Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 25:14-15

"For [it is] as [when] a man, going into another country, called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey." — Matthew 25:14-15 (ASV)

Our Savior had been speaking of Himself as the heavenly Bridegroom; now He compares Himself to a man travelling into a far country. The word “travelling” suggests that our Lord has only gone away for a season and that He will return when His purpose in going into the “far country” is accomplished. When He went back from earth to heaven, it was a long journey, but He did not leave His servants without necessary supplies during His absence.

He called his own servants, his bondservants, his household servants, and delivered unto them his goods. The servants were his, and the goods also were his. His slaves could not claim as their own either their persons or their possessions; all belonged to their lord and were to be used for him. He did not entrust to all the same quantity of goods: Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability.

He was the judge of the ability of each of His servants, and He made no mistake in His allotment of the talents to them. We may rest assured, if we are the Lord’s servants, that He has bestowed upon us as many talents as we can rightly use and quite as many as we will be able to account for when He returns. The all-important matter for us is to be faithful to the trust committed to us.

And straightway took his journey. Our Lord knew all that was to happen before He left the earth—His passion, crucifixion, and resurrection—but He calmly talked of it as a man might speak of his preparations for travelling into a foreign country. He has gone, and His servants are left behind to make the best use they can of His ascension-gifts while He is absent.

This parable, like that of the ten virgins, has to do with real and nominal Christians, with all who are or who profess to be the servants of Christ. The “talents” are anything and everything that our Lord has given to us for use here as His stewards.