What does the Parable of the Talents say?
The Parable of the Talents is about a rich master who left home and gave talents to his slaves. He endowed the first of the slaves with five talents, the second with two, and the third with one. He awarded each of them according to their abilities and capabilities. When the master returned, he demanded back the talents that he had distributed before. The first servant, instead of five talents, brought ten to his master.
And his owner praised him for being a faithful slave and increasing his wealth. The second slave also returned twice as many talents - four. And the master praised this slave. And the third servant brought one talent, the one that his master had given him. He said that he buried him in the ground, knowing how cruel and money-loving his master was. He probably just wanted to keep what he had and return what he received from his master.
But the master was angry with him and said that, knowing what his owner was, the slave still buried and hid the talent, and did not multiply it. For this he punished his servant and took that talent away from him. The master gave the talent to those two who increased it. And the evil slave was thrown into prison. From there he could be heard crying and gnashing his teeth. The conclusion is this: whoever does not have will take it from him, and whoever has will receive even more.
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Talent distribution
According to the plot, a certain rich gentleman goes to a distant country and leaves his slaves to cope without him. Before leaving, the master distributes coins - talents - to the slaves, and does not divide them equally. So, one slave received as many as five talents, another two, and the third only one. Having distributed the gifts, the master ordered the slaves to certainly use them and multiply them. Then he left, and the slaves were left with the money.
A lot of time passed, and the gentleman returned from a distant country. First of all, he called all three slaves and demanded a strict report from them: how and for what they used the fortune given to them.
Interpretation of the parable from St. Luke the Confessor
Saint Luke the Confessor begins his interpretation of this parable from the end. He talks about the last words in it. He who has will have his gain; he who does not have will lose even what he has. For an earthly unbeliever, this parable is completely incomprehensible. Because it is impossible to understand this. In the world this phrase seems extremely unfair. And only spiritual people will be able to interpret it correctly. Luke the Confessor says that the master is clearly Jesus Christ himself. We are talking about the Judgment of God.
He believes that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be called talents in the parable. This is love, faith, mercy, reason, wisdom and so on. The Lord knows all people very well, their ups and downs in life, therefore, as in the parable, depending on a person’s capabilities, some are given five talents, and others only one. But everyone’s task is to develop and multiply talent, and not to bury and hide it. This is exactly what the Lord will ask at the Judgment: have people increased the talent that was given to them? This is what you will have to answer for. Saint Luke says that talents can be multiplied in different ways.
If this is faith and love, then every day you need to think about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and what He felt at that moment when he went to Calvary and gave his righteous life for us sinners. Then people will love Him more. If talent is the mind, then you need to fill it and develop it by reading interesting, useful messages, or the lives of the righteous.
What does "talent" mean?
You will probably be surprised, but two thousand years ago this word meant something completely different from what we know now.
Talent (τάλαντον, “talanton”) – translated from Greek as “scales” or “weight”. This was the name of the measure of weight, which in ancient times was actively used in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Babylon, Persia and other countries. During the Roman Empire, a talent was equal to the volume of one amphora filled to the brim.
In addition to measuring weight, talent was also used as a unit of account in trade. Gradually it became the largest in the ancient world.
Interpretation of the parable from Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
In his interpretation of the Parable of the Talents, Saint John of Kronstadt also says that the master is the Son of God, and we, people, are His servants. According to his interpretation, we all receive God's grace as talents. If a person has wealth on earth, then naturally he must share with others who do not have it. A just God will not demand this from a poor person. The third slave told the master that he was cruel. John of Kronstadt assures that in this way people also accuse the Lord God himself. But if you think about it, the Lord has the right to demand more from a person than he gave.
St. John gives a very interesting example from life and another from the Gospel. When people plant grain, they expect a high level of yield. One grain should bear fruit of twenty or more grains. A fig tree that does not bear fruit is cut down. Jesus said that if one branch of the grapes withers, then it must be cut off. For why is it needed if it does not bear fruit? Also with people. God has the right to demand more from humanity than what He has given them. The treasure should not be kept in the earth, but in heaven. The earthly is temporary, it will disappear, but the heavenly will live forever.
Pawn on the chessboard?
This parable is well known to Christians. But when we read it, our attention is usually focused on the lazy slave. “His master answered and said to him, ‘You are a wicked and lazy servant!..’” (Matthew 25:26)
Why? Because the result turned out to be very sad. If the first slaves had it good and it got even better, then the last one had it good, but it got completely BAD! Hell, a complete fiasco. In sports terms, he not only took last place, but was disqualified.
Why are we not so much interested in what is multiplied as what is lost?! I don’t think it’s because of our “innate modesty.” Despite the fact that the end of the lazy slave is terrifying, we ourselves are characterized by similar behavior: more often than not, a person, and even a Christian, is lazy. He is ready to receive less, just to expend less effort. Why strain yourself once again, start serving, sacrifice something? Why waste yourself? It is much more convenient to BE ON THE EDGE, to do only what will help you not lose salvation, but at the same time not to overexert yourself.
The parable says - he gave according to his strength. If you don't think you have the strength to do something, you still have the strength to help others do it.
