CRITICAL NOTES
Matthew 25:14. For the kingdom of heaven, etc.—See R.V. Servants.—Slaves. Delivered unto them his goods.—The outward framework of the parable lies in the Eastern way of dealing with property in the absence of the owner. Two courses were open as an approximation to what we call investment. The more primitive and patriarchal way was for the absentee to make his slaves his agents. They were to till his land and sell the produce, or to use the money which he left with them as capital in trading. In such cases there was, of course, often an understanding that they should receive part of the profits, but being their master’s slaves, there was no formal contract. The other course was to take advantage of the banking, money-changing, money-lending system, of which the Phœnicians were the inventors, and which at the time was in full operation throughout the Roman empire. The bankers received money on deposit and paid interest on it, and then lent it at a higher percentage, or employed it in trade, or (as did the publicani at Rome) in farming the revenues of a province. This was therefore the natural resource, as investment in stocks or companies is with us, for those who had not energy to engage in business (Plumptre).
Matthew 25:15. Talents.—Value uncertain.—See note on chap. Matthew 18:24.
Matthew 25:24. An hard man.—The word “hard” points to stiffness of character (Plumptre). Reaping where thou hast not sown.—The sense is obvious: “I knew thou wast one whom it was impossible to serve, one whom nothing would please; exacting what was impracticable, and dissatisfied with what was attainable” (Brown). But Dr. Morison paraphrases thus: “Not only reaping thine own fields, and leaving no gleanings for the poor behind, but unscrupulously passing the boundary line that separates thy fields from the fields of thy neighbours, and thrusting thy sickle, whenever thou hast an opportunity, into their standing corn. Sir, thou art so hard as to be not only ungenerous, but positively unjust.” Gathering where thou hast not strawed.—Where thou didst not scatter (R.V.). Gathering into the garner from another’s threshing-floor, where thou bast not winnowed (Meyer).
Matthew 25:26. Thou knewest that I reap, etc.—We must suppose the infusion of such tones as would express the most indignant querying or amazement (Morison).
Matthew 25:27. Exchangers.—Bankers (R.V.). Literally, “to those who stand at tables,” because the bankers had tables before them (Carr). Usury.—Of old just meant interest, and was an unexceptionable term. It denoted the commission that was given for the use of borrowed money (Morison).
Matthew 25:29. Unto every one that hath, etc.—See note on chap. Matthew 13:12.
Matthew 25:30. Outer darkness, etc.—See note on chap. Matthew 8:12.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Matthew 25:14-30
Diligence.—There is one striking point of resemblance between this portion of Scripture and that which goes before it. Both speak in the same awful way of what follows “the end” (cf. Matthew 25:30 with Matthew 24:51). There is one striking point of difference also. Nothing is said here, as so often before (Matthew 24:36; Matthew 24:42; Matthew 24:44; Matthew 24:50; Matthew 25:13), of the uncertainty of the exact time of “the end.” Accordingly, it is not so much watchfulness in waiting for the end, as diligence in preparing for it, that seems insisted on here. “The end being such as it is, do you work meanwhile as men ought to work with such an issue in view.” How this should be done is then shown us by showing us, first, How Christ and His church are really related meanwhile; secondly, How some men fancy they are; and thirdly, What this proves of themselves.
I. The real relation (during the Saviour’s absence) between Himself and His church.—It is one on His part, in the first place, of absolute sovereignty and authority. God has appointed Him to be “Head over all.” Therefore, especially so “to His church” (Ephesians 1:22). Sooner or later, “all” must bow before Him (Philippians 2:10). His “people” are expected to acknowledge this now. They are not only His servants—they are “His own servants” (Matthew 25:14)—known to be His. His by creation—His by redemption—His by inheritance, too. His very “bondmen,” in short. In consequence of this, the relation, on their part, is one of corresponding honour and responsibility. This sovereign Lord puts these His servants into a position of trust. He puts “His goods” in their charge (Matthew 25:14). He does so, which is very much more, during His own absence from home (ibid., and end of 15). Also, He does this with a marked amount of discrimination and care. Nothing whatever is laid on any servant beyond his power to discharge. He is too good a Master to desire anything else; too wise to do it. “To every man according to his several ability”; some more, some less; none more than enough (Matthew 25:15; cf. Revelation 2:24; John 16:12, etc.). Hence, therefore, the relation is one involving, next, a solemn day of account. It may be “a long time” before their Master comes back. That is a question with which they have little to do. Matters much too deep for their consideration have to determine that point. What they may be sure of is, that, when He does come, it will be with that object in view. What more befitting, indeed, on both sides of the case, when he who trusts meets those whom he has trusted, than that they should go into the case? And hence, once more, if the issue be favourable, a day of special triumph and joy. The confidence that has been responded to loyally is treated with greater confidence still. The honour that has been honourably dealt with is crowned with more honour still (Matthew 25:21; Matthew 25:23). How vividly the parable puts this before us! Most of all, perhaps, in the words with which, in all such cases, the Master’s recognition concludes. “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Hitherto thou hast found joy in serving Me faithfully. Find it now in taking thy place by My side. What faithful “bondman” can even imagine anything better than this?
