, so the king kicked the man to the curb. This man represents those who walk the line. They believe they are doing just enough, but still not fully committing themselves to Him. 

You can't straddle the line between God’s ways and the way of man. 

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In Closing

Through Christ, we are invited to have eternal salvation. He knows we are not without sin, yet He wants us to be with Him forever. Actually, beyond forever. How special and astonishing is it that somebody loves each of us so much that they want to spend an endless amount of time with us? The gift He is offering us is unlike anything that exists on this earth. This is why we must heed His words as well as His warnings. It is our decision if we will take Him up on His invitation.

- Torrance Church of Christ