Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Relationships and Religion
The Parable of the Talents: Bury It and Lose It

The Parable of the Talents: Bury It and Lose It

Last updated on: August 6, 2026 at 10:08 pm by Beverly R. Green

The Parable of the Talents: Bury It and Lose It 2026-08-06T22:08:54-04:00 Beverly R. Green

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

| Image created for Patheos.

The Art of the Parables: Part 7

Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-29

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what He has will be taken away.”

I Chase Sunsets series note:

This is “The Art of the Parables” series. To read part six, click here.

This week’s word is:

FAITHFULNESS

Faithfulness is the quality of being steadfast, loyal, and true to a person, belief, duty, or standard. It implies a firm adherence to promises, vows, or facts without deviation.

In his article “Work, Success, and the Parable of the Talents,” Hugh Whelchel breaks down the parable’s three important lessons (quoted):

We are called to work while we wait for the return of the King. [Our faithfulness to God]

The [parable] teaches us how to work while we wait for Christ’s second coming. Many Christians believe that our salvation is a bus ticket to heaven, and what we do while we wait for the bus makes little difference. The parable makes it clear this belief is false. Our work matters to God.

We are given everything we need to do what God has called us to do. [God’s faithfulness to us]

[Important fact: the talent was not an insignificant amount of money. In today’s terms it would equal over $500,000.]

God has given each of us unique resources and talents to use in everything we do, especially in our vocational callings. The master gave out a different number of talents to each servant “according to the servant’s ability.” The one-talent servant was not expected to produce five talents. We seldom associate this verse with our vocational work, but we should.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

We will be held accountable for what we do with what God has given us.

As Christians, we work “as unto the Lord,” not for an earthly boss. The Parable of the Talents shows us we will be held accountable for what we do while we wait for the return of our King. Thankfully, we are not held to some arbitrary standard. What God expects from us is based on what He has given us.

However, it will take just as much effort for the two-talent servant to produce two additional talents as it does for the five-talent servant to produce five additional talents. This is why the reward for both is the same. This is the great lesson of this story.

So what does this parable tell us about the Biblical meaning of success? We are called to use all the resources God has given us and to work diligently in our callings, maximizing the return for the Master as we expectantly await His return.

I must confess that I have often been troubled by the Master’s reaction to the last servant in the Parable:

“He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

In the Word by Word article “Beyond Money: What the Parable of the Talents Really Teaches,” Jeannine Brown writes that “the parable of the talents is not meant to suggest that God’s kingdom is like three managers investing for their wealthy CEO.” It is about being faithful with the tools that God has given us, whether that is good deeds through spiritual gifts or natural, practical gifts used in service to others, or by monetary supply. We must be faithful to God and all God has given and in this way be ready for the Son’s return.

The one-talent servant did not have nice things to say about the master. Perhaps the problem was not the master at all. Perhaps the servant, unwilling to do all he could do with the talent (or too lazy), was making excuses for doing nothing: “I was afraid of doing the wrong thing!” “I think you’re too hard on your workers!” “You expect too much out of me!” We’ve all heard excuses for someone not doing what he was supposed to do. Maybe we’ve even made excuses sometimes. I can’t tell you how many times my students have come into class without their finished work, and most of them had excuses. Most of them thought I was a mean teacher for expecting them to work too hard (or, at least, they told their parents that).

I once worked with a group of teens to create a T-shirt to sell to make money for their class project. They finally decided on a very simple design–a slate gray shirt with the words:

No Excuses

Amazingly, the shirts sold!

Even the world agrees that what we do is important, and for success, one must do his/her best:

In the film Gladiator, the character General Maximus tells his troops, “What we do in life echoes in eternity.” That represents our master well.

When the late John Wooden, the most successful college basketball coach in history, was asked how he would define success, he replied: “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” That’s faithfulness.

“Every job is good if you do your best and work hard. A man who works hard stinks only to the ones that have nothing to do but smell” (Laura Ingalls Wilder). That’s faithfulness, too.

I think all that is what the Parable of the Talents is telling us: Be faithful with what God has generously given you. Use what you have to glorify Him in your life and help others. It doesn’t have to be a big, public display. You don’t have to make the 6:00 news. If you plant the seeds that He has given, you have done what He expects of you. Then you can look forward to one day hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

Scriptures About Faithfulness

Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Luke 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

1 Corinthians 10:31: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Matthew 25:21: “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!'”

Be faithful, and God bless you!

Read Part 8 – Parables of Persistence

General Christian

Education and Religion

Parable of the Talents

Parables

Previous Post

July 18, 2026

The Odyssey: How the New Film Makes the Message Relevant

Next Post

July 26, 2026 The Persistent Widow: Why Jesus Says to Pester God

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which king's prayer during a deadly illness resulted in 15 more years of life?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Solomon Hezekiah Josiah Ahab