II. What is thought about this same relation by some—by some, even, who yet regard themselves as loyal servants and true. One such only—as though even one such were more than enough—is pourtrayed to us here. His thoughts are shown us, on the one hand, by that which he did. Receiving, as he had, only a fractional part—one-half in one case and one-fifth in the other—of the amount received by his fellow-servants, he did not make use even of that which he had. Instead of this, he simply treated it as though it were wholly his own, and not “his lord’s money” at all (see Matthew 25:18). A line of action significant, of course, of equal hate and mistrust. “I wish that the trust had never been mine. I desire to forget it as far as I can. In any case, let it be out of my sight.” This evil servant’s thoughts are shown us, on the other hand, and that even more forcibly, by that which he said. See from his words, for example, what he thought of his master, and his relation to himself—viz., as a “hard master” and an unjust one, asking more than he ought (Matthew 25:24); and not only so, but as being so much in the habit of doing so, that nothing better was to be looked for at his hands (Matthew 25:25). What he thought, on the other hand, of his relation to his master, and of what was due in consequence from himself: “Lo, there thou hast that is thine.” In other words, “Thou expectedst me to increase the deposit. I consider that I ought to be thanked for not making it less.”
III. What all this proves about such.—How it shows, first, what such “servants” are. How wicked in action!—really “robbing” their Lord, because preventing Him from obtaining what was really His due, and what, also, He would have otherwise gained (Matthew 25:27, where observe expression σὺν τόκῳ, and cf. 1 Corinthians 9:7). How wicked in heart!—their secret slothfulness being really in contempt of their Lord’s interests and welfare and will, and due, in fact, to bitter dislike of Himself. How it shows, next, what kind of treatment such servants must expect to receive—how they must expect to be classed, on the one hand, with open transgressors and opponents, and to share the same doom (beginning Matthew 25:30; Matthew 13:41-42). Also, how awful a doom that is! What terrible loss in it, on the one side (Matthew 25:28-29)! What terrible pain on the other (end of Matthew 25:30)! And yet, for all that, having a certain awful symmetry and proportion about it! Can even the worst fate be too bad for those who thus, practically, charge unrighteousness upon God?
From these considerations observe:—
1. How serious a thing it is for those who name the name of the Saviour not to be “abounding” in His work. What blindness of judgment, what perversion of will, what blasphemous thoughts, what an awful end, it implies! “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.”
2. How great a privilege it is for us to be permitted to do anything for Him! To be trusted by Him at all, being such as we are! To have the opportunity, in any manner, of “adorning” His “doctrine”! To be enabled to do so in any degree! And to have the prospect of hearing the least done in this way fully acknowledged at last! Is not this the utmost that any faithful “bondservant” can really desire? Or any prince, indeed, for the matter of that?
3. How wise it is to seek for the guidance of Christ Himself on this point! “Lord, what wouldest Thou have me to do? The direction of our “diligence” is not less important than either its zeal or amount.
HOMILIES ON THE VERSES
Matthew 25:14-30. The talents.—This parable illustrates the great principle which regulates the distribution of rewards and punishments in the kingdom of God—the principle that men shall be judged according to the means at their disposal.
1. The “talents” represent everything over and above natural ability, by which men can advance the interests of the kingdom; position, opportunities, and especially the measure of grace given to each man. All the interests of Christ upon earth are entrusted to His people. And every servant of His is endowed with means enough to accomplish his own share in Christ’s work.
2. In order that the judgment may be fair, the reckoning is not made until “after a long time.” We are not called upon to show fruit before autumn. The Lord does not quickly return in a captious spirit, but delays till the wise have had time to lay up great gains, and even the foolish to have learnt wisdom. So with ourselves; we cannot complain if strict account be taken at the end, because we really have time to learn how to serve our Lord. We have time to repair bad beginnings, to take thought, to make up in some degree for lost time.
3. It is not without significance that the servant who did nothing at all for his master was he who had received but one talent. No doubt those who have great ability are liable to temptations of their own; they may be more ambitious, and may find it difficult to serve their Master with means which they see would bring in to themselves profits of a kind they covet. But such men are, at all events, not tempted to bury their talent. This is the peculiar temptation of the man who has little ability, and sullenly retires from a service in which he cannot shine and play a conspicuous part.
