Matthew 25
14 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money
19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
After having read The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, this parable is (similarly) about how people view God. This parable isn’t very complex in structure. It’s simple in the sense that we have several servants that traded “talents.” The Master is God. And the servants are people. The “goods”\”talents” mentioned, is the faith and word of God.
Two of the servants gained 2 and 5 more talents respectively. Which means that 2 of the 3 servants believed the gospel, and they went forth and helped to save 2 and 5 more souls, with the word of God. But the unprofitable servant didn’t do anything with the 1 talent.
And his excuse was that his master was “an hard man.” In Luke’s version of this parable, it says “austere man.” This is how this servant views God, as a cheap man that takes from where he has not bestowed labor. And because of this, this servant hid the talent in the ground, out of fear.
Then God, at his return, came to see what these people had wrought. The servants that brought in 2 and 5 were commended as being “faithful with little.” Which means that God gave them very little responsibility and they were faithful with that. They were rewarded regardless of the amount either had accrued. But to the unprofitable servant that hid the 1 talent in the ground, God said:
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
The talent is symbolic of the gospel and testimony of God (1 John 5:9-13). The unprofitable servant was given 1 task to complete before meeting God, and this is to believe John 3:16. Instead, the servant was afraid, and so he didn’t even believe the message. He “hid it in the ground,” as it were. He put it away from himself. God said that “thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed.” I want to start off by saying that this is not how God is like at all. Instead, this is what that unprofitable servant “knew” i.e. believed, about God. Like the goats in the previous parable, their view of God is incorrect.
Even so, given this belief, he “oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.” This means that he should have at the very least believed the gospel, if nothing else. Because the gospel is a sure thing, just like the lending with usury (interest in a savings account). It requires no effort.
But instead, the servant did nothing, he just hid it in the ground out of fear. I want to go out on a limb and suggest that the earth in this parable is the flesh. Because “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” (Genesis 3:19). The unprofitable servant failed to believe the gospel. Instead, he confounded the message in his fleshly mind (Romans 8:6) which is dust (Colossians 2:18). And he knows that God demands perfection. And so, out of fear, he sows to his flesh and invests in the works of his hands (Galatians 6:8). Just like the goats in the previous parable, that did works in hopes of being justified thereby.
Therefore, the unprofitable servant buries the word in the Earth. He is trying to play it safe by doing works (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using)(Colossians 2:21). Unfortunately, the whole Earth, and all the works of the earth will be “burned up” at The Judgement (2 Peter 3:10). The only work that will stand is the gospel (John 6:29).
To further prove this point, Christ also said, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). So, the unprofitable servant sowed to his flesh. He sowed to his works. And because he did this, the best case scenario for him is that he is unprofitable; he did that which was his duty to do.
Matthew 25
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Everyone that hath shall be given, he says. What must we have, in order to be considered a profitable servant? Faith. In fact, the phrase is structured in an exact manner as 1 John 5:12, which is more evidence as to the nature of the judgement:
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life”
This parable is teaching that you must believe in the goodness of God, the gospel, to bear fruit\talents (i.e. win souls) and to be justified. Because all our earthly works will be burned up. And the only “talents” that would be accrued to our account are souls that we have won over to the Lord, including our own.
1 Corinthians 2
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
What is the reward? Anyone that you win over to Christ. Because all other works will not count. They would be wood, hay, and stubble. Instead, believers in Christ are considered gold and precious jewels. Because Christ is the only one who is sealed in God (John 3:33, John 6:27).
1 Thessalonians 2
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
The flesh and the works of the flesh do not count. That is why the flesh is symbolized by the “outer court” in the tabernacle construct of the old testament.
Revelation 11
1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
The reed which is made like unto a rod is Christ, just as it clearly states in Isaiah 11:1-2. And Christ is made like unto a rod because he keeps the law perfectly, but will not judge us according to the law. That is why Christ is also symbolized by the ark of gopher wood. That was the ark Moses had to use to bring down the 10 commandments the second time, in order to not break them. Man cannot so much as touch the law, lest he break it. “For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart” (Hebrews 12:20).
The “outer court” therefore, is not measured by the reed, nor is it taken into account. Instead, we are to only measure the temple of God and “them that worship therein.” And of course, we are the temple of God.
1 Corinthians 3
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Christ is the measure of those that are saved. As many as are within the inner court (believers in Christ) are a part of the body of Christ. Yay, “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
John 3
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Every man must be born twice to be in Heaven. A man’s first birth is of the flesh. And “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63).
John 3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
So, if a man never believes on Christ, he will never be born again in the Spirit of Christ. He will never be part of the temple of God. He will never be in Heaven.
Hebrews 4
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
But we are of them that believe God’s testimony, His record (1 John 5:9-13). Therefore, we are not our flesh. We are dead to the flesh, alive to Christ (Galatians 2:20). How are we alive to Christ? In the Spirit, which is invisible. We are counted as part of the temple of Christ.
Romans 8
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
That is why the gentiles are to be found in the outer courts. A gentile is anyone who has never believed on Christ. It has nothing to do with your race, nationality, lineage; nor has it anything to do with your works or performance. It has everything to do with 1 John 5 9-13, John 3:16, and Romans 10:8-13.
Romans 9
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Romans 2
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
A jew is a believer in Christ. A gentile is someone who has never believed the gospel, and is therefore not born of the Spirit of God. That is why the slothful\evil servant, is a servant who does not “obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). He is not a jew (he is not a Christian). He is not a believer of God’s record. He may consider himself to be a “servant” of God, but that means nothing. This evil servant took upon him the name of Christ in a useless manner. And “his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). And “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The evil servant refuses the gospel. He refuses to believe in the once-and-for-all salvation of God. Instead, he blasphemes Christ by sowing to the works of the hands of his flesh.
In short, he took the name of the Lord in vain.
Luke 17
20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Think about it, God can create in entire universe. Material rewards\things\works do not matter to God. He is like unto a Trillionaire (obviously more). He can have anything that he wants. But what does God want? He wants people to freely come to him, and believe on him. And we win people over to Christ with the correct gospel message.
Romans 10
17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
And Jesus Christ is the Word of God.
John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
That is why you need to have the correct Word to deliver to people. If you think God is an austere man, who reaps where he did not straw. Meaning that God did not pay for your sins, that you must work to gain salvation, then you are not going to gain anyone. Not only that, but you most likely haven’t believed the true gospel either. And so, the word that is received, believed, and told to others is tantamount.
Because God prayed for those that would believe on Him, through our word.
John 17
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word
Therefore, the work is to believe the gospel. Just as it says in John 6:29, just as it says in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Just as it says everywhere in the Bible. And faith is not a work, it is just a figure of speech to say that there are no works at all.