In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus presents the Parable of the Talents. (Note that the Parable of the Talents is very similar to the Parable of the Minas in Luke 19:11-27.) As you may know, there is a wide variety of opinions as to what the talents represent. Some say they represent one’s God-given talents/abilities, some say they represent money or other material resources, others say faith, etc.
I have a theory. Let me explain.
At the end of the parable, Jesus makes a concluding statement:
Matthew 25:29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
So, what is this referring to? For example, for everyone who has money, more shall be given…or perhaps, for everyone who has God-given abilities, more will be given…
Interestingly, very very similar words to Matthew 25:29 occur back in Matthew 13:12
“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
So, what is this referring to? Let’s expand the context:
Matthew 13:10-12
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
So, we can see that, in answer to why Jesus used parables, the disciples were granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom, while the crowds were not. Also notice that this statement about the secrets of the kingdom is inexorably linked with the next verse (For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him), which in turn is almost identical to that of Matthew 25:29 regarding the parable of the talents.
Therefore, I propose that this connection reveals what the talents represent in the parable. They represent the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; i.e., spiritual knowledge and understanding.
So, to plug this idea back into Matthew 25:29 at the end of the parable of the talents:
“For to everyone who has [spiritual knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom], more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
Now, let’s apply this principle to the Parable of the Lamp in Mark 4:21-23:
And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This wording is very similar to the version of the Parable of the Lamp in Luke 8:16-18. Both versions of the parable are immediately followed by essentially the same admonishment as Matthew 25:29: “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
Thus, we can deduce that, similar to the Parable of the Talents, the “lamp” in this context represents spiritual knowledge and understanding: the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
To paraphrase:
Spiritual knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom is not meant to be hidden or kept secret, it is meant to be shared with the world. For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
In conclusion, we can see that the Parable of the Talents means that God entrusts us with spiritual knowledge; the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. He expects us to make wise use of this wisdom and to diligently seek out more. Likewise, in the Parable of the Lamp, we are encouraged to share this spiritual knowledge with others, rather than ignoring it or keeping it secret.
If you have any such wisdom and insight that you’d like to share then please post it here on Simply Christian.
Blessings, friend, and remember, Let your light shine!
I have a theory. Let me explain.
At the end of the parable, Jesus makes a concluding statement:
Matthew 25:29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
So, what is this referring to? For example, for everyone who has money, more shall be given…or perhaps, for everyone who has God-given abilities, more will be given…
Interestingly, very very similar words to Matthew 25:29 occur back in Matthew 13:12
“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
So, what is this referring to? Let’s expand the context:
Matthew 13:10-12
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
So, we can see that, in answer to why Jesus used parables, the disciples were granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom, while the crowds were not. Also notice that this statement about the secrets of the kingdom is inexorably linked with the next verse (For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him), which in turn is almost identical to that of Matthew 25:29 regarding the parable of the talents.
Therefore, I propose that this connection reveals what the talents represent in the parable. They represent the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; i.e., spiritual knowledge and understanding.
So, to plug this idea back into Matthew 25:29 at the end of the parable of the talents:
“For to everyone who has [spiritual knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom], more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
Now, let’s apply this principle to the Parable of the Lamp in Mark 4:21-23:
And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This wording is very similar to the version of the Parable of the Lamp in Luke 8:16-18. Both versions of the parable are immediately followed by essentially the same admonishment as Matthew 25:29: “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.”
Thus, we can deduce that, similar to the Parable of the Talents, the “lamp” in this context represents spiritual knowledge and understanding: the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
To paraphrase:
Spiritual knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom is not meant to be hidden or kept secret, it is meant to be shared with the world. For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
In conclusion, we can see that the Parable of the Talents means that God entrusts us with spiritual knowledge; the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. He expects us to make wise use of this wisdom and to diligently seek out more. Likewise, in the Parable of the Lamp, we are encouraged to share this spiritual knowledge with others, rather than ignoring it or keeping it secret.
If you have any such wisdom and insight that you’d like to share then please post it here on Simply Christian.
Blessings, friend, and remember, Let your light shine!