“After a long time, the master of those slaves comes and demands an account from them.” Everything is tested by time: motivation, values, patience, and sometimes self-esteem. How often does a person underestimate himself! Why does this happen? Yes, because a person’s service or business does not seem important and significant enough to him, such a person feels like a pawn on a chessboard.
Pawns are the most numerous pieces in chess. There are two of all other pieces, and there are many pawns. At first glance, it seems that nothing depends on them: they can even walk only one square. The most they are allowed to do is step two squares at once at the beginning of the game! Once - and he found himself in the middle of the board. There is such a pawn in the center - no one around, no one protects. You look around: you’re far away from your own people, but the enemy is there, right next to you. WHAT IS A GRANDMASTER THINKING ABOUT?
But the grandmaster is right. Do you know why this pawn move is very important? The fact is that through the cell where she stood before, the opportunity for other very strong pieces to move opens up - the queen and the officer. And often the pawn protects the king, covering it with itself. As a result, the pawn can even become a queen. It is said about such people: “You have been faithful in small things, I will put you over many things.”
Many of you are no longer pawns, but everyone thinks about themselves according to their faith. Dear friend, believe that you are in charge of many things. God gave you opportunities that others don’t have, you can do what others can’t, and together all this is a “chess game”! And our Grandmaster knows where we should be and what to do!
What matters is not how much you are given, but how you use it!
Vyacheslav BORISOV, presbyter of the Bethany Church
Interpretation of the parable of the talents from Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Interpreting the parable of the talents, Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh identifies three problems due to which a person does not develop the talent given to him. The first reason is the illusion of carelessness. I got the talent, buried it securely, everything is fine. The second reason is cowardice. How much people lose because of this quality, simply because they are afraid to take risks. Yes, to some extent, this is a very big risk, but this fact will not justify a person at the Court.
The Lord will rightly take his talent and give it to someone who is willing to take a risk and return more. The third reason, according to Metropolitan Anthony, is a life unworthy of a person. Perhaps the Lord gave someone a very kind, sensitive heart, but because the person loves himself too much, he cannot use it correctly and find a place in his heart for someone else.
The parable of the talents teaches people that in earthly life there is no time to become materially rich or to live for pleasure. After all, at the Judgment the Lord will ask everyone where his treasure is: in the earth or in heaven.
Video: The meaning of the parable of the talents
Bible craft – Bag of Talents.
Necessary:
- Template pages
- Pencils
- Scissors
- Glue
- Ribbon
A game
Turn this craft into a game by rewarding your child with a coin for using their talents throughout the week. For example: If he helps with gardening, give the child a gardening coin. If your child cooks something, reward him with a cooking coin.
A few words about prayer
Modern Christianity is in many ways reminiscent of big-time football. A few people are playing on the field, and tens of thousands are cheering in the stands. These fans know everything about football and football players: they are familiar with the nuances of the game, its tactics and strategy, they can talk about all the great games of the past. They shout and wave flags, they support their teams very sincerely, but... Most of them, when they enter the field, most likely will not even hit the ball.
Football players, on the contrary, devote their entire lives to training, giving up everything in order to achieve results.
What does all of this have to do with prayer? The most direct thing. Prayer is the breath of spiritual life. If a person breathes, he is alive; if a person is alive, he breathes. If a Christian prays, he has spiritual life. If not, you are spiritually dead. But just like with ordinary, physical breathing, the situation is with prayer. Almost all people can walk several kilometers; most are able to climb to the fifth floor on their own. But not everyone can run five kilometers. And very few people are able to swim fifty meters underwater. It's a matter of breathing training.
What is your prayer life like? How do you exercise your “spiritual muscles”? On Sundays at church, at home group and before meals? How strong and sincere are your prayers? Is it any wonder that God does not work through many Christians? He simply cannot entrust the task to a person who, figuratively speaking, runs five hundred meters and falls exhausted. Because he's not trained. Such people fill the stands of “Christian stadiums”, watching the games of “professionals”.
Perhaps many, after reading these lines, will ask: what to do? How to learn to pray? The disciples asked Jesus exactly the same question. He taught them the Lord's Prayer. It is very remarkable that Christ did not point out the excellent examples of prayer books of antiquity. He didn’t say that you need to pray like David, although all of David’s psalms are examples of prayers. He did not cite the example of Elijah, whose prayer closed the sky over Israel for three and a half years, and then through his prayer it began to rain. Not at all, Jesus said the following: “Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen" (Matthew 6:9-13).
The Lord's Prayer is an example of brevity. But in a compressed form it expresses the fullness of spiritual life. It contains the whole teaching of Christ and the treasure of our faith. Each phrase is one aspect of our walk with God: recognition of God's Fatherhood (“Our Father who art in heaven”); glorification of God (“hallowed be thy name...”); request (“give us our daily bread..”), repentance for what has been done (“forgive us our sins..”), forgiveness (“as we forgive our debtors”), recognition of God’s protection in one’s life (“lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”), confidence that we will receive what we ask for (“... for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory”). By speaking to God in your own words in prayer, you can use this structure to cover all areas of your life—spiritual and everyday—and be “trained professionals.”
May the Lord help you in this and guide you to all truth!
Stanislav BULANOV
