( And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
In this parable the onlookers protest when the unused pound is taken from the unfaithful servant and given to the one who already has ten, for the master had entrusted his goods to his servants to trade with in his absence and on his return required his own back with increase. All that anyone has is a loan from the Lord in trust, given to each person individually according to varied capability, so that none is excused and greater gifts bring heavier responsibility. What is entrusted must be put actively to work for the master's interests rather than hidden or left idle, for faithful use increases capability and power while slothful neglect loses what could have grown. Each servant must give a personal account, and the master examines the work and rewards faithfulness or punishes abuse, giving what was selfishly left unused to others who will honor the trust. The trust is given to save perishing souls and advance God's work, and faithful stewardship is judged by improvement according to capacity, not by size of gift, with all credit for gain belonging to the Lord.
Verse Wording and Setting
The interjection records the bystanders pointing out that the servant already holds ten pounds. It comes at the moment when the unused pound is taken away from the servant who failed to put it to use and is given to the one who has ten. In that setting, what has been entrusted is to be used faithfully, and faithful use brings increase while neglect leads to loss. What God entrusts to each person must be put to work and its use will be examined, for the Lord at His coming expects to receive back what is His with increase. Mere profession of faith counts for nothing, since genuine faith is shown by love expressed in works.
Talents and light are entrusted to be faithfully improved, and to neglect or disregard that trust is unsafe, while faithful service brings the Master's approval. The servant with ten pounds is responsible for the full potential of what has been given him, for greater gifts bring greater accountability and God expects returns in proportion to what each person has. God accepts service according to what a person has rather than what is lacking, so faithful use rather than the size of the gift earns commendation, and He increases the talents of those who trust and serve Him. Entrusted resources may be transferred when they are not used faithfully, for God holds stewards responsible for using gifts and means to advance His work, and if they selfishly fail He gives them to others who will honor the trust.
The saying belongs to the parable of the pounds, in which the master entrusts his money and goods to his servants to trade with while he is away. The goods are placed in their care for a time to be used rather than left idle or spent as they please, day by day and hour by hour, for time and for eternity. The pounds are talents given for the very work of saving souls perishing without Christ and making Him known to the world, and that enlightening work belongs to every person and not to the minister alone. To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it is to be slothful and idle, doing nothing and bearing no fruit, while to unearth it and put it out to use is to minister effectually to others and accomplish great good for the Master.
On his return the owner reckons with his servants, examines each one's work, and requires his own back with increase, expecting results from everyone. Each person is accountable for what was given and is assessed in relation to what was entrusted, with reward or punishment according to whether the amount was faithfully improved or abused. Wealth is to serve the Lord's work and not self-indulgence or needless display, so diverting it from that work makes a person an unfaithful steward, while those who stand the test receive the owner's reward. There is no second probation, for people are now building for the last great day and making their record in the books of heaven, and the reward Christ brings will be proportionate to each one's work.
Gifts Entrusted by God
No gain could have been made without the Lord's original deposit, for the capital comes from Him and success in using it comes from Him, so all praise and glory belong to Him. The pound is entrusted by the Lord, and any gain comes through what He has supplied. All that people possess is a loan from Him, for soul, body, spirit, time, gifts and offerings were purchased to save perishing souls, and houses, lands, money, means, gold and silver are entrusted talents to be used for good and to advance His cause. The vineyard is the Lord's, and the people and their possessions are God's property given to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need.
Talents are given in trust to every person individually and to every person his work, not reserved for a favorite few exalted in education or intellect but bestowed from the lowliest and most obscure to those in highest trust, proportioned to varied capabilities. Therefore there can be no idlers in His vineyard and none is excused, for each is to use what has been given according to ability. Means and abilities are a stewardship to be invested wisely for the advancement of God's cause. The amount entrusted differs, but having only a small amount or only one talent is no reason to think it cannot be put to useful service. Even one talent has a needed place and opportunity for service, and those who have few gifts are not accountable for gifts they were never given.
Greater gifts bring greater accountability and heavier responsibility, for greater learning, talents and money do not release from obligation but increase and intensify it. God expects returns in proportion to what each person has, and the interest required will be according to the entrusted capital and the measure of the gift. He accepts service according to what a person has, not what is lacking, so faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much.
