‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.’
Matthew 25:14-19
A friend of mine was somewhat perplexed by this parable. I imagine that the use of “talents”,a form of currency in Jesus’s time, complicates matters. Cunningly, this can be used to support and justify the existence of billionaires, based on the argument that they used their “talents” to generate great wealth. People can use the Bible to justify anything. Yet, this is never done in accordance with the message of the Gospel. To justify their own greed and personal desires, people often turn to the Bible to concoct a different “gospel.”
There are churches out there that preach a “different gospel” and do exactly that. We should not be surprised by this distortion of Jesus’ teachings. The apostle Paul himself, in his letter to the Galatians (1:6), spoke of a “different gospel” that was being spread within the early church. Since the very beginning of our faith, human sin has sought to distort the true message of the Gospel. This is not a new phenomenon; it has always been present in the church.
In our ministry, this contamination is ever present in the lives of our young people. The homeless are constantly bombarded by these preachers of another “gospel” and their misleading words penetrate into the mindset of many young people.
There is one young man who, having managed to leave the streets, now rents a small room. Even though the living conditions are far from ideal, the space is tiny and riddled with mold, but it is still better than sleeping on the streets. He was able to secure this through a government program which provides a monthly financial stipend to individuals living in extreme poverty. It is not much, but it is enough to cover his rent and his food expenditures. Unfortunately, this young man has been deeply influenced by these “false doctrines” and ends up donating a large portion of this money to these churches. He has been convinced that if he gives a significant share of his monthly income, God will bless him even more financially. Conversely, according to these false prophets, if he fails to do so, God will punish him. Now, he is left with only enough to pay his rent and must rely on food donations to survive.
It is understandable why my friend was somewhat troubled by this parable. It can be used in an insidious way to justify a “different gospel.” Therefore, it is essential that we interpret this parable in a manner consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
Jesus uses money to illustrate an eternal truth. Money is something universal; everyone had access to it; including enslaved people, the extremely poor, and destitute widows. We should recall the lesson Jesus taught regarding the widow’s offering. The widow owned neither land nor property, had she possessed such things she certainly would not have been in such dire poverty. Yet, even she had two small coins. From the little she possessed, she gave to God, and her actions secured her an eternal place in the Gospels.
At no point in this parable nor in any others does Jesus suggest that someone with more talents is superior to someone with fewer. Some people even claim that they cannot do much for the Kingdom of God because they lack sufficient talents to do so. There are even churches that refuse to participate in what God is doing in this world, using this very same excuse. Yet, nowhere in this parable are people judged based on the talents they did not possess; rather, they are judged by what they did with the talents they did have. In other words, God is not concerned with what we possess or the quantity of what we have, that is irrelevant to Him. What matters to Him is what we do with what we have.
Everything we have we received from God. According to the Scriptures, all things come from God and nothing really belongs to us. It is interesting to note that we never need to remind our young people living on the streets of this. They seem to understand that they have survived thus far thanks to God’s love for them. They have been telling us this for many years. At first, we thought they were merely repeating a religious cliché. Now, however, we realize that it is, in fact, a deep-seated conviction. The same cannot be said for those of us who come from a “mainstream” background. We tend to forget. We believe that we deserve what we possess, thanks to our own merits. In reality, everything we have is given to us, not just our money, but who we are and everything we own, our time, our friendships, our families… everything comes from God.
These are given to us so that we can use them for the glory and honor of God. This is the difference between those who know and acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and those who don’t. The latter are ignorant of the fact that they have responsibilities towards the Creator. The former’s souls are awakened through the Holy Spirit to live life according to the Spirit whose only objective is to glorify Jesus in our midst. Therefore, all of us have received what suffices to glorify God. God expects us to bear fruits reflecting His glory. The most important thing is to produce fruits with what we have. It is not the number of talents we possess which counts. God seeks fruits. Perhaps, we need to concern ourselves with the nature of the fruits that God seeks in us. This brings another question, what are exactly these fruits?
Perhaps another controversial parable, found in the Gospel of Luke, might be useful for enhancing our reflection. It is the parable of the dishonest manager. Jesus concluded this parable by saying something very strange. He said:
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. Luke 16:9
Jesus had a very peculiar relationship with money. He never trusted it. He never handled it. In the Gospels, the person who managed the group’s finances was the very one who betrayed Him. Even when He needed to pay required taxes, the money was found inside a fish. He never dealt with money directly. Yet, He knows that we need it in this world. He instructs us to use it to gain friends. This, of course, does not mean buying friendships; it is impossible to purchase a true friendship. The lesson of this parable is the same as that of the parable of the talents, though with a different emphasis: we should use our resources to bless others, in such a way that they become our treasures in this world.
Not long ago, I was briefly introduced to a billionaire. I barely exchanged a word with him, so I cannot draw any definitive conclusion. However, the person who introduced us had a great deal to say. Nothing that was shared suggested that this billionaire possessed any true “fruit.” He had unlimited access to material goods, yet he lacked genuine, eternal wealth. One of the richest people I know is Bruno, a friend who has lived on the streets for a long time. I don’t say this out of sentimentality; I speak with complete sincerity. Let me explain. The fundamental human goal is to be recognized and loved. People often believe that the more possessions they have, the greater their chances of being recognized and loved. Bruno has achieved this, despite the extremely limited resources at his disposal.
Many years ago, I told Bruno that he could be a blessing to others, even while living on the streets. I explained to him that there are many people especially the elderly who live in isolation, with no one to love them. Bruno took these words to heart. He began by reaching out to an elderly Chinese immigrant who lived alone. She barely spoke any Portuguese, yet Bruno managed to communicate with her. He asked for nothing in return; he simply offered her his attention. She welcomed his kindness, and now she cooks for two—every single day, she brings lunch to Bruno. Others have also begun to connect with him. A young man, whose father owns a thriving business, sits down to talk with Bruno every day before heading to work. Bank managers, stepping out for a smoke break, are also among his friends. There are so many people that it would be impossible to list them all. Although Bruno has limited resources, he has borne much fruit. I am certain that God is pleased with the fruit he has produced.
Bruno is also very happy with the result, for there is nothing more rewarding than bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus wants us to know: bearing fruit is a joy. Those who bury their talents will never understand or appreciate this joy.