4. The insolence of this man’s words is not intentional. He reads off correctly his own state of mind, and fancies that his conduct was appropriate and innocent. All wrongness of conduct is, at bottom, based on a wrong view of God.
5. But this view of God is unpardonably narrow, and the action flowing from it is, after all, inconsistent. It is unpardonably wrong, and the very heartiness with which these other servants were greeted refutes it. You hear the hearty “Well done!” ringing through the whole palace—there is no hesitating scrutiny, no reminding them they had, after all, merely done what it was their duty to do. Not at all—it is the genial, generous outburst of a man who likes to praise, and hates to find people at fault.
6. There are numberless ways in which the most slenderly equipped among us can fulfil the suggestion here given, and put our talent to the exchangers, into the hands of men who can use it. There is no lack of great works going on for our Lord to which we may safely attach ourselves, and in which our talent is rather used by the leaders of the work, invested for us, than left to our own discretion.
7. The law which is exhibited in this parabolic representation is also explicitly announced in the words: “For unto every one that hath,” etc. This may be called the law of spiritual capital.—M. Dods, D.D.
The relation between this parable and the preceding one.—The first represents the church as waiting, the second as working, for her Lord; the first shows the necessity of a constant supply of inward grace, the second the need of unremitting outward activity; the teaching of the first is, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life”; of the second, “Do good as ye have opportunity;” “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The parable of the Virgins comes appropriately before that of the Talents, inasmuch as a Christian’s inner life should be his first care, the outer life being wholly dependent on it. “Keep thy heart with all diligence” is the first command, “Do thy work with all diligence” the second. The first parable calls aloud to every member of the church “Be wise”; the second follows it with another call, as urgent as the first, “Be faithful.”—J. M. Gibson, D.D.
Is this another version of the parable of the Pounds (Luke 19:11-27)?—It is a strange instance of superficial reading that it should ever have been supposed to be but another version of Luke’s parable of the pounds. The very resemblances of the two are meant to give force to their differences, which are fundamental. They are the converse of each other; that of the pounds teaching that men who have the same gifts entrusted to them may make a widely different use of these, and will be rewarded differently, in strictly graduated proportion to their unlike diligence. The lesson of the parable before us, on the other hand, is that men with dissimilar gifts may employ them with equal diligence; and that, if they do, their reward shall be the same, however great the endowments of one, and slender those of another. A reader who has missed that distinction must be very shortsighted, or sworn to make out a case against the Gospels.—A. Maclaren, D.D.
Matthew 25:16-17. Industry.—I. Its high importance rests on the fact that it is so plain a duty.
II. It is a duty which is the Divine remedy and safeguard against an infinite amount of evil.
III. It is a duty, with a far-reaching purpose and reward.—E. C. Wickham.
Business.—The busiest are the happiest. “Employment so certainly produces cheerfulness,” says Bishop Hall, “that I have known a man come home in high spirits from a funeral because he had the management of it.” “Work is the salt of life.”—Thwing.
Matthew 25:18. Omitting small duties.—He who waits to do a great deal at once will never do anything.—S. Johnson.
God can bring large results from small beginnings.—You may count the apples on a tree, but you can never count the trees in an apple. You may count the acorns on an oak, but not the oaks in an acorn. Let no one despise the day of small powers. The clock that will not strike one shall not strike twelve.—Dr. Hurlbut.
Matthew 25:19. Personal responsibility.—
I. Nature and extent of responsibility.—
1. Proportioned to natural endowments.
2. Its extent determined by possessions.
3. Affected by our relations in life.
4. Is equal to our opportunities.
II. Reckoning with the faithful servant.—
1. Talents the gift of God.
2. Immediate and faithful improvement.
3. Happy account rendered.
4. Approved and rewarded.
III. Reckoning with the unfaithful servant.—
1. His false reasoning.
2. No improvement of the talent.
3. Account rendered with shame and guilt.
4. He was dispossessed and punished.—Homiletic Review.
Matthew 25:20-21. Fidelity and recompense.—The teaching of this parable is for us all.
I. It implies a common responsibility for the use of talents which have been universally distributed, although not in equal measure.
II. This responsibility is all-pervading; it extends to the whole man and to the whole life.
III. The recompense of fidelity.—Faithfulness is rewarded:
1. By increased power—every duty performed makes future duty easier.
2. By increased responsibility—found faithful in a farthing, the man is made “ruler over many things.” And this is God’s law of recompense, to reward work well done by more and greater work.—W. M. Punshon, LL.D.