Faithful Use and Increase
What is entrusted must be put to work and traded with rather than left idle, hidden in a napkin, buried, hoarded, or spent as one pleases. The master requires his own goods back with increase, examines each servant's work, and gives reward according to how faithfully the entrusted amount was improved, for each person is accountable for what was given to them. Money is a talent entrusted by God, and using it to advance the work of saving souls is faithful stewardship which Christ will receive with increase when he comes. The talents given — including money, ability, influence, and opportunity — are meant to be used in spreading the light of truth and helping people in darkness, and through wise work to increase what has been given rather than hide it through inaction. Neglecting them through slothfulness and selfishly withholding what belongs to God retards his work.
Faithful exercise increases capability, usefulness and power, and the more talents are exercised the greater the increase. As servants impart what they have received in service to others they receive more richly. Through wise and active use even one pound can gain another and the increase can continue, while unless the sown seed struggles above the soil springing up into life it loses all power to germinate. This forbids slothful service and requires working and watching for opportunity to represent the truth to others and win souls, growing in grace and knowledge in mental and moral improvement. Faithful use of the Lord's goods in cooperation with God brings greater power, and each person must individually seek to put gifts to work.
Neglect through slothfulness, inaction and selfish withholding loses what could have grown through use and leaves a person spiritually diminished and unprepared to answer to God. Hiding a gift instead of putting it to work fails the responsibility to cooperate with God by using grace, power and ability to carry the gospel and warn others, even though even small talents are to be used and the Holy Spirit working through human effort deserves the credit. Hiding means in a napkin and burying it in the earth is embezzling the Lord's goods and taking them away from the work and cause of God.
Faithfulness is judged according to the capacity given, not by the size of the gift. The servant is not expected to produce three pounds from one, but merely returning what was entrusted is not enough. Those who have few gifts are not accountable for gifts they were never given, and faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much. God accepts service according to what a person has, not what they lack, and faithful use rather than the size of the gift earns commendation, with God increasing the talents of those who trust and serve him. Small opportunities to serve God in little things must not be neglected, for nothing in the work of God is insignificant, and the reward of each is decided by the faithfulness with which the work is done, so that the work of the one who has but one talent is as valuable in his sight as the work of the one who has five talents.
What the Lord entrusts is to be put to work for his glory and the master's interests, not for selfish ends or personal advantage. The steward's position is one of trust and dignity to act in the master's place and make the master's interests his own, and selfishly using gains from the master's goods for personal advantage perverts that trust. The pounds are to be used to advance the work of saving others, and God has placed ample means in human hands whose use reveals whether people love the gift more than the Giver.
Reckoning Reward and Loss
The master on his return calls his servants to reckoning, requires his own goods back with increase and with usury, examines each one's work, and gives reward according to how faithfully the entrusted amount was improved, including means lent to be traded with and returned with gain. Each servant must give a personal account for what was entrusted to him, and reward or punishment follows according as those goods were improved or abused. The accounting measures stewardship in relation to what was entrusted, testing whether wealth served the Lord's work rather than self-indulgence and needless display, with those who stand the test receiving the owner's reward.
Mere profession of faith counts for nothing, and church membership alone does not secure entrance to the kingdom. What shows whether opportunities were used well is faithful service, obedience to God's will, and helping others. Servants are justified by faith and judged by their works, for genuine faith is shown by love expressed in works, working by love and purifying the soul from moral defilement to become a temple for the Lord.
Faithful use of the entrusted gift does not earn heaven nor give merit to the person, for the pound is the Lord's deposit and any gain comes through what he supplied, so all credit and glory for the increase belong to him. There is no second probation; men are now trading day by day and hour by hour for time and for eternity, building for the last great day, making their record in the books of heaven, and preparing their own reward or punishment. At his coming Christ will reckon with his servants, require an account of what was done with what was entrusted, expect results from everyone, and bring a reward proportionate to each one's work, with results of faithful trading according to ability seen at the day of reward.
