3 Key Principles From the Parable of Talents

I have always loved the parable of the talents. I have heard numerous sermons, teachings, podcasts and the like on the Matthew 25 passage.

As I was recently reading verse 14, there were several words and phrases that jumped off the page. Read the full parable at the bottom.

3 Key Principles from the parable of talents:

1. Long trip
2. Entrusted
3. While he was gone

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.”

Matthew 25:14 NLT

Let me explain how these key principles impacted me.

1. Long trip – This was not a sprint…it was a marathon.  A long trip requires planning…and lots of it if you are going to enjoy the journey. The man was not just going around the corner, he was going to be gone for a while and he needed his “people” to step up.
2. Entrusted – “put (something) into someone’s care or protection.” There are so many ways to interpret this, but let me state just two concepts:
   1. The servants were not entitled to this responsibility…it was entrusted to them.
   2. The root word of entrusted is…trust.  You can’t entrust something if you do not trust the one(s) you give the responsibility to.
3. While he was gone – He was not going to be there to look over their shoulder…watching every move. He was going to be absent…and as we see in #1 above…it was for a long time due to the length of the trip.

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How the parable of talents relates to Facility Management.

These are the same concepts and critical components related to Facility Stewardship.  As a reminder, Stewardship really just means “taking care of someone else’s stuff.” So if we can agree that everything on earth belongs to God…and we are here to steward “His stuff”, then this parable has significant meaning for Facility Stewardship.

1. Long trip – Facility Stewardship is a long-term venture. To view any facility related initiative, maintenance, management or life cycle plan as anything less than a long distance endeavor is short sighted and foolish. There, I said it!
2. Entrusted – We are NOT entitled to our ministry facilities.  They have been entrusted to us to steward. I believe that one day, when we are judged for how we lived our lives and stewarded His stuff, one of the equations will be how well we stewarded His House.
3. While he was gone – I believe that God himself is managing the pearly streets and all of His heavenly kingdom. But here on Earth…while He is gone (physically)…He expects us to act the part and be the facility stewards He has asked us to be. Take a minute and read Numbers 3:14-38.

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Now, assuming you actually read that…Tell me if God was intentional about the care of His House? Did he have a specific plan?  Did he assign multiple people to perform the tasks? And who exactly did God ordain to face for His House? That’s right…The Levites…the High Priests. Not just your runt of the mill member of the clan (church)…it was the people set aside by God himself.

Sounds pretty INTENTIONAL to me.

The Parable of the Talents

¹⁴ “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,  to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’