In the parable of the talents, a Lord, who is going on a journey, divides his possessions among three slaves. The first two worked with the talent and doubled the possessions. The third buried it in the ground and did nothing with it.
19 And after a long time the lord of those slaves came and settled the account with them.
separation
The coming of the lord in the parable is the moment of the dawning of the Kingdom over the whole world. The current aeon will then end (Matt. 24:3) and a new aeon will begin, the thousand years. Various parables speak of this. Thus the Kingdom is presented as a barn (Matt. 13:30), or as a wedding (Matt. 22:2), in which ‘the good’ is gathered and ‘the bad’ is thrown out (Matt. 13:30,42,48; Matt. 24:51; 25:11-12).
Later we will see that the Son of Man will then sit on the throne of His glory and that the nations will be gathered before Him and that there too a separation will take place (Matt. 25:31-32).
20 And he that received the five talents came to him, and brought five talents more, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents.
21 And his lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord.
22 And he that received the two talents came also to him, and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained beside them two talents.
23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord.
faithful
Verses 21 and 23 are exactly the same. Although there is a difference in what is entrusted to each, the result is the same. They are both commended, because they have done well. Good in this context is: they watched (Matt. 24:42; 25:13) and endured to the end. These slaves were believing slaves and that is evident from the works that came from their faith. Their faith was not dead (Jas. 2:17), but alive. The context also shows here that God does not expect achievements from man. It is said of both slaves: you were trustworthy over little. If faith is not hidden away or ‘burned shut’ (compare 1 Tim. 4:2), then it will always produce fruit.
But he also who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you do not sow, and gathering where you do not scatter.
25 And I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground; behold, you have what is yours.”
26 And his lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I do not sow, and gather where I do not scatter.
27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received mine own with usury.”
unbelieving
The wicked and slothful servant is the opposite of the other servants, who are good and faithful (>trustworthy). He is evil and unbelieving (>unfaithful). This servant has not watched and endures to the end. The unfaithful servant is confronted with his own words, which are repeated by the master. If he were convinced that his master is a hard man, who reaps where he does not sow and gathers where he has not scattered, he should have acted accordingly. In doing so, he condemns himself.
a hard man?
That does not mean that the master is a hard man, that is the opinion of this slave. From what follows it becomes clear that this is not the case. The master says that if the slave had brought his silver to the bank, he could have collected it with interest when he arrived. Then, however little, the talent would still have been worked with. With the first two slaves we find a doubling of the talents, but this shows that the master would have been satisfied with the least growth. What only counts is a living faith, however small.