Although the talents are not our ability, but the Lord’s possession, they are delivered to us according to our ability. Our ability is constituted by God’s creation and our learning. The capacity of our ability is based upon the willingness of our heart. If we do not have any willingness in our heart, then we shall not have the capacity to receive the talent. The capacity to receive the talent is measured by the willingness of our heart.
Verses 16 and 17 say, “Immediately, he who received the five talents went and traded with them and gained another five; similarly, he who received the two gained another two.” To trade with the talents signifies using the gift the Lord has given us, and to gain other talents signifies that the gift we received from the Lord has been used to the fullest extent, without any loss or waste.
According to chapter twenty-four, the slave is to supply food to those in the household. This refers to the ministering of the nourishing Word with the riches of Christ as the life supply to those in the Lord’s house. Here, however, it speaks of trading with the talents to cause the talents to multiply. Therefore, the result of our service has two aspects. The first aspect is that others are fed and given rich nourishment. The second aspect is that the Lord’s possessions are multiplied. For example, the more we preach the gospel, the richer the gospel becomes. It is the same with the truths. As we minister the truths to others, the truths multiply. This is also true of the saints and the churches. Both the believers and the churches will multiply. Thus, five talents are multiplied into ten, and two talents are multiplied into four.
Verse 18 says, “But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth and hid his lord’s silver.” The main emphasis in this parable is on the one-talented one, the one who received the smallest gift. It is very easy for the least-gifted ones to fail to make the proper use of their gift.
As the earth signifies the world, so to dig in the earth signifies getting into the world. Any association, any involvement with the world, even a little worldly talk, will bury the Lord’s gift to us. Hiding the Lord’s silver signifies rendering the Lord’s gift useless, letting it lie waste under the cloak of certain earthly excuses. Any excuse for not using the Lord’s gift is to hide it. This is always the danger with the one-talented ones, those who consider their gift as the smallest.
With the one-talented slave in this parable, there is no multiplication. For instance, in a certain area there may be one church. Ten years later, there is still just one church in that area. Some may think that the one-talented slave did well in not losing his talent and in returning to the Lord what was His. The one-talented slave seemed to say, “Lord, here is what is Yours. You gave me one talent, and I have been faithful to keep, guard, protect, and preserve it. By Your mercy and grace, I have kept it.” But the issue of our service must be the multiplication of our talents. It is not the Lord’s will for us simply to maintain what He has given us. If you are faithful merely to keep the gospel, the truth, and the church without any multiplication, the Lord will say that you are slothful. Furthermore, He will call you an evil slave. In the eyes of the Lord, it is evil to bury the talent and not to multiply it. The Lord does not care for our argument or excuses. He cares only that the one talent is multiplied into two. This is a serious matter. Our service must issue in the feeding and satisfaction of others and in the multiplication of the talent.