Part fourteen, Jesus’s teaching continues. The Parable of the Bags of Gold, sometimes called the Parable of the Talents.

Was Jesus a supporter of capitalism?  These parables have been used many times to prove that he was, but were they right. Judge for your self.

Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 to 29

The Parable of the Bags of Gold, or Talents [a]

14] It will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.  But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “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!”

The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “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!”

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”

“So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

a. Matthew 25:15 Greek five talents … two talents … one talent; also throughout this parable; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day labourer’s wage.

At first glance an argument can be made that Jesus was a capitalist. Use money to create money, or, place money with the banks at interest? But what is he really saying?

We are all born with nothing; we have no control whether we are born in a rich or poor family, or indeed a country. So by the simple lottery of birth we have certain advantages and disadvantages. But we shall be judged on what we have done with our life chances.

You could also say that the servant who simply hid the gold in the ground, some would say for fear of what his master would do if he lost his bag of gold? Thus he was to be punished harshly, and maybe it was unjust?

But in all of Jesus’s teachings, he talks of a kind, considerate God, who understands our weaknesses and fears. So if we tried our best to make use of our abilities [talents] and things don’t go as we planned, I don’t think that we will be punished, so long as we have been honest and tried our best.

Then again I could be wrong.

Luke chapter 19 verses 11 to 27

The Parable of the Ten Minas  [a]

11] While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. “Put this money to work,” he said, “until I come back.”

But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, “We don’t want this man to be our king.” However, He was made king, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

The first one came and said, “Sir, your mina has earned ten more.”

“Well done, my good servant!” his master replied. “Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.”

The second came and said, “Sir, your mina has earned five more.”

His master answered, “You take charge of five cities.”

Then another servant came and said, “Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.”

His master replied, “I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you not, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?”

Then he said to those standing by, “Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.”

“Sir,” they said, “he already has ten!”

He replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.”

a] Luke 19:13 A mina was about three months’ wages.

Then he said to those standing by, “Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.”

“Sir,” they said, “he already has ten!”

He replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.”

The first part of the parable of Luke is similar to Mathews, but the ending is somewhat harsher. Is it written for a different section of followers? Or his Jesus really saying;

Those who don’t follow my teachings to the letter, or don’t put their trust in me, or don’t make the best use of their abilities will have what little that they have taken away from them?

A frightening thought? Or was he saying we shal be judged when we die, for what we have done, or failed to do?

But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.”

Did Jesus actually say this? Or was he misheard/understood?  People who don’t believe and follow Jesus will be killed?

Both parables [stories] appear to be the same?  Admittedly I have read Matthews version and on rereading Luke’s version, I was taken aback at the last verse. I checked with the King James version [the oldest translation from Greek/Latin to English.] This was the same? This goes against everything Jesus taught or did, his last words was “forgive them for they know not what they do.”

I accept that the four Gospels were written some 20 or 30 years after Jesus’s death. The Jewish authorities saw the Christians at this time as troublemakers and not proper Jews. The Christians themselves were a bit of a mixed bunch [Jews who believed that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah] and those who either had never been Jews [Gentiles] or Jews, who had given up the Jewish faith for this new faith. To the Romans [outsiders] they were seen as a Jewish sect. 

Was this sentence added, by a disgruntled, or frightened follower? After all they [the Christians] were despised by the Jews,] and the Romans despised both. Indeed the Romans got so fed up with the Jewish Authorities that they took direct control, killing many Jews and started their Diaspora [which included the Christians]

Or was it simply a restatement of what as been described before but in a different way?

John chapter 14 v 6

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me

Matthew chapter 25 v 31 to 33 and v 46

The Sheep and the Goats

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Interesting argument; and the cause of many difficulties?

The Jews believe that they are the chosen people? The Christians believe that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah and salvation can only be gained through the belief and faith in Jesus? Whist the Muslims believe that the Quran was revealed to Mohammed and the only way to salvation is by following the rules exactly as laid down in the Quran?

We can’t all be right [can we?]

There wil be 8.0 billion people on planet earth at the end of April 2018. 3.3billion are either Christian or Muslim 41% of the world’s population, which means almost 60% of the world’s population are dammed according to the two main religions [by population]

Nonreligious (Secular/Agnostic/Atheist) (1.1 billion) 14%. Which according to the last UK census is growing faster then any religious sect [I wonder why] If you factor in that 50% of Christians and 25% of Muslims are not practicing. (C + M = 3.3billion) – (1.4billion) means there are only 2.2billion practicing Christians and Muslims [or 27% of the worlds population.