The Parable of the Talents – The Sin of Fear

The parable of the talents is found in Matthew 25:14-30 with an account that is similar in many respects
in Luke 19:12-28 although there are differences. Only the account given in Matthew is referred to, by
men, as the parable of the talents but it is profitable to read Luke along with Matthew. Differences aside
both accounts seem to be teaching about the same lesson and one I have needed throughout my life.

The account is too long to quote here in a short article but I will summarize it briefly. A man was
prepared to go on a long journey back in the days when that meant he would be gone a long time. He
being a man of means and needing to keep affairs at home going while he was gone divided his goods up
among 3 servants. He did not divide evenly but gave each what he thought he could reasonably be
expected to succeed with. Upon his return home after returning from "a far country," as the Bible calls it,
the servants were called in to give an account.

The first two servants, the two who were given most to care for in his absence, gave him a glowing report
telling him they had each doubled his funds in his absence by trading but when the third servant comes in,
the one who was given the least, he has nothing to show the master other than the same funds originally
given him when the master left for his journey. There was no profit whatsoever.

I think perhaps a good analogy, although not perfect, might be that of a rich farmer today with a lot of
equipment and land divided up let us say in 3 different counties the only difference being the amount of
land in each of the counties. He having 3 adult sons decides to take a year off and travel the world
leaving each boy to care for his farm one boy per county. They are expected to plant the ground, raise,
and harvest a crop in his absence. He gets home and finds out two sons have done just fine but the third
son, the one that had the least amount of ground to plant and care for, has done nothing in his absence,
nothing at all. The revenue that should have been made by farming that plot of ground has been lost.
Would the farmer be happy?

The parable of the talents while couched in the language of business affairs is really a story about spiritual
matters. Its purpose is to teach us a lesson about our relationship with God and what he expects out of us.
Indeed, the parable begins with the words, "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man." (Matt. 25:14
NKJV) The man in the spiritual application of the parable is God. Talents were measures of money each
servant was given. However, they represented more than that. They represented the ability to go and do
and prosper and make profit.

The spiritual application is that God gives to each of us the ability to take whatever gifts he has given us
to work with and use them to go and do and prosper in working spiritually in and for his kingdom. In
New Testament times God gave miraculous spiritual gifts which men (and women) were expected to
exercise "for the profit of all." (1 Cor. 12:7 NKJV) "All" in this verse taken in context is a reference to
the brethren, the church. "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
Therefore he says: "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." (Eph.
4:7-8 NKJV) One can find listings of these gifts in 1 Cor. 12:8-10, 28 and Rom. 12:6-8. Timothy was
told to "not neglect the gift that is in you." (1 Tim. 4:14 NKJV)

One might say today we are not given miraculous spiritual gifts so that frees us up from a work
commitment to God. Not so! The parable of the talents teaches us all that we must take our abilities that
God has given us and go to work and try and be a profitable servant of and for God. We all know there
are things we have the ability to do for God if we are but willing to do so and we are lying to both God
and ourselves if we say there is not.

One gift listed in Rom. 12:8 is that of showing mercy. We can all do that and it is our duty to be merciful
(Luke 6:36) but we all also know some just seem to have a gift for that and those who have that gift
provide greater comfort to those being shown mercy than what they might well receive from some of the
rest of us try as we might. Dad can hardly ever be as comforting to a child, just as an example, as Mom
can be and Dad can try as hard as he can but Mom will beat him out just about every time in this area. So
it is with different talents different individuals possess. Some are better at some things, others with other
things.

Exhortation was listed as a gift again back in Rom. 12:8. Is there a need for that today or just back then?
Giving was listed as a gift. Do some have more ability to give and help others that way than most
perhaps do? Certainly! Over in 1 Timothy Paul gives instructions on qualifications for widows to meet
in order for the church to provide for them. Some of the things mentioned are "if she has lodged
strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted." (1 Tim. 5:10 NKJV)

The point I am trying to make is there is plenty of work of all kinds to be done in the kingdom of God if
we will do it and we all, every one of us, can find work we have the ability to do. When we are doing
good to someone else because it is the Christ like thing to do, in whatever fashion or form it may take, we
are working for God and striving to be a profitable servant. We are a Christian being a Christian in deed
and not just in word.

