“Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”
~ Matthew 25:34
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you have a lot of talents? Do you know what a talent is? A talent is an ability, aptitude, gift or forte that God has given you to use. The word talent in the Bible is the name of something. The word talent when it is first found in the Bible would be today a 75 pound weight. The word talent that is found in the Bible after a time became a coinage unit. The worth of a talent – as a coin, 2000 years ago was about $384,000. How would you like to have been given a talent or two talents or five talents to use as you wanted – as long as the talents that you had been given made more talents? If you were given two talents, you were given an equivalent of about $768,000. If you were given five talents, you were given an equivalent of about $1,920,000. Matthew recounts in Matthew 25 a story that Jesus told. A way that Jesus taught was through stories called parables. Jesus taught through a good number of parables when He lived on planet Earth. A parable is like an allegory or metaphor. When you are older, you will in your English classes learn about words like allegory and metaphor. A parable, allegory or metaphor is a story that can be understood in two different ways. A parable, allegory or metaphor will say one thing – which can be clearly understood. A parable, allegory or metaphor will have another story sort of hidden behind the words – which cannot be as clearly understood. A parable, allegory or metaphor is never an actual true story. The parable of the talents is the story of three guys. The three guys are servants of a rich landowner. The rich landowner decided one day to go on a long trip to a faraway place. Before the rich landowner left on his long trip to a faraway place, the guy decided to give one of his servants five talents – equal to about $1,920,000, to use to make another $1,920,000 or so. If you were given $1,920,000, what would you do with it to make another $1,920,000? What do you think that your dad would do with $1,920,000 if he were to be given that much money to use to make another $1,920,000? Ask your dad and ma what they would do with $1,920,000 if . . . as long as they made another $1,920,000. The rich landowner than gave another servant two talents – equal to about $768,000, to do the same with it as he had instructed the first servant who he gave talents to do – which was to invest the two talents to make another $768,000 or so. The rich landowner gave just one talent – equal to about $368,000, to another servant to invest to make another $368,000 or so. The rich landowner knew his servants and their abilities to take the talents that he had given them to make more talents for him. The servant who the rich landowner gave five talents was able to make another $1,920,000 or so for the rich landowner. The servant who the rich landowner gave two talents was able to make another $768,000 or so for the rich landowner. The servant who the rich landowner gave one talent buried the $368,000 or so which meant that the guy did not make anything for the rich landowner. The rich landowner was really pleased with the servant who he gave five talents to to reinvest and the servant who he gave two talents to to reinvest but he was very, very displeased with the servant who he gave one talent to to reinvest. The rich landowner blessed the two servants who doubled the amount of the talents that he gave to them. The rich landowner took away everything that the other servant had because he was unwilling to reinvest the one talent that the rich landowner gave him.
Can you think of what the second story in the parable of the talents might be behind this first story? It just so happens that this parable uses the very same word that has two very different meanings. A talent in the parable was once recognized as a word for money. A talent today is recognized as a word for ability, aptitude, gift or forte. Jesus was not talking about money in this story or parable that He used to instruct His disciples. Jesus was referring to the abilities, aptitudes, gifts and fortes that His disciples innately had. To internalize this story or parable today as you are being taught through the Living Word, it is to understand that Matthew is recounting what he probably heard personally what Jesus was saying about the abilities, aptitudes, gifts and fortes that God has hardwired or embedded in every Christ-follower guy, gal and kid. What are some abilities, aptitudes, gifts and fortes that you know that you have? Are you a good talker? Are you able to explain things clearly to other kids? Your grandpaa is not a very good talker. When your grandpaa was a kid – like you, your grandpaa stuttered. Your grandpaa had trouble saying some words – like do or other words that begin with d. When your grandpaa got older, your grandpaa stopped stuttering when he talked. A psychologist who meets with all the guys and gals who are applying to become missionaries with OC International a number of years ago told your grandpaa that even though your grandpaa does not stutter today when he talks, your grandpaa’s mind is stuttering when your grandpaa is thinking. Your grandpaa sometimes will look like he is mad when he is talking to a guy or gal like your grandpaa is mad at the guy or gal but your grandpaa really is not mad at the guy or gal; your grandpaa just sometimes feels upset inside at himself because he knows that the words that he is saying are not the words that his mind is thinking. So – what God-given talents do you have?
God has hardwired you with abilities, aptitudes, gifts and fortes to be used to reflect His glory back to Him. As you use what God has hardwired you to use, God will do as He says in verse 34 ‘“Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” Even though your grandmaa and grandpaa feel inadequate in their abilities, aptitudes, gifts and fortes, your grandmaa and grandpaa know that God is blessing them for reinvesting what He gave them to use.
Matthew 25 (181)