Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14:30, Luke 19:12-27) (03/07/24)
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TITLE: The Blessings of Gifts | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lakella Davenport
03/13/24 -
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What Is a Talent?
There are various definitions for the word talent. According to Oxford Languages Dictionary online, a talent can be a “former weight and unit of currency, used especially by the ancient Romans and Greeks. A talent can also refer to one’s “natural aptitude or skill (natural abilities).” According to learnreligions.com, “Some calculate the talent in the parables to be equivalent to 20 years of wages for the common worker. Other scholars estimate conservatively, valuing the New Testament talent somewhere between $1000 to $30,000 dollars today.” “A talent is equal to 6,000 denarii,” (quora.com). “A denarii was an ancient Roman silver coin, originally worth ten asses,” (Oxford Languages Dictionary online).
The word talent in the “Parable of The Talents,” in Matthew 25 verses 14-30, is referring to a unit of money. In this parable, a man gives three of his servants a specific amount of money or talents before he goes away to a “far country.” To one servant he gives five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent. The servants who he gave five and two talents used their talents to gain even more talents. However, he that had received one talent was afraid to use his talent to earn more. Instead of using his talent, he hid his talent in the ground (earth). When the man came back from his travels, he inquired of his three servants about what they did with the talents of money he had given them before he left (Matthew 25:19).
The servant whom he had given five talents told how he’d used his five talents to gain five more talents. The man blessed him and made him “ruler over many things,” (Matthew 25:20-21). The servant who had been given two talents told how he’d earned two more talents. The man blessed him and made him “ruler over many things,” (Matthew 25: 22-23). Then the one who had one talent of money told the man how he was afraid to use his talent and hid it in the ground. The man cursed and rebuked the servant calling him wicked and slothful (lazy). He told the servant that he could have at least put his money in the bank, and he would have at least earned interest on the money. He took his one talent from him and gave it to the servant who had ten talents (Matthew 25: 24-28).
What Can We Learn from this Parable?
A talent can refer to our gifts or natural abilities and skills. This parable is not just referring to talents as in a unit of money, but it is also referring to our natural abilities to do things for the Lord’s glory and the advancement of his kingdom. This parable teaches us that we must be good stewards over our money (talents) and our gifts (natural skills or talents).
Good Stewards Over Our Money
The Bible teaches we must be willing to financially support those who are poor and are less fortunate than we are. “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay again,” (Proverbs 19:17). “God loveth a cheerful giver,” (2 Corinthians 9:7). We must use whatever gift God has given us no matter how small it may be or seem to be to do work for God’s kingdom. The poor widow gave God all that she had (Luke 21: 1-4).
Using Your Gift Will Bring You Before Great Men
“A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men,” (Proverbs 18:16). Joseph was brought before pharaoh to use his gift of dream interpretation (Genesis 41: 1-57), and Daniel was brought before king Nebuchadnezzar to interpret his dream (Daniel 2: 1-49).
We must not be afraid to use our God given gifts for God’s glory. Daniel was not afraid to use his gift of interpretating dreams. His gift saved the lives of not only himself and the three Hebrew boys, but all the wise men in the Babylonian kingdom (Daniel 2: 12-49). Joseph was not afraid to use his gift of dream interpretation. His gift saved Egypt and other nations upon the earth from starvation during a period of a seven-year famine upon the earth (Genesis 41:1-57).
We must use our gift(s) no matter how many we may have. You never know who is in need of your gift(s) and talents. Your gift could possibly save lives, like Daniel’s and Joseph’s gifts.
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