What is the teaching of the parable of the talents if it is not that we must go to work? Can we by work
alone go to heaven? No way! Salvation is always a matter of God's grace, not man's works, but if the
parable of the talents does not teach the necessity of works along with faith for salvation I do not know
what it teaches. James says faith without works is dead (James 2:26) and I have not argued with him like
so many do. Nothing matters with regards to salvation if you take away God's grace and the blood of
Jesus for without those there will be no salvation period. However, with God's grace and the blood of
Jesus there are some things that do matter and the parable of the talents teaches us what one of those
things is.

Now the question I have to ask is why was this one servant unprofitable? Well, we say he did not go to
work. True, but why not, that is the question? He tells us why for he says, "I was afraid." (Matt. 25:25
NKJV) His fear was such it paralyzed him. His fear was he could not succeed and might in fact lose the
funds that had been given him and then what could he do or say when his master returned? He feared
there would be severe punishment in store for him if such happened. The safe thing to him seemed to be
to make sure that he did not lose what had been given him. I have no reason to doubt his honesty in
making such a statement. We have to remember as a parable this was a made up story to make a point
and since in the story the man's honesty in speech is not questioned we should not question it either.

Did you know fear was a sin that will send you to hell? "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8 KJV)
Newer versions use the word cowardly rather than fearful but it is all one and the same. We might say is
it not natural for us to sometimes be afraid? Yes it is but I am convinced the fear that is condemning is
the fear that overcomes faith and like in the parable of the talents paralyzes a man so that he cannot or
will not act. Even Jesus had some trepidation about going to the cross but it did not stop him from
obeying God so to the cross he went.

Fear is contrary to faith and acts to destroy it. When Peter got out of the boat to walk on the water to
Jesus he did in fact walk on the water for a time, until the time he looked around him, saw the waves,
became fearful, and lost his faith. (Matt. 14:28-31 NKJV)

Fear can kill us spiritually. It led to Peter denying Christ just as Jesus had predicted that he would. Fear
led Peter later to withdraw from eating with the Gentile Christians "fearing those who were of the
circumcision" (Gal. 2:12 NKJV) and for which Paul rightly rebuked him (Gal. 2:14). Without repentance
Peter could not have been saved from these sins.

What was missing from the thinking of the man who buried his master's talent in the parable of the
talents? Faith! His master had faith in him or else he would never have given the man the talent to begin
with. He did not expect more of the man than he knew the man could give thus one talent was all he gave
but he had confidence enough in the man to be fully persuaded he could handle that one talent.

We are sometimes afraid, fearful to act, yet the master who gave us the talent is the Lord himself. Would
he give us something too great for us to handle? If we have the talent and God gave it to us then it tells us
God has faith in us that we can handle what he has given. The only question then relates to our faith in
God, the one who gave us the talent.

"For he himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my
helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Heb. 13:5-6 NKJV) There is really nothing to fear as
far as man's reaction to us is concerned as we try and go out and do good and work for the Lord for as the
writer of Hebrews says, "What can man do to me?" The worst he could do is kill me or you but what
does that mean if we are a Christian? It means paradise and then heaven and who can complain about
that? That is the goal anyway is it not? We could call that hitting a homerun, scoring a touchdown. We
win.

The truth is about the worst thing that is going to happen to us is someone say something unkind to us or
revile us and that is not going to kill us is it? What is to fear? Yet, we are often fearful but it is a battle
we must fight and win. We must overcome our fears and do the Lord's bidding.

Is it right to condemn a fearful man? The Bible says in the parable of the tares the unprofitable servant
was to be "'cast … into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matt. 25:30
NKJV) His master described him as a wicked and lazy servant. (Matt. 25:26 NKJV) Why would he call
him that?

There are two questions here but they are closely related. We are either a help or a hindrance to the work
of our Lord and master. If we go to work, do all the good we can possibly do, set a great example, teach
and live the Christian life daily who can say who or how many may be saved by being drawn to Christ
through us in one way or another. His work of saving souls must be done through average men today
working in God's vineyard. The days of the apostles and inspired men is over. It is now up to us
uninspired men and women to do the Lord's work. "Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into
his harvest." (Matt. 9:38 NKJV)

When we can do good resulting possibly in the saving of souls and we fail to do it is that not
"wickedness?" When we will not lift a finger to do the work of God is that not laziness? There is an old
saying among men that evil prevails because good men do nothing. I doubt not the truth in that statement
except for one thing. Can such men, failing to act, be honestly called "good?" I doubt not the Bible
answer to that question is "no."

I must bring this article to a close. I close with this - rejoice in that God gave you a talent, even just one,
for he has faith in you and would not have given it to you if you could not handle it. Have faith, use that
talent for all its worth, and be found a profitable servant in the last day.