Ordinary Talents

Parables of the Talents, Pt. 2

This Week's Bible Reading:
Matthew 25:14-30 (focus on verses 14-18)

At first glance, we may think Jesus is using the parable of the Talents to teach us a lesson in economics. But, as with several of his parables, Jesus uses the topic of money to talk indirectly about something else. In this case, it's about the responsibilities that come with being part of God's kingdom.

In the story, the man gives each of his servants a different number of talents. When I imagine a talent, I picture something like a shiny coin. (Okay, I'll be honest—I picture one of those delicious chocolate gold coins!) But a talent was more like a big block of gold or silver weighing about 60 pounds.

Why did the servants get a different number of talents? The man gave "to each according to his ability" (v. 15). This might seem unfair, but I find comfort in it. I am only responsible for the things God has given me. I won't be judged for what I do with somebody else's talents.

And the third servant wasn't given chump change, either! A talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer's wage.

For fun, I looked up what the average day laborer makes in my home state of Florida. It is about $13 an hour (we rank dead last in nationwide day laborer salaries if you're curious...). Based on a 40-hour work week, one talent would be the modern equivalent of $540,800. (And this would be at the low end of the spectrum.) Imagine if someone handed you a slab of gold worth that much!

Any way you look at it, the master trusted all three servants with an enormous amount of money. And while the first two servants used what they were given to earn more, the third servant buried his talent in the ground.

But what does a talent represent for us? And what does it look like to use them wisely?

In our language, a talent is not a monetary unit but "a special natural ability or aptitude." Because of this definition, it's easy to assume a talent is a special ability God gave us to use for his kingdom. This is partly true, but we miss something if we only think of it this way.

I believe God gives us all unique abilities. But so often, we have a narrow view of what a talent is. We think of the "big ones," like preaching an amazing sermon or composing a beautiful hymn on a piano (a talent I wish I had!). When we don't have an obvious ability that wows the world, it's easy to wonder if we are serving God in a significant way.

But the kingdom of God is built on small acts. A talent is any opportunity we have to extend God's kingdom to a broken world. Yes, it might be playing a grand piano to a crowd of thousands. But most of the time, it is simpler than that. Dare I say, it is more ordinary than that.

On most mornings, I'm awakened by my three-year-old son calling "Mommy!" As I open my bleary eyes, I have two choices. I can pretend I didn't hear it and let Diana go get him (he did, after all, call for her!). Or I can get up and give her a few more moments of precious sleep. This is a small act indeed, but it is one way to love my wife.

When I hear that voice cry out at 6 a.m., it’s like God dropped a talent in my lap. Will I do something with this talent or will I bury it in the ground? (Honest assessment: I'm about 50/50 on this one...)

We face hundreds of small moments like this every day. They may not be as exciting as the "big talents" that put us in the spotlight. But the ordinary talents matter to God just as much.

When you spend an hour talking to a lonely friend over coffee, you are investing in God's kingdom. And it matters.

When you stock shelves in the back corner of a food bank, you are investing in God's kingdom. And it matters.

When you take a pause out of your busy day to pray for the person who popped into your mind, you are investing in God's kingdom. And it matters.

When you encourage your pastor with a kind word, you're investing in God's kingdom. And it matters. (They may appear confident, but I promise you, they have their insecurities, too.)

And if you have a talent that the world deems extraordinary, invest that, too! We need musicians, artists, speakers, and leaders. But using those talents doesn't exempt us from using our ordinary talents as well. The megachurch pastor who gave an inspiring sermon still has to go home and decide how he will treat his family.

As I said earlier, all three servants were given an abundance of resources to use. But if we're not careful, we can become envious of other people's talents. This is something I struggle with as a writer. It's easy to look at another person with a bigger audience and say, "If only I had their platform, then I could do something big for God."

How do we avoid this comparison trap? By focusing on the talents we were entrusted with. God doesn't need me to do something "big" for him. He wants me to be faithful with each opportunity he gives me. This means waking up every morning and saying, "Thank you, God, for the gift of today. Please show me how to use what you've given me to extend your beautiful kingdom to others.”

And most of the time, this is done through simple, ordinary acts of love and self-sacrifice.

Questions to Ponder:

How would you define a "talent" in the context of God's kingdom?

Have you ever wished you had different (perhaps more significant, as the world defines it) talents? How can you stay focused on the talents God has entrusted you with?

What opportunities has God given you this week to extend his kingdom to a broken world?


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