If stewards selfishly fail to use their gifts and means to advance his work, God holds them responsible and gives what was entrusted to them to others who will honor the trust, as when the unused pound is taken and given to the one who has ten pounds. The day of final account will come with Christ as Chief Shepherd and Judge, and neglecting the gifts received leaves a person spiritually diminished and unprepared to answer to God in the day of God.
Stewardship in Life and Mission
The pounds are entrusted for the very work of saving souls perishing without Christ, making Him known, representing truth to others, spreading light to those in darkness and warning the world. This enlightening work belongs to every person who professes the truth, not to the minister alone, and the parable forbids slothful, idle service while requiring working and watching for opportunity to win souls to Christ. To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it is to do nothing, let souls die and bear no fruit, while to unearth it and put it out to the exchangers is to minister effectually, become a diligent laborer in the harvest field, develop workers for positions of trust and influence, and accomplish great good for the Master. Money, ability and influence are all to be put to work for God's glory and the saving of others, and the way they are used reveals whether people love the gift more than the Giver. The more talents are exercised the greater the increase of capability, as sown seed must struggle above the soil and spring into life or lose all power to germinate.
Entrusted money, houses and lands are the Lord's talent of means, His gold and silver, His vineyard and His property, given to be used to build up and advance His work wherever the field is in greatest need. They are to be invested wisely and faithfully for His honor, including supporting gospel work so people may come to know the truth, and even a small amount is no reason to think it cannot be put to useful service. Diverting means into channels that bind it away hinders entrance into new fields and the lifting of the standard of truth in new territories, brings God's displeasure and curse, and such work He cannot and will not sanction and prosper. Hiding it in a napkin and burying it in the earth is embezzling the Lord's goods and taking them away from His work and cause.
The pound that gains other pounds represents entrusted means faithfully used, and God's people are to answer His call by placing those resources in service of His work. Every talent and good He has lent remains His own and must be used for His glory and returned to Him with usury, for the Lord is soon to come. Those who have means must at once return to Him His own to help His suffering institutions out of embarrassment, with those in responsible positions setting a right example by planning and working for their relief with greater earnestness than for saving their own property. All must do something without a day or hour of delay, look over their affairs, consider the eternal consequences of rightly employing property, and bring offerings freely giving Him of His own, for large sums are needed yet even a small amount is accepted. Money so placed to relieve need is placed in the hands of Christ in the person of His afflicted brethren, and if all do what they can, angels delegated to minister to all in need will be commissioned to help and the difficulty will soon pass.
It is each steward's own work, left to be done while living, to use what is lent in the cause of God and render back both principal and interest, not to leave that work for children. What is entrusted must not be surrendered to someone else to manage nor judged, controlled or taken over by others, because each person's work and accountability belong to that person. Those given few gifts are not accountable for gifts never given, and faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much. Wise stewardship therefore requires prayer, study, planning and continued improvement in how abilities and means are used to advance His work and meet its needs.
The lesson requires mental and moral improvement, growing in grace and in knowledge of Christ, and improving character and ability according to privileges and opportunities. God supplies grace, power and ability, but people must cooperate with Him by earnest effort, putting gifts to work to carry the gospel, while the Holy Spirit working through human effort deserves the credit. Faithful use brings greater power and usefulness, for servants handle not their own goods but the Master's entrusted capital to invest, increase and return with usury, united with Christ as laborers together with God. Hoarding the Lord's goods and doing nothing loses the soul, and no one can trifle with time, privileges and opportunities, since there can be no idlers and talents are not reserved for a favored few but bestowed individually from the lowliest to those in highest trust. Servants are to act in co-partnership with their Maker by connecting with Him, giving themselves to His service and trading upon His gifts, with the one object of giving the message of truth not only in the home neighborhood but in regions beyond. A faithful steward does all he possibly can in God's service in frugality, self-denial and sanctification through the truth, and cherishing that spirit with love of the truth banishes avarice, overreaching and every species of dishonesty. The same accountability reaches into the home, where the minister's wife also has a God-given talent and responsibility to work earnestly and faithfully with her husband to save souls, even at the sacrifice of personal wishes, comforts and natural preferences.
