NOTES for Mat 25:14-30
During His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke to His disciples more than once about the relationships of the Kingdom. The parable of the talents is devoted to the same theme. At first glance, it may seem rather harsh. Indeed, the money was given to the servants merely for safekeeping, and so it would appear that the servant who returned to his master exactly as much as he had received fulfilled his charge precisely, to the letter. The other servants, of course, took a risk by investing the money, as every businessman does.
But they were fortunate, and the master was pleased; one can only guess what his reaction would have been otherwise. One thing is clear: one can act as the servants who put the money into circulation did only where there is mutual trust. Evidently, the master fully trusts the servants, and they trust him if they are not afraid to risk the money entrusted to them.
The exception is the servant who returned the money to his master without a profit. Judging by the story, he did not dare put it into circulation precisely because he feared losses: this is how we should understand his words to the master that he “reaps where he did not sow and gathers where he did not scatter.” Evidently, the servant fears that if things go badly, the master will require him to make good the losses. But here he miscalculated: returning everything intact but without a profit proved insufficient.
And here it becomes clear what the Kingdom is in relation to each of its inhabitants: it is always an advance received wholly undeservedly and, at the same time, a loan that will have to be repaid with interest. This is not surprising, for the Kingdom presupposes a spiritual dynamic, the dynamic of the relationships linking its inhabitants with God, with Christ, and with one another.
Nothing here can be kept for oneself: what has been received must, figuratively speaking, be put into circulation. Just as money can be preserved only while remaining in circulation, so the life of the Kingdom can exist only in the constant movement of mutual exchange. Any attempt to separate one's own share from this whole stream of life in order to keep it for oneself leads to spiritual failure and the loss of the Kingdom. Risk is present in the life of the Kingdom; it is justified by the tasks facing its inhabitants and, provided there is complete mutual trust, it is acceptable.