NdukuOutLoud

Rethinking the Parable of the Talents.

The Parable

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
(Matthew 25:14–18)

The story continues with the master returning and the servants showing off what they did with their talents. Two of them at least. The third servant had something to say : “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.”

The Traditional Reading

This parable has long been used to remind us to use the talents we’ve been given. Many equate talents with gifts or abilities, and emphasize the faithful servants who multiplied what they had. The lesson is often framed as: work diligently, invest wisely, and God will reward your stewardship.

The Unequal Servant

But what about the servant who received only one talent? Picture the scene: three servants standing in a row. One receives five, another two, and the last only one. Would you be happy? Would you not feel overlooked? It is easy to say, “Work with what you have,” but bitterness and discouragement are natural when you see others entrusted with more.

This servant’s fear and hesitation are often condemned. Yet perhaps he is the one we should be paying attention to. He saw inequality firsthand. He knew his master was harsh. His choice to bury the talent may reflect disillusionment, not laziness.

Questions of Fairness

The master had a total of eight talents. Why not divide them equally? Why are we so quick to accept inequality as normal-even in our interpretations of Scripture? Life may not be fair, but should we assume God endorses unfairness?

Collaboration vs. Individualism

Another striking detail: each servant worked alone. Why didn’t they collaborate? Why didn’t they pool their talents and multiply them together? The parable highlights individual responsibility, but it also exposes the dangers of isolation. Maybe if they had worked together, the results would have been different. Faithfulness in God’s kingdom may not be about competition, but about cooperation and redistribution.

A Modern Challenge

Before critiquing the servant who buried his talent, we must ask deeper questions:

• Are we multiplying resources for the sake of justice, or simply reinforcing systems of inequality?
• Can we imagine collaboration and redistribution as faithful responses, rather than competition and accumulation?

The parable ends with the unsettling line: “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Too often, this has been used to justify systems where the privileged gain more while the vulnerable lose even what little they have. We have accepted this as the way things are.

It ought not. Perhaps it’s time to imagine a different economy-one rooted in justice, collaboration, and solidarity, rather than accumulation and exploitation.