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

BY ESAYAS EMENE ENICHA (REV.)

Likewise, the exegesis of v. 28 refers to the removal of the talent from the third servant, which implies a denial of any second chance of work. Practically, this happens when the negligent or unproductive servant’s talent is unwanted for use by anyone.

Therefore, it seems plausible that the congregations should have a clear theological stand that guides the pastors and the members who are not active to use their talents. As for me, I believe that the church should strongly train and teach the members to use their talents.

5.5. SUMMARY

In order to implement the Parable of the Talents in the congregations, it is very important to understand the text and the setting of the users of the parable. Perhaps, in some of the historical contexts of the congregations, the master-slave relationship and the monetary value of the talents might be quite different from the texts. In this case, the text is required to be interpreted in its historical setting in order to communicate its message to the users.

Theologically, as indicated above, the meaning of the trade and gain needs to be exegetically verified to be implemented in the congregations. Moreover, the primary evangelism approach could also be integrated with use of talents in order to establish a holistic orientation of the congregation, as is the case in the Mafo congregation. Since the ‘Use Your Talents’ project is based on the Parable of Talents, the eschatological aspects of the text could be interpreted to the congregations in order to enhance the use of talents.

In addition, to fulfill the great commandment of the Lord, congregations need to support the needy and should appropriately encourage the members who are not effective in the use of their talents. I think enhancing the use of the talents in the congregations helps them to wait for the second coming of the Lord diligently.

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