The Talents and Income Redistribution

• Matthew 25:14-15 "For it will be like a man about to leave home for awhile, who entrusted his possessions to his servants. To one he gave five talents [equivalent to a hundred years' wages]; to another, two talents; and to another, one talent — to each according to his ability. Then he left.
• Matthew 25:16-18 The one who had received five talents immediately went out, invested it and earned another five. Similarly, the one given two earned another two. But the one given one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
• Matthew 25:19-23 "After a long time, the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the other five and said, 'Sir, you gave me five talents; here, I have made five more.' His master said to him, 'Excellent! You are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master's happiness!' Also the one who had received two came forward and said, 'Sir, you gave me two talents; here, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Excellent! you are a good and trustworthy servant. You have been faithful with a small amount, so I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and join in your master's happiness!'
• Matthew 25:24-27 "Now the one who had received one talent came forward and said, 'I knew you were a hard man. You harvest where you didn't plant and gather where you didn't sow seed. I was afraid, so I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here! Take what belongs to you!' 'You wicked, lazy servant!' said his master, 'So you knew, did you, that I harvest where I haven't planted? and that I gather where I didn't sow seed? Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would at least have gotten back interest with my capital!
• Matthew 25:28-30 Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For everyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away. As for this worthless servant, throw him out in the dark, where people will wail and grind their teeth!'

Reference also Luke 19:11-26

The parable of the talents boldly goes against the socially accepted grain. Those who faithfully use resources are honored, while the servant who buried his resources is branded wicked. Not only that, his talent was transferred to the one who was faithful! This elementary principle praises those who optimize the administration of their resources to gain profit, and punishes those who do not; it sets in stone God's "yes" to the free-market society, or capitalism.

Those proving themselves capable in the art of overseeing the execution of resources will, in the natural course of events, become captians of more assets. The converse is true as well. But for this natural system to break down, unnatural forces must be at work, namely violence. Government violence is the most effective tool in overriding God's principle of distribution of capital in and through society.

With today's bogus political compassion, those who are faithful are financially punished, and those who do wrong, are rewarded. Those who are highly productive, have their gains stolen, and then turned over to those who are unproductive. The redistribution of wealth is not dependent upon ability (God's standard of stewardship), but rather on humanistic ideals - a false love, false mercy and false grace. "The wealthy have so much, and the poor so little". This is enough to garner many votes and install a progressive tax rate regime. This is the exact opposite of what we learn in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. The monetary redistribution of wealth is against God's Kingdom, cognizant of the parable above.

Author: Scott Wallace Brians
Date: October 2005
Web Site: www.his-kingdom.net
Copyright: All Rights Reserved
Bible Text: Complete Jewish Bible by David Stern