Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
The Parable of the Talents. MATTHEW XXV. Deseriplion of the Last Judgment.
and slothful servant—" Wicked" or " bad" means ' falsehearted,' as opposed to the others, who are emphatically styled "good servants." The addition of "slothful" is to mark the precise nature of his wickedness : it consisted,
Ijelne "not their own, but bought with a pric*. ' (1 Corinthians fi. 13, 20). and He "delivers it to them" again to be put to use in His service. 15. And unto oi»e I»e gave live taleiit, to aiiotlier two, and to another one—While
Ihe proportion of ffifls is different in eacli, tlie same ftdelity it seems, not in hisdoing anything, against, butsimply nothing for his master. Thou knewest that I reap where is required of all, and equally rewarded. And tlius there.S perfect equity, to every man according to his several •bllity—his natural capacit.y as enlisted in Christ's ser-
I sowed not, and gather where I have not straived He takes the servant's own account of his demands, as expressing graphically enough, not the "hardness" wliicU he had basely imputed to him, but simply his demand i)f " a profitable return for the gift entrusted." 27. thou oughtest therefore to liave put my money to ttie exchangers—or, 'the bankers'—and then at my coming 1 should have receive<l mine own with usury—or ' invice, and his opportunities in providence for employing the gifts bestowed on him. and straightway took his Journey — Cf. eh. 21. 33, where the same departure is ascribed to God, after setting up the ancient economy. In both case.s, it denotes the leaving of men to the action of all those spiritual laws and Influences of Heaven under whicli they have been graciously placed for their own salvation and the advancement of tlieir Lord's kingdom. 16. Then he that liad received the five talents went and traded wltli the same—expressive of the activity whicli lie put forth and tlie labour he bestowed—and ma<le tliem other five talents. 17. And likewise lie that ha<l received two—rather, ' the two'—he also gained other two—each doubling what he received, and thereterest.' 89. For unto every one tliat hath sltall be given, &c. See on ch. 13. 12. 30. And cast ye—'cast ye out' — the unprofitable servant— 'the useless servant,' that does his Master no service—Into outer darkness 'the darkness which is outside.' On this expression see on ch. 22. 13. there shall be weeping and gnashing ofteeth —See on ch. 13. 42.
31-46. The Last Jxjdgment. The close connection between this sublime scene—peculiar to Matthew—and the two preceding parables is too obvious to need pointing fore botft equally faithful. 18. Bnt he tliat had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money—not misspending, but simply making no use of it. Nay, his action seems that of one anxious that the gift should not be misused or lost, but ready to be retufned, just as he got it. 19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them—Tliat any one—within the lifetime of the apostles at least — with sucii words before them, should think tliat Jesus had given any reason to expect His Second Appearing within tliat period, would seem strange, did we not know the tendencj"^ of enthusiastic, ill-regulated love of His appearing ever to take this turn. SJO. Lord, thon dellveredst luito me five talents ; behold, I Ikave gained besides them five talents more—How beautifully does this illustrate what the beloved disciple says of " boldness In the day of judgment," and his desire that "when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming!" (1 John 4. 17; 2. 28.) 31. His lord said unto him. Well done—a single word, not of l>are satisfaction, but of warm and delighted commendation. And from what Lips!—thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things . . . ^'i. He also that had received two talents came . . . good and faithful servant : thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things Both are commended in the same terms, and the reward of both is precisely the same. (See on v. 15.) Observe also the contrasts: 'Thou hast been faithful as a servant; now be a rulei—thou hast been entrusted with a out. 31. When the Son of man shall come in his glory —His personal glory—and all the holy angels w ith him —See Deuteronomy 33. 2; Daniel 7. 9, 10; Jude 14; with Hebrews 1.6; 1 Peter 3.22—then shall he sit upon the tlirone of his glory—tlie glory of His judicial authority, 32. And before him shall be .gathered all nations—or,
'all the nations.' That this sliould be understood to mean the heathen nations, or all except believers in Christ, will seem amazing to any simple reader. Yet this is the exposition of Olshausen, Stiek, Keil, Alfokd (tliough latterly with some diffidence), and of a number, tliough not all, of those who hold that Clirist will come the second time before the millennium, and that the s.aints will be caught up to meet Him in the air before His appearing. Their chief argument is, the impossibility of any that ever knew the Lord Jesus wondering, at the Judijment Day, that they should be thought to have done—or left undone—anything "unto Christ." To that we shall advert when we come to it. But here we may just say, that
If this scene do not describe a personal, public, final judgment on men, according to the treatment tliey have given to Christ—and consequently men within the Cliristian pale—we shall have to consider again whether our Lord's teaching on the greatest themes of human interest does Indeed possess that incomparable simplicity and transparency of meaning wliich, by universal consent, has been ascribed to it. If it be said. But how can this be the general judgment, if only those within the Christian pale be embraced by It?—we answer. What is here described, as it certainly does not meet the case of all the family of' Adam, is of course so far not general. But we have no right to conclude that the whole "judgment of the great day" will be limited to the points of view here presented; Other explanations will come up in the course of our exposition, and lie shall separate them—now for the first time; the two classes having been mingled all along up; to this awful moment — as a shepherd dlvideth his sheep from the goats—(See Ezekiel 34. 17.) 33. And: he shall set the sheep on his right hand—the side of honour
/eif things; now have cZoffiiriion over many things.' enter tliou into the Joy of thy lord—thy Lord's own joy. (See John 15. 11 ; Hebrews 12. 2.) 24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard—or 'harsh'—man—The word in Luke (19. 21) Is " austere"—reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed— The sense is obvious : ' I knew thou wast one whom it was impossible to serve, one whom nothing would please: exacting what was Impracticable, and dissatisfied with what was attainable.' Thus do men secretly think of God as a hard Master, and virtually throw on Him the blame of their fruitlessness. 25. And I was aflraid—of making matters worse by meddling with
(1 Kings 2. 19; Psalm 45.9; 110.1, &c.)—but the goats on the left—the side consequently of dishonour. 34. The» shall the King—Magnificent title, here for the first and only time, save In parabolical language, givex] to Himself by the Lord Jesus, and that on the eve of His deepest humiliation! It is to intimate that in then addressing the heirs of the kingdom. He will put on all his regal majesty—say unto them on his right hand, Come— the same sweet word with which He had so long invited all the weary and heavy laden to come unto Him for rest. Now it Is addressed exclusivel.v to such as have come and found rest. It is still "Come," and to "rest" too; but to rest in a higher style, and In another region—ye blessed of my Father, Inherit the kingilom prepaa-ed for you from the foundation of the world—The whole story of it at all—and went and hid thy talent In the earth —This depicts the conduct of all those who shut up their gifts from the active service of Christ, without actually prostituting them to unworthy uses. Fitly, therefore, may it, at least, comprehend those, to whomTKENCH refers, who, in the early Church, pleaded that they had enough to do with their ow n souls, and were afraid of losing them in trying to saveothers; and so, instead of being the salt of the earth, thought rather of keeping their own galtness by withdrawing sometimes into caves and wildernesses, from all those active ministries of love by which they might have served their brethren. Thou wicked 51
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