the parable of the three servants - part 1

Posted on September 14, 2007  by Gerry Beimers
Filed Under Bible Study

Matthew 25:14-30 (New International Version)

This post is going to happen in two parts. That’s because you may have this parable figured out and so I don’t need to write. It’s also because I’ll lose the file if I leave it too long and I don’t have time to finish writing it at this point in time.

A few weeks ago, in a speech to Christians, John Howard referred to the “Parable of the Talents” (Matthew 25:14-30) as a great example teaching free enterprise. This nonsense got me slightly riled. Another misapplication relates to the word talent. If you check “talent” on dictionary.com, the sixth entry is “a power of mind or body considered as given to a person for use and improvement: so called from the parable in Matt. 25:14–30.” While this is indeed a current English language meaning for the word talent, the nonsense application to the parable was apparently developed around the year 1430.

So what is this parable all about? Go and read it now! Let me start by saying I prefer to call it the “Parable of the Three Servants.” It is a parable about the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew’s term equivalent to the kingdom of God), about the way God operates in his kingdom.

How would you like 170kg, 68kg, or 34kg of gold to trade with? (no wonder Howard thinks it’s about free enterprise) Anyway, if you read the text carefully you will see that the gold was not “given” to the servants, it was entrusted to them to trade for the master. The amount entrusted was in proportion to the smarts of the servant. The servants did not become owners of the gold, but it was their responsibility to trade with it. The parable focuses on successful trading by two servants and extreme caution by the third.

Jewish teachers used to say that anyone who immediately buries money entrusted to him is no longer liable, because he has taken the safest course possible in protecting the money. On the other hand, if a man wraps the money in a cloth and it is lost, then he is responsible to replace the money.

So there’s a bit of background. Tell us what you think this parable is about. I will respond with part 2 (esp. if Geoff pressures me further…).

About Gerry Beimers

Gerry Beimers is a Bible translation advisor currently wrapping up the translation of the Bible into Solomon Islands Pijin. That translation is due to be published in July 2008. He's also working on his PhD in linguistics. His other main area of interest is in thinking about Christian education.

Gerry's site: http://www.pijinplus.net

Comments

3 Responses to “the parable of the three servants - part 1”

  1. Geoff Matheson on September 20th, 2007 9:53 am

    Well, one interpretation (taken from wikipedia):

    “According to Herzog’s reading, the point of the parable is to show how much it can cost for an underling to exposes the truth about injustice in society. Jesus’ hearers, for the most part poor villagers, would have asked themselves the difficult question about how they would behave toward an aristocrat’s former helper who had become a whistle-blower and had been thrown out of rich man’s household (”wailing and gnashing of teeth”). They would also learn from the parable the necessity of not isolating themselves, so as not to play into the hands of the ruling elite.”

    So the hero in the story is he who chooses to expose the inherent wrongs in the system. I don’t know if it’s the right one, but it’s an interesting interpretation.

  2. Geoff Matheson on September 20th, 2007 9:57 am

    Above quote taken from wikipedia:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Talents

  3. Rohan on September 20th, 2007 8:17 pm

    Yes, I have heard that interpretation in a book Change across cultures by Bradshaw - he speaks in regard to the Lukan parallel (19.11-27).

    One important question is: who is Jesus telling this parable to/for?

    Most say it is for the church (ie us), as an example of what will happen “when Jesus returns” - he will call us to account for what we have done with the various gifts he has entrusted to us.

    Another reading, I first came across through Tom Wright (i’ll see if i can track down the reference) is that Jesus is actually speaking to Israel, in story, and saying that God has come and is calling them to account now (2000 years ago) for what they have done with what he entrusted them with… ie it is a message of judgement.

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