The Parable of the Talents: A Call to Justice, Not Capitalism
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The Parable of the Talents: A Call to Justice, Not Capitalism
Herb Montgomery | November 13, 2026
If you’d like to listen to this week’s article in podcast version click on the image below:
Our reading this week is from the Gospel of Matthew:
“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 an 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.’” (Matthew 25:14-30)
I grew up hearing this week’s parable frequently interpreted as a lesson about investing money, taking financial risks, and multiplying the resources God has given us. In contemporary Christian culture, the story is sometimes used to justify capitalism, entrepreneurial ambition, and the belief that financial success demonstrates faithful stewardship. But reading the parable as a divine endorsement of investment and wealth accumulation contradicts the rest of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew’s Gospel and also risks missing the deeper social, political, and economic questions this Gospel invites us to ask. Let’s jump right in.
The story describes a wealthy man who entrusts his servants with different amounts of money before leaving on a journey. Two servants increase what they receive, while a third buries his portion in the ground. When the master returns, he rewards the first two and harshly punishes the third. On the surface, this appears to celebrate productivity and condemn failure. But should we assume that Jesus is endorsing the economic practices of the wealthy landowners of his day simply because a wealthy landowner appears in his story?
In Jesus’ time, a talent was an enormous sum of money that represented a substantial concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. Jesus’ society was marked by economic inequality, land dispossession, taxation, and exploitation of ordinary people by powerful elites. Throughout Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus repeatedly challenges systems that elevate the privileged while burdening the vulnerable. His teachings call people toward a community shaped by compassion, justice, and shared responsibility rather than the accumulation of wealth and power.
We must therefore read this parable in the larger narrative of Matthew, not isolated as a financial formula for personal success. Immediately before this story, Jesus tells the parable of the ten virgins, which emphasizes preparedness. Immediately afterward, in Matthew 25:31–46, he describes the final judgment in terms of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting prisoners. The decisive question in the judgment scene is not how successfully people accumulated resources but how they have responded to the needs of vulnerable people.
This context offers a compelling justice lens for us to use as we reach for a life-giving interpretation of the parable of the talents. What does it mean to be prepared for God’s reign or just future? What does faithful responsibility look like in a world where some possess extraordinary resources while others struggle to survive? These questions move us beyond individual financial achievement toward the collective responsibility to create conditions in which everyone can flourish.
The third servant’s actions deserve consideration. He refuses to participate in the master’s economic enterprise, describing the master as a harsh man who reaps where he has not sown. His response exposes a troubling relationship between wealth, power, and extraction. Rather than automatically celebrating the master’s behavior, readers can ask whether this story reveals an unjust economic arrangement in which wealth grows through the labor and risk borne by others.
This interpretation does not require us to claim that the master definitively represents an oppressive ruler or that the third servant is unquestionably a hero. The parable remains challenging and open to debate, and it should not be reduced to a divine command to make more money.
The central concern of Jesus’ teachings is not whether we can make our resources grow, but whether our lives contribute to the flourishing of others. Faithfulness is not measured by wealth accumulated, profits generated, or economic productivity. We must evaluate it through the demands of love, compassion, and justice.
When we read this parable alongside the teachings of Matthew 25 that surround it, the parable invites us to reconsider what we have been entrusted with and whom our use of those resources serves. The question is not simply how much we can multiply for ourselves, but how we can participate in building a society where nobody is abandoned, exploited, or denied the necessities of life. That is a far more demanding vision of stewardship than capitalism alone can offer.
So what does it mean to multiply whatever resources we have for the benefit of the kingdom of God, the beloved community, and the society we mutually belong to? When we read Jesus’ parable through the lens of this question, it takes on a significance that goes far beyond capital investment, individual success, or accumulating wealth.
Remember: our reading describes a wealthy landowner who entrusts different amounts of resources to three servants before leaving on a journey. Two servants put what they have been entrusted with to work and multiply it, while the third, motivated by fear, buries what he has received. This parable is more than encouragement to develop individual abilities, talents, financial resources or personal spiritual advancement. It can inspire us to ask a more communal question: What if the multiplication Jesus envisions is about what our resources can accomplish for the flourishing of everyone in our community?
