Don’t Bury What God Gave You: A New Look at the Parable of the Talents

It’s easy to think about the parable of the talents from Matthew 25 as pertaining to money and stewarding it properly the way God intended. After all it’s about what three slaves did with the possessions their master entrusted them with. One slave was given five, the other was give two, and the last was given one talent— each according to their own ability. But what if I told you that it’s not just a lesson about money, but also a metaphor for stewarding the passions and gifts God has placed on each one of our hearts?

In the parable, the one slave with five talents multiplied them to ten. Likewise, the one with two talents multiplied them to four. But the one with the one talent hid his in the ground because he did not think it was fair for his master to receive profit where he did not sow. Before we look at the outcomes of each one, let’s think about how this might apply to our gifts and passions rather than just money.

God is our Master who has created us wonderfully, intentionally and on purpose. As He knitted us in our mother's womb and thus curated our dreams and gifts to be multiplied as we grow in His likeness— magnifying His very nature in all the earth. Some might be for the arts, while others might be for administrative purposes, etc. All of it was intentionally designed for multiplication. But much like the parable of the talents, what our Master (God) has purposed in our lives, He has also given the responsibility to steward.

We, therefore, have a choice. We can either sow these talents (passions/gifts) for the purpose of growing and multiplying them, or we can disregard them for our own interests. But like the parable shows us, each choice has their own outcome. The servants who multiplied their talents to doubled what they had, they were rewarded with more; plus a shared joy with their master. But to the one who hid his one talent based on his own reasoning, he not only lost what he had but he was also sent to judgment.

We live in a world where it is easy to govern our own interests to survive. The demands in life are high. The economy struggles and we find it hard just to live a normal and happy life. But as hard as survival may seem, so higher the call of faith is. Do we trust God to the point where we can leave our survival needs to Him so we can finally tend to the unique dreams, passions and gifts He’s sown in our hearts?

There is a reason why Jesus told us not to worry about our needs to survive (Matthew 6). There is a reason why He said to not even worry about tomorrow. Instead, He emphasizes the need to prioritize the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The kingdom of God is in US by the power of Holy Spirit and in our hearts are specific passions and abilities He intended for us to live out.

Have you paid attention to the unique abilities, passions and dreams you carry? Have you put them on the shelf until you feel you are in a good financial position? By the grace of God I hope we come to prioritize these things with the fear of the Lord rather than buy into the lie of survival in the fear of man.