Kingdom Parables 1: The Talents

When I was younger, particularly in middle school, I was a little upset with God. Everyone around me started to hit puberty. My friends began to grow taller, their voices becoming deeper, their muscles becoming stronger, and even my female acquaintances began to tower over me. Even when puberty made its entrance in my life, my voice didn’t exactly drop to the basement, and my height…well, you get the idea. I couldn’t help but see all this and think, “Why did God give them all those gifts and nothing for me?” 

This morning, we are looking at the “Parable of the Talents,” where Jesus tells the story of a master giving differing amounts of resources to his servants and what the servants do with those resources. I used to think this parable gave me an out; not much was expected of me because I was given so little. Of course, looking at my life now, I realize just how much God has given me and how my concerns in middle school were but minor inconveniences to the major life blessings I have been gifted. However, is that even what this story is trying to convey? How are we to decipher this parable that, on its face, seems simple enough but underneath can raise more questions than answers? Let’s take a look.