Stories of the Kingdom: The Parables of JesusSample

Parable of the Talents or the King’s Servants

Before going on a journey to receive a kingdom, a nobleman calls ten of his servants and gives them each a sum of money (talents) to steward in his absence. He gives five talents to one servant, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. The first two servants invest and double the money they receive, while the third servant buries his talent in the ground.

Upon returning, the nobleman calls his servants to give an account of their stewardship. The first two servants present their doubled talents to their master, who commends them for their faithfulness and rewards them with more responsibility and joy. However, the third servant returns only the single talent he was given, explaining that he buried it because he was afraid of losing it.

The nobleman is displeased with the third servant's lack of initiative and faithfulness. He takes away a single talent from him and gives it to the servant with ten talents, emphasizing that to those who have, more will be given, but to those who have not, even what they have will be taken away.

What does the master's response to the servants reveal about his character?