THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS IN MATTHEW 25:14–30

BY ESAYAS EMENE ENICHA (REV.)

The kingdom, then, is likened to a man leaving home on a journey (ἄνθρωπος ἀποδημῶν, anthrōpos apodēmōn).107 According to Luke, the kingdom is presented as a noble man who went to a far distant country… (19:12). Moreover, the man was obviously a man of resources (ὑπάρχοντα) which shows the large amount of money (Matt.25:14). 108

B. THE MAN

Thus, the man (ἄνθρωπος, anthrōpos) in verse 14 is identical with the master (ὁ κύριος, o kyrios) who is mentioned ten times in this periscope. K ύριος , in most NT occurrences rendered as Lord, carries with it overtones of legality and acknowledged authority of lordship.109 However, there is another word in Greek (δεσπότης, despotē s) formed from dóm, house and, potis, master, means the lord as owner and master in the sphere of family and public life, where lordship sometimes entails severity and implies the earthly lord as opposed to a slave (1Tim. 6:1, Titus 2:9).110 Similarly, the word οἰκοδεσπότης (oikodespotē s) is also literally master of the house, or householder (Matt. 24.43); figuratively, it refers to God or Christ in NT figures and parables, as, in charge of God’s spiritual family (Matt. 10:25). And this word is frequently found in connection with ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos), man (Matt.13:27; 20:1, 11; 21:33).111 But in this verse the master (ὁ κύριος, o kyrios) implies the legal and acknowledged lordship relationship with the servant, no hostile feeling (δεσπότης, despotē s).

C. THE SERVANTS

In the phrase ‘he called his own servants’ (ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους, ekalesen tous idious doulous), we encounter the first occurrence of the key word servant/slave, appearing six times in this parable.112 However, some argue that here the noun (δούλος, doulous) normally signifies “slave,” but that can scarcely be the meaning here, for these men were able to enter financial arrangements involving quite large sums of money.113 Therefore, these slaves were not just household slaves or agricultural workers, but highly skilled

107 Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 627.

108 Ibid.

109 Colin Brown, The New International Dictionary of the New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, 1975, 509.

110 Ibid “δεσπότης, sometimes used to suggest the function of Jesus as the one who commands and exercises power and influence.” business experts.114 Contrarily, some put emphasis on the fact that they were his “own” servants (τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους, tous idious doulous); he did not choose some external financial house, but entrusted his money to those who were his own.115

111 Ibid_510.

112 “out of the 124 instances of doulos, 30 are in Paul, 30 are in Matthew and, the rest in the other NT books” Brown, The New International Dictionary of the New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, 595.

113 Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, 627.

The later position seems preferable, because as I discussed under the topic Social and Cultural Setting of the Parable of the Talents in chapter three, in antiquity, among the servants in the household were included highly educated and skilled servants, as well as uneducated or less skilled ones. Moreover, the phrase “…and delivered to them his possession” (καὶ παρέδωκεν α ὐτοῖς τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, kai paredōken autois ta yparchonta autou) confirms that they were servants in the household. As already mentioned, in antiquity, there was a custom of entrusting possessions to the servants.

D. THE POSSESSIONS

Some textual units in Matthew disclose the reality of entrusting possessions to servants. Principally, the parables of Jesus depict the attitude of the position of the slaves. Accordingly, slaves are put in position (Matt. 24:45) with exclusive owes and absolute obedience to their masters (Matt.8:9). No one can, as a slave, serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). Likewise, the master could use his unlimited power over his slave for good (Matt. 18:27; 25:21, 23) or for unmerciful punishment if he was guilty of some fault (Matt. 18:34; 25:30).116 Therefore, when it is stated that he delivered (παρέδωκεν, paredōken), indicative aorist 3rd person singular from (παραδίδωμι , paradidōmi), which means “to hand over”, it implies the entrusting of the master to his servants to fill an enormous range of functions, including positions involving onerous duties, political influence, and relatively high social esteem.117 Therefore, the possession is the given responsibility from the master.

Theologically, all interpreters relate the master to Christ, who in this pericope is denoted as kyrios, which carries legality and acknowledges authority of lordship, rather than despotēs, which expresses the arbitrariness where lordship entails harshness. Apparently, the servants also related to the church or the disciples (οἱ μαθητα ί , oi mathē tai ) (Matt. 24:3).

114 Osborne, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew vol.1, 923.

115 Ibid.

116 Brown, The New International Dictionary of the New Testament Theology, Vol. 1, 595.

117 Davies and Allison, A critical And Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew: commentary on Matthew XIX-XXVIII, vol. III, 405.