Five talents, two talents, one buried in the ground: what the parable of the talents teaches about fear

The servant who buried his talent did not steal it or waste it. He gave back exactly what he received. He was still condemned. That is what makes the parable uncomfortable.

The parable of the talents appears in Matthew 25:14 to 30, part of Jesus’s teaching about His return. A similar parable, with pounds, appears in Luke 19.

The story

A man going on a long journey calls his servants and entrusts his property to them: to one he gives five talents, to another two, and to another one, “to every man according to his several ability” (25:15). A talent was a large sum of money, equal to many years’ wages. The first two servants trade with their talents and double them. The third digs a hole and hides his master’s money.

The return

When the master returns, the first two report their gains. To each he says, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (25:21, 23). The servant with two talents receives the same praise as the one with five.

The third servant says: “Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man… And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth” (25:24 to 25). The master calls him “wicked and slothful” and gives his talent to the one who has ten.

Fear and talents today

The third servant’s problem was fear and a wrong view of his master. He saw the master as harsh, so he played safe. The parable warns that fear can paralyse faith. The English word “talent”, meaning ability, comes partly from this parable. The parable applies to money, but also to gifts, time, opportunities and the gospel itself. Each person receives according to their ability. What matters is faithfulness, not the size of the gift.

Not about comparison

The servant with two talents was not criticised for having less. He was praised in the same words as the servant with five. God does not measure us against others but by what we did with what He gave. What has God entrusted to you? Is there a gift you have buried because of fear of failure, criticism or what others will say?

The master did not demand that the third servant double the money. He would have accepted even a little interest from the bank (25:27). The one thing he could not accept was nothing at all.