Talents
This is the sermon I preached on Sunday, Nov. 19 at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. The text is Matthew 25:14-30. Let’s look at the cultural context of our gospel. First, what is a talent? Doesn’t talent mean that someone can sing or dance or do stand-up comedy well? In Jesus’ time, a talent was not an ability, but rather a very large sum of money—between 75–96 pounds of silver. One talent was equal to 15 years of a laborer’s wages. Five talents would be more than a lifetime’s wages. Not all disciples have the same amount of responsibility, as we see in this parable of the slaves. They were all given talents “according to their ability” (v. 15). As God’s children, we are obligated to participate in God’s mission “according to [our] ability” (v. 15). The master called his slaves and “delivered over” or “gave over” his possessions to them. That’s the meaning in Greek of the word translated as “entrusted.” It seems to...