The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 and the parable of the minas in Luke 19 are very similar in content, but there are some notable differences in the details. First, the amount of money involved differs, and second, there is a difference in how much each servant receives.
A mina was worth one hundred drachmas, and one drachma was equivalent to a worker’s daily wage. So, in Luke’s parable, each servant receives about one hundred days’ wages, and all are given the same amount before the master leaves. (The drachma was a Greek coin with the same value as the Roman denarius.)
Talents, on the other hand, were much larger sums. There were both silver and gold talents. A silver talent was worth six thousand drachmas, meaning it represented six thousand days’ wages for a laborer. A gold talent was fifteen times more valuable, worth ninety thousand drachmas. In Matthew’s parable, even if we consider only silver talents, five talents would be thirty thousand drachmas, two talents twelve thousand, and one talent six thousand—all enormous amounts. Even one talent was by no means a small sum.
It’s unclear whether these two parables originated as separate stories or if they were once a single parable that diverged in the Gospel accounts. However, since they are presented as distinct in the texts, it is helpful to consider them separately.
The parable of the minas is best understood as a lesson about how people respond when given the same opportunity: it distinguishes between those who act and those who do not. The parable of the talents, meanwhile, focuses on what each person accomplishes according to the abilities entrusted to them.
A striking feature of the parable of the talents is that each servant who invests receives a return equal to what he was given: the one with five talents earns five more, and the one with two earns two more. Both receive exactly the same praise from their master: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” There is no distinction between them, because each produced a return in proportion to what was entrusted. The servant who received one talent, however, did nothing and disappointed his master. It wasn’t that he lacked ability—he had enough to earn at least one more talent. Had he done so, he would have received the same praise as the others. The master did not expect more than what he had given, but the servant misunderstood his master’s heart.
How should we think about the “talents” as the mission God has entrusted to us? We often assume that only grand or impressive missions are worthwhile, but Jesus never said this.
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Even this is fully worthy of praise, yet we often overlook the mission we can fulfill right now, believing only grand tasks truly matter. Isn’t this just like the servant who received one talent, wasting the mission God entrusted to him?
If we faithfully obey in the small things we can do today, our faith will grow, and God will entrust us with greater things. For now, let us simply do what we can according to the measure of our faith. That alone is enough for God to say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