Matthew 25:21. The joy of the Lord.—I. The character.—
1. A servant.
2. A good servant.
3. A faithful servant.
4. A diligent servant.
5. A persevering servant.
II. The reward.—
1. The joy of rest.
2. The joy of conquest.
3. The joy of home.
4. The joy of society.
5. The joy of discovery.
6. The joy of his Lord. Joy
(1) procured,
(2) bestowed,
(3) possessed,
(4) arising from the vision and fruition of his Lord,
(5) issuing in the glory of his Lord.
7. Proportionate joy, (Luke 19:16, etc.).
8. Uninterrupted joy.
9. Eternal joy.—D. in Wesley Banner.
The faithful servant’s reward.—“Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” The words are almost too strong for the framework of the parable. A human master would hardly use such language to his slaves. But here, as yet more in the parable that follows, the reality breaks through the symbol, and we hear the voice of the Divine Master speaking to His servants and He bids them share His joy, for that joy also had its source (as He told them but a few hours later) in loyal and faithful service, in having “kept His Father’s commandments” (John 15:10-11).—E. H. Plumptre, D.D.
Matthew 25:22-23. Small capabilities.—I. God gives to some but small capabilities.
II. The purpose which is served in this unequal distribution of gifts.
1. Variety is one great characteristic of God’s workmanship.
2. The work for one to do requires the exercise of five talents, the work for another the exercise of only two, and for another the exercise of only one.
III. We must account to God for the use of our two talents, or for the exercise of our one talent, as much as others must account for the exercise of their five talents.
IV. When two talents are faithfully used there is the same commendation and reward as when five talents are faithfully used.—S. G. Matthews, B.A.
Matthew 25:23. The joy of the Lord.—I. The state of the blessed is a state of joy.—Not only because all tears shall then be wiped away, but all the springs of comfort shall be opened to them, and the fountains of joy broken up; where there is the vision and fruition of God, a perfection of holiness, and the society of the blessed, there cannot but be a fulness of joy.
II. This joy is the joy of our Lord—the joy which He Himself has purchased and provided for them—the joy of the redeemed, bought with the sorrow of the Redeemer; it is the joy which He Himself is in the possession of, and which He had His eye upon when He endured the cross, and despised the shame; it is the joy which He Himself is the fountain and centre of; it is the joy of our Lord, for it is joy in the Lord, who is our exceeding joy.
III. Glorified saints shall enter into this joy; that is, shall have a full and complete possession of it. Here the joy of the Lord enters into His saints, in the earnest of the Spirit; shortly they shall enter into it, and shall be in it to eternity, as in their element.—M. Henry.
Matthew 25:24-30. Trifling with talents.—The unprofitable servant.—
I. His character.
II. His condemnation.—Wickedness does not consist in gross sins only. Negative evil is as much a sin as positive, and the sins are more dangerous.
1. Because there is less hope of reformation.—They are mostly fixed with self-conceit.
2. Because they are most numerous.—Every moment unemployed for God is a sin.
3. Because they are hardest to repair.—A lost opportunity never returns.
III. His sentence.—
1. Severe.
2. Merited.
3. A greater loss, for he had to give up what he had.—B. in Homilist.
Slothfulness linked with a desire to be honest.—There was in this man some sense of right governed by the principle of honesty. But this was not strong enough to conquer the prevailing passion of his life—namely, his sloth-fulness.
I. His honesty is seen in the fact that he considers himself responsible to his master for the talent that had been given him.—If he did not seek to improve his talent, he evidently desired to give it back having the same value as when he got it. This man is the type of the person whom we all know—the easy-going, the inoffensive, and the well-meaning man. He is one who does not care to be troubled much about any religious duty, however pressing it may be. He will place no obstacle in the way of others to do good, but he himself will not move one foot in that direction.
II. His honesty can be seen also in the care that he took not to lose his talent.—He was too fond of ease, idleness had too great a charm for him, to think of making any use of his talent. He wanted to go to heaven, but he would take no yoke, he would bear no burden.
III. Thus far the honesty of this man’s conscience has exerted some influence over his life; but the influence has been that of fear, and not of love.—If our religion be a religion of fear merely, it will be barren as this man’s was.
IV. This man unwittingly condemns himself in giving in his account.—And so will every man who sins in a similar manner condemn himself, for the excuse framed to shield his slothfulness can never be a valid one.
V. This man is reproved and condemned, not for being a robber, blasphemer, or unbeliever, but for doing nothing.—Slothfulness in spiritual matters is a sin in the sight of God.—W. Collins Davies, B.A.