Matthew 25:21

And they who bring a return unto Him confess frankly, both what is their own, and what their Master's. And the one saith, Lord, "Thou gavest me five talents;" and the other saith, "two," indicating that from Him they received the source of their gain, and they are very thankful, and reckon all to Him. What then saith the Master? "Well done, thou good" (for this is goodness to look to one's neighbor) "and faithful servant; thou wast faithful over few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord," meaning by this expression all blessedness.

If honor and riches: God shall set His good and faithful servants over many things, indeed sons of God and gods they shall be called and shall be, and where His Son shall be, there shall they be also, heirs indeed of God, and co-heirs …

(Hom. in Ev. ix. 2.) And bringing his talents doubled, he is commended by his Lord, and is sent into eternal happiness.

(ubi sup.) The faithful servant is set over many things, when having overcome the afflictions of corruption, he joys with eternal joy in that heavenly seat. He is then fully admitted to the joy of his Lord, when taken in to that abiding country, and numbered among the companies of Angels, he has such inward joy for this gift, that there is no room for outward sorrow at his corruption.

The servant who returned the doubled talents is praised by the master and led to eternal reward, when it is said to him by the Lord's voice: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord." For all the goods of the present life are few things, however many they may seem, in comparison with the eternal reward. But then the faithful servant is set over many things when, having overcome all the trouble of corruption, he is glorified in that heavenly seat with eternal joys. Then he is perfectly admitted into the joy of his lord, when, taken up into that eternal homeland and mingled with the company of angels, he so rejoices inwardly at the gift that there is no longer anything to grieve him outwardly from corruption.

Both of those who had worked and traded with the talents given to them are praised equally by the master, each one hearing, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." "Good" we understand here to mean "loving all mankind" and "without spite," he who imparts …

Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In thy presence is fulness of joy.

(non occ.) Faithful, because he appropriated to himself none of those things which were his lord's.

There follows the due reward: and in it he does four things. Because first a congratulation is presented; secondly, a commendation of merits; thirdly, the equality of judgment; fourthly, the greatness of the reward. The congratulation is touched on when he says his lord said …

We must never look upon our improvements but with a general mention of God's favour to us, of the honour he has put upon us, in entrusting us with his goods, and of that grace which is the spring and fountain of all the good that is in us or is done by us.

It is the joy of our Lord, for it is joy in the Lord, who is our exceeding joy. Abraham was not willing that the steward of his house, though faithful, should be his heir ( Gen. xv. 3 ); but Christ admits his faithful stewards into his own joy, to be joint-heirs with him.

His Lord said unto him, well done,....

That we may then be ready to receive from him our final sentence, and that it may be to eternal life; and this is shown in a more plain description of the process of the last judgment,

Ruler over many things - I will promote thee to greater honors and to more important trusts. Joy of thy lord - In the meantime share the pleasures and enjoyments of his palace; be his companion, and receive the rewards which he has promised thee. “The joy of his lord” may mean either the festivals and rejoicings at his return, or the rewards which his lord had prepared for his faithful servants.

The parable of the talents which we have now read is near akin to that of the ten virgins. Both direct our minds to the same important event: the second advent of Jesus Christ. Both bring before us the same persons: the members of the professing church of Christ. The virgins and the servants are one and the same people—but the same people regarded from a different point, and viewed on different sides. The practical lesson of each parable is the main point of difference: vigilance is the keynote of the first parable, diligence that of the second.

His lord said unto him, Well done--a single word, not of bare satisfaction, but of warm and delighted commendation. And from what Lips! thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, &c.

The parable of the talents which we have now read is near akin to that of the ten virgins. Both direct our minds to the same important event: the second advent of Jesus Christ. Both bring before us the same persons: the members of the professing church of Christ. The virgins and the servants are one and the same people—but the same people regarded from a different point, and viewed on different sides. The practical lesson of each parable is the main point of difference: vigilance is the keynote of the first parable, diligence that of the second. The story of the virgins calls on the church to watch; the story of the talents calls on the church to work. We learn in the first place from this parable that all professing Christians have received something from God. We are all God’s “servants”: we have all “talents” entrusted to our charge. The word “talents” is an expression that has been curiously turned aside from its original meaning. It is generally applied to none but people of remarkable ability or gifts: they are called “talented” people. Such a use of the expression is a mere modern invention. In the sense in which our Lord used the word in this parable, it applies to all baptized persons without distinction. We have all “talents” in God’s sight: we are all talented people. Anything whereby we may glorify God is a “talent.” Our gifts, our influence, our money, our knowledge, our health, our strength, our time, our senses, our reason, our intellect, our memory, our affections, our privileges as members of Christ’s church, our advantages as possessors of the Bible—all, all are talents. Whence came these things? What hand bestowed them? Why are we what we are? Why are we not the worms that crawl on the earth? There is only one answer to these questions: all that we have is a loan from God: we are God’s stewards; we are God’s debtors.