In this parable the onlookers protest when the unused pound is taken from the unfaithful servant and given to the one who already has ten, for the master had entrusted his goods to his servants to trade with in his absence and on his return required his own back with increase. All that anyone has is a loan from the Lord in trust, given to each person individually according to varied capability, so that none is excused and greater gifts bring heavier responsibility. What is entrusted must be put actively to work for the master's interests rather than hidden or left idle, for faithful use increases capability and power while slothful neglect loses what could have grown. Each servant must give a personal account, and the master examines the work and rewards faithfulness or punishes abuse, giving what was selfishly left unused to others who will honor the trust. The trust is given to save perishing souls and advance God's work, and faithful stewardship is judged by improvement according to capacity, not by size of gift, with all credit for gain belonging to the Lord.
Verse Wording and Setting
The interjection records the bystanders pointing out that the servant already holds ten pounds. It comes at the moment when the unused pound is taken away from the servant who failed to put it to use and is given to the one who has ten. In that setting, what has been entrusted is to be used faithfully, and faithful use brings increase while neglect leads to loss. What God entrusts to each person must be put to work and its use will be examined, for the Lord at His coming expects to receive back what is His with increase. Mere profession of faith counts for nothing, since genuine faith is shown by love expressed in works.
Talents and light are entrusted to be faithfully improved, and to neglect or disregard that trust is unsafe, while faithful service brings the Master's approval. The servant with ten pounds is responsible for the full potential of what has been given him, for greater gifts bring greater accountability and God expects returns in proportion to what each person has. God accepts service according to what a person has rather than what is lacking, so faithful use rather than the size of the gift earns commendation, and He increases the talents of those who trust and serve Him. Entrusted resources may be transferred when they are not used faithfully, for God holds stewards responsible for using gifts and means to advance His work, and if they selfishly fail He gives them to others who will honor the trust.
The saying belongs to the parable of the pounds, in which the master entrusts his money and goods to his servants to trade with while he is away. The goods are placed in their care for a time to be used rather than left idle or spent as they please, day by day and hour by hour, for time and for eternity. The pounds are talents given for the very work of saving souls perishing without Christ and making Him known to the world, and that enlightening work belongs to every person and not to the minister alone. To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it is to be slothful and idle, doing nothing and bearing no fruit, while to unearth it and put it out to use is to minister effectually to others and accomplish great good for the Master.
On his return the owner reckons with his servants, examines each one's work, and requires his own back with increase, expecting results from everyone. Each person is accountable for what was given and is assessed in relation to what was entrusted, with reward or punishment according to whether the amount was faithfully improved or abused. Wealth is to serve the Lord's work and not self-indulgence or needless display, so diverting it from that work makes a person an unfaithful steward, while those who stand the test receive the owner's reward. There is no second probation, for people are now building for the last great day and making their record in the books of heaven, and the reward Christ brings will be proportionate to each one's work.
Gifts Entrusted by God
No gain could have been made without the Lord's original deposit, for the capital comes from Him and success in using it comes from Him, so all praise and glory belong to Him. The pound is entrusted by the Lord, and any gain comes through what He has supplied. All that people possess is a loan from Him, for soul, body, spirit, time, gifts and offerings were purchased to save perishing souls, and houses, lands, money, means, gold and silver are entrusted talents to be used for good and to advance His cause. The vineyard is the Lord's, and the people and their possessions are God's property given to build up and advance His work where the field is in greatest need.
Talents are given in trust to every person individually and to every person his work, not reserved for a favorite few exalted in education or intellect but bestowed from the lowliest and most obscure to those in highest trust, proportioned to varied capabilities. Therefore there can be no idlers in His vineyard and none is excused, for each is to use what has been given according to ability. Means and abilities are a stewardship to be invested wisely for the advancement of God's cause. The amount entrusted differs, but having only a small amount or only one talent is no reason to think it cannot be put to useful service. Even one talent has a needed place and opportunity for service, and those who have few gifts are not accountable for gifts they were never given.
Greater gifts bring greater accountability and heavier responsibility, for greater learning, talents and money do not release from obligation but increase and intensify it. God expects returns in proportion to what each person has, and the interest required will be according to the entrusted capital and the measure of the gift. He accepts service according to what a person has, not what is lacking, so faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much.
