This coming Sunday is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our gospel is the Parable of the Talents.14 “It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away.”

If Matthew had used a copy editor, I am sure they would be discussing the use of “it.” What will be as…? Curiously, most Matthean parables are explicit when it comes to the kingdom of heaven. The previous parable (Wise and Foolish Maidens) begins, “the kingdom of heaven will be like.” (25:1). Here Matthew begins hōsper gar, literally “for just as”, indicating that the same subject is under discussion.

The setting is similar to that of the sayings about Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (24:45–51), focusing on the responsibility of servants in their master’s absence, but in the parable of Talents the stakes are higher. This is not about domestic management, but about high-level commercial responsibility with an extraordinarily large capital sum to trade with. The principle of different levels of responsibility depending on the servants’ individual ability hints at the parable’s intended application. The kingdom of heaven is not a “one-size-fits-all” economy. Consider the different yields produced by the good seed in 13:8 (Parable of the Sower). God’s people are different, and he treats them differently; “much will be expected of those to whom much has been given” (Luke 12:48) – or “For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mt 25:29).  In the Lucan version of this parable the point is made by the different trading results of servants who are given the same initial capital; In Matthew the principle of individuality is built into the initial distribution. It will be the servants’ responsibility not to look with envy at the different hand which has been dealt to their colleagues, but to make the most of what they have, and it will be important to note that the first two servants will receive identical commendations in vv. 21 and 23 even though the sums they have gained differ, since each has succeeded in proportion to his initial endowment.

Image credit: The Parable of the Talents by Willem de Porter, 17th century, National Gallery of Prague, PD-US