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Rich and Poor

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
None of us come into this world with anything and neither do we part from it with anything that we didn't bring. So is Jesus suggesting in Matthew 25:13-30 that more is expected from those who have more and less from those who have less talents? Everyone doesn't have the same capabilities and everyone can't give the same but they can give something?

Matthew 25:13-30
The Parable of the Talents
13 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. 19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I never thought about this before, but I decided to check to see how much a "Talent" is actually worth:

Some authorities say that the talent typically weighed about 33 kg (75 lb) varying from 20 to 40 kg. In February, 2016, the international price of gold was about US$1190 per troy ounce. One gram costs about $38. At this price, a talent (33 kg) would be worth about $1.25 million.
Talent (weight) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Talent (weight) - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's a pretty generous amount to be giving. When I first heard this parable, I thought it was just a pittance, but that's a sizable sum of money.
 

Lyndon

"Peace is the answer" quote: GOD, 2014
Premium Member
The parable is not referring to Talents of monetary value, but rather symbolic Talents of spiritual value IMHO
 

eldios

Active Member
None of us come into this world with anything and neither do we part from it with anything that we didn't bring. So is Jesus suggesting in Matthew 25:13-30 that more is expected from those who have more and less from those who have less talents? Everyone doesn't have the same capabilities and everyone can't give the same but they can give something?

Matthew 25:13-30
The Parable of the Talents
13 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 14 For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. 19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’”

Every created man will experience the loss of everything he and she experienced during this first temporary generation.

Isaiah 65
16: So that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hid from my eyes.
17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
18: But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19: I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
I never thought about this before, but I decided to check to see how much a "Talent" is actually worth:



That's a pretty generous amount to be giving. When I first heard this parable, I thought it was just a pittance, but that's a sizable sum of money.
the story is a parable. it isn't usually a literal interpretation but a symbolic one representing certain actions. a tree isn't known by it's appearance but by it's fruit. that parable is neither literally about trees, or their fruit.

parable
 

Politesse

Amor Vincit Omnia
I understand that a talent was something like ten year's wages for the underclass; a lot, but more the equivalent of a some few tens of thousands of dollars American, today.
 

Kelly of the Phoenix

Well-Known Member
So is Jesus suggesting in Matthew 25:13-30 that more is expected from those who have more and less from those who have less talents? Everyone doesn't have the same capabilities and everyone can't give the same but they can give something?
Yep.

Though, it also brings up one thing that irritates me about Jesus' parables: He LOVES to downplay cruel masters. You would think God would know better or something. Oh well.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
Yep.

Though, it also brings up one thing that irritates me about Jesus' parables: He LOVES to downplay cruel masters. You would think God would know better or something. Oh well.

interesting aside does the parable imply that we all come into this world empty handed but some how are given gifts from a singular source and based on our capabilities?

he who has more, more will be given and he who has not, even that will be taken away?
 

Stevicus

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
interesting aside does the parable imply that we all come into this world empty handed but some how are given gifts from a singular source and based on our capabilities?

he who has more, more will be given and he who has not, even that will be taken away?

For some reason, this topic reminds me of a short film called The Price of Life (1987) - IMDb .

It portrayed a society based on the premise that every person born starts off with 1000 years of life, which is also the currency they use to purchase goods and services. Time is money, literally. It focused on a brother and sister, where the brother was industrious, money-wise, and thrifty, while his sister was just the opposite and spent her time/money frivolously. At one point, the sister was near broke and was desperately trying slot machines at a casino. Once she was out of money, she was out of time and died right there in her brother's arms. Her brother had grown to be an up-and-coming wheeler-dealer type, but there was a rule in their society where family members could not give their time/money to other family members. That's why he couldn't do anything to save his sister, since he was forbidden to give any of his years to her, despite the fact that she was facing death.

At the end, one character noted that everyone in the society starts out the same - equal, with 1000 years of life as their currency. What they do with it and how it turns out is based on their own choices, and those who make the right choices could conceivably live forever, while those who make the wrong choices could face an early demise.

It's different from the parable since each servant was given a different amount, but it seems to have a parallel message.
 

Fool

ALL in all
Premium Member
For some reason, this topic reminds me of a short film called The Price of Life (1987) - IMDb .

It portrayed a society based on the premise that every person born starts off with 1000 years of life, which is also the currency they use to purchase goods and services. Time is money, literally. It focused on a brother and sister, where the brother was industrious, money-wise, and thrifty, while his sister was just the opposite and spent her time/money frivolously. At one point, the sister was near broke and was desperately trying slot machines at a casino. Once she was out of money, she was out of time and died right there in her brother's arms. Her brother had grown to be an up-and-coming wheeler-dealer type, but there was a rule in their society where family members could not give their time/money to other family members. That's why he couldn't do anything to save his sister, since he was forbidden to give any of his years to her, despite the fact that she was facing death.

At the end, one character noted that everyone in the society starts out the same - equal, with 1000 years of life as their currency. What they do with it and how it turns out is based on their own choices, and those who make the right choices could conceivably live forever, while those who make the wrong choices could face an early demise.

It's different from the parable since each servant was given a different amount, but it seems to have a parallel message.

there are many actors on the stage that can play a part, but there aren't that many roles to be played.


tarot major arcana

hero with a 1000 faces.
 
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