Faithful Use and Increase
What is entrusted must be put to work and traded with rather than left idle, hidden in a napkin, buried, hoarded, or spent as one pleases. The master requires his own goods back with increase, examines each servant's work, and gives reward according to how faithfully the entrusted amount was improved, for each person is accountable for what was given to them. Money is a talent entrusted by God, and using it to advance the work of saving souls is faithful stewardship which Christ will receive with increase when he comes. The talents given — including money, ability, influence, and opportunity — are meant to be used in spreading the light of truth and helping people in darkness, and through wise work to increase what has been given rather than hide it through inaction. Neglecting them through slothfulness and selfishly withholding what belongs to God retards his work.
Faithful exercise increases capability, usefulness and power, and the more talents are exercised the greater the increase. As servants impart what they have received in service to others they receive more richly. Through wise and active use even one pound can gain another and the increase can continue, while unless the sown seed struggles above the soil springing up into life it loses all power to germinate. This forbids slothful service and requires working and watching for opportunity to represent the truth to others and win souls, growing in grace and knowledge in mental and moral improvement. Faithful use of the Lord's goods in cooperation with God brings greater power, and each person must individually seek to put gifts to work.
Neglect through slothfulness, inaction and selfish withholding loses what could have grown through use and leaves a person spiritually diminished and unprepared to answer to God. Hiding a gift instead of putting it to work fails the responsibility to cooperate with God by using grace, power and ability to carry the gospel and warn others, even though even small talents are to be used and the Holy Spirit working through human effort deserves the credit. Hiding means in a napkin and burying it in the earth is embezzling the Lord's goods and taking them away from the work and cause of God.
Faithfulness is judged according to the capacity given, not by the size of the gift. The servant is not expected to produce three pounds from one, but merely returning what was entrusted is not enough. Those who have few gifts are not accountable for gifts they were never given, and faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much. God accepts service according to what a person has, not what they lack, and faithful use rather than the size of the gift earns commendation, with God increasing the talents of those who trust and serve him. Small opportunities to serve God in little things must not be neglected, for nothing in the work of God is insignificant, and the reward of each is decided by the faithfulness with which the work is done, so that the work of the one who has but one talent is as valuable in his sight as the work of the one who has five talents.
What the Lord entrusts is to be put to work for his glory and the master's interests, not for selfish ends or personal advantage. The steward's position is one of trust and dignity to act in the master's place and make the master's interests his own, and selfishly using gains from the master's goods for personal advantage perverts that trust. The pounds are to be used to advance the work of saving others, and God has placed ample means in human hands whose use reveals whether people love the gift more than the Giver.
Reckoning Reward and Loss
The master on his return calls his servants to reckoning, requires his own goods back with increase and with usury, examines each one's work, and gives reward according to how faithfully the entrusted amount was improved, including means lent to be traded with and returned with gain. Each servant must give a personal account for what was entrusted to him, and reward or punishment follows according as those goods were improved or abused. The accounting measures stewardship in relation to what was entrusted, testing whether wealth served the Lord's work rather than self-indulgence and needless display, with those who stand the test receiving the owner's reward.
Mere profession of faith counts for nothing, and church membership alone does not secure entrance to the kingdom. What shows whether opportunities were used well is faithful service, obedience to God's will, and helping others. Servants are justified by faith and judged by their works, for genuine faith is shown by love expressed in works, working by love and purifying the soul from moral defilement to become a temple for the Lord.
Faithful use of the entrusted gift does not earn heaven nor give merit to the person, for the pound is the Lord's deposit and any gain comes through what he supplied, so all credit and glory for the increase belong to him. There is no second probation; men are now trading day by day and hour by hour for time and for eternity, building for the last great day, making their record in the books of heaven, and preparing their own reward or punishment. At his coming Christ will reckon with his servants, require an account of what was done with what was entrusted, expect results from everyone, and bring a reward proportionate to each one's work, with results of faithful trading according to ability seen at the day of reward.