From a justice perspective, multiplying our resources means recognizing that what we have is not simply for our own benefit. Our abilities, education, financial resources, influence, opportunities, creativity, time, and access to power can all become instruments for building a more just society. The question is not merely how much we can accumulate, but how much good we can create with what we have been given. How can our resources address poverty, relieve suffering, challenge injustice, restore dignity, and expand opportunities for those who have been pushed to society’s margins?
This understanding challenges the individualistic assumptions that often shape our interpretations of this passage. Our economic and social systems frequently teach us to measure success by what we personally acquire, accumulate, and achieve. But Jesus’ vision of the kingdom invites us to measure abundance differently. What if true multiplication happens when our resources become shared resources, when our privileges become opportunities to open doors for others, and when our influence is used to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced?
The third servant’s decision to bury what he had been entrusted with offers another important consideration. Fear can keep us from using our resources creatively and courageously. Fear of losing security, privilege, status, or control can prevent us from participating in the work of justice.
Perhaps the challenge of this parable is to stop burying what we have and start putting it to work for the common good. The kingdom of God is not an invitation to become individually prosperous while others remain impoverished. It is an invitation to participate in creating a beloved community where everyone has the opportunity to flourish.
The ultimate question in this parable is not about what we have multiplied for ourselves, but what we have multiplied for the well-being of everyone. That is a much more compelling measure of abundance, and perhaps a much more faithful expression of the kingdom Jesus proclaimed.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Share something that spoke to you from this week’s podcast episode with your discussion group.
2. How does our reading this week inform your own justice work, today? Share and discuss with your group.
3. What can you do this week, big or small, to continue setting in motion the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for everyone?
Thanks for checking in with us, today.
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My latest book Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political and Economic Teachings of the Gospels is available now on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and also on Audible in audio book format.
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Right where you are, keep living in love, choosing compassion, taking action, and working toward justice.
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I’ll see you next week.
New Episode of The Social Jesus Podcast
A podcast where we talk about the intersection of faith and social justice and what a first century, prophet of the poor from Galilee might have to offer us today in our work of love, compassion and justice.
This week:
Season 3 Episode 47: The Parable of the Talents: A Call to Justice, Not Capitalism
Matthew 25:14-30
From a justice perspective, multiplying our resources means recognizing that what we have is not simply for our own benefit. Our abilities, education, financial resources, influence, opportunities, creativity, time, and access to power can all become instruments for building a more just society. The question is not merely how much we can accumulate, but how much good we can create with what we have been given. How can our resources address poverty, relieve suffering, challenge injustice, restore dignity, and expand opportunities for those who have been pushed to society’s margins? What if true multiplication happens when our resources become shared resources, when our privileges become opportunities to open doors for others, and when our influence is used to amplify the voices of those who have been silenced? The ultimate question in this parable is not about what we have multiplied for ourselves, but what we have multiplied for the well-being of everyone. That is a far more demanding vision of stewardship than capitalism alone can offer, and a much more compelling measure of abundance as wells as a much more faithful expression of the kingdom Jesus proclaimed.
Available on major podcast carriers and at:
Finding Jesus: A Fundamentalist Preacher Discovers the Socio-Political & Economic Teachings of the Gospels.
by Herb Montgomery
Available now on Amazon!
In Finding Jesus, author Herb Montgomery delves into the profound and often overlooked political dimensions of the gospels. Through meticulous analysis of biblical texts, historical context, and social discourse, this thought-provoking book unveils the gospels’ socio-political, economic teachings as rooted in a profound concern for justice, compassion, and the well-being of the marginalized. The book navigates the intersections between faith and societal justice, presenting a compelling argument for a more socially engaged and transformative Christianity.
Finding Jesus is not just a scholarly exploration; it is a call to action. It challenges readers to reevaluate their understanding of Christianity’s role in public life and to consider how the radical teachings of the gospels can inspire a renewed commitment to justice, equality, and compassion. This book is a must-read for those seeking a deeper understanding of the social implications of Christian faith and a blueprint for building a more just and inclusive society.
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