NOTES for Mat 25:14-30
The parable of the talents in Matthew’s Gospel suggests a very simple thought: how fruitless fear is as a motive for our actions. Notice that the image of the master formed in the third servant’s mind arouses fear in him. One might think that if you are afraid, you should work so as to avoid punishment, especially if the master is one who “reaps where he did not sow.” But fear spreads further and creates a fear of taking risks; fear deprives us of freedom and paralyzes us. It is no accident that whenever God meets a person, He says, “Do not be afraid.” He sets us free; He wants our responsible initiative; in advance He gives us diverse talents—gifts—to multiply, so that there may be more than we need and we can share them, growing in brotherly love and thereby bearing witness to God’s love.