If stewards selfishly fail to use their gifts and means to advance his work, God holds them responsible and gives what was entrusted to them to others who will honor the trust, as when the unused pound is taken and given to the one who has ten pounds. The day of final account will come with Christ as Chief Shepherd and Judge, and neglecting the gifts received leaves a person spiritually diminished and unprepared to answer to God in the day of God.
Stewardship in Life and Mission
The pounds are entrusted for the very work of saving souls perishing without Christ, making Him known, representing truth to others, spreading light to those in darkness and warning the world. This enlightening work belongs to every person who professes the truth, not to the minister alone, and the parable forbids slothful, idle service while requiring working and watching for opportunity to win souls to Christ. To bind the talent in a napkin and bury it is to do nothing, let souls die and bear no fruit, while to unearth it and put it out to the exchangers is to minister effectually, become a diligent laborer in the harvest field, develop workers for positions of trust and influence, and accomplish great good for the Master. Money, ability and influence are all to be put to work for God's glory and the saving of others, and the way they are used reveals whether people love the gift more than the Giver. The more talents are exercised the greater the increase of capability, as sown seed must struggle above the soil and spring into life or lose all power to germinate.
Entrusted money, houses and lands are the Lord's talent of means, His gold and silver, His vineyard and His property, given to be used to build up and advance His work wherever the field is in greatest need. They are to be invested wisely and faithfully for His honor, including supporting gospel work so people may come to know the truth, and even a small amount is no reason to think it cannot be put to useful service. Diverting means into channels that bind it away hinders entrance into new fields and the lifting of the standard of truth in new territories, brings God's displeasure and curse, and such work He cannot and will not sanction and prosper. Hiding it in a napkin and burying it in the earth is embezzling the Lord's goods and taking them away from His work and cause.
The pound that gains other pounds represents entrusted means faithfully used, and God's people are to answer His call by placing those resources in service of His work. Every talent and good He has lent remains His own and must be used for His glory and returned to Him with usury, for the Lord is soon to come. Those who have means must at once return to Him His own to help His suffering institutions out of embarrassment, with those in responsible positions setting a right example by planning and working for their relief with greater earnestness than for saving their own property. All must do something without a day or hour of delay, look over their affairs, consider the eternal consequences of rightly employing property, and bring offerings freely giving Him of His own, for large sums are needed yet even a small amount is accepted. Money so placed to relieve need is placed in the hands of Christ in the person of His afflicted brethren, and if all do what they can, angels delegated to minister to all in need will be commissioned to help and the difficulty will soon pass.
It is each steward's own work, left to be done while living, to use what is lent in the cause of God and render back both principal and interest, not to leave that work for children. What is entrusted must not be surrendered to someone else to manage nor judged, controlled or taken over by others, because each person's work and accountability belong to that person. Those given few gifts are not accountable for gifts never given, and faithful service with little is valued as faithfulness with much. Wise stewardship therefore requires prayer, study, planning and continued improvement in how abilities and means are used to advance His work and meet its needs.
The lesson requires mental and moral improvement, growing in grace and in knowledge of Christ, and improving character and ability according to privileges and opportunities. God supplies grace, power and ability, but people must cooperate with Him by earnest effort, putting gifts to work to carry the gospel, while the Holy Spirit working through human effort deserves the credit. Faithful use brings greater power and usefulness, for servants handle not their own goods but the Master's entrusted capital to invest, increase and return with usury, united with Christ as laborers together with God. Hoarding the Lord's goods and doing nothing loses the soul, and no one can trifle with time, privileges and opportunities, since there can be no idlers and talents are not reserved for a favored few but bestowed individually from the lowliest to those in highest trust. Servants are to act in co-partnership with their Maker by connecting with Him, giving themselves to His service and trading upon His gifts, with the one object of giving the message of truth not only in the home neighborhood but in regions beyond. A faithful steward does all he possibly can in God's service in frugality, self-denial and sanctification through the truth, and cherishing that spirit with love of the truth banishes avarice, overreaching and every species of dishonesty. The same accountability reaches into the home, where the minister's wife also has a God-given talent and responsibility to work earnestly and faithfully with her husband to save souls, even at the sacrifice of personal wishes, comforts and natural preferences.