Art and Work Part 6, The Fruit of Talent: Joy or Wailing

This series on art and work’s relationship to it was the result of study and meditation on the Parable of the Talents that Christ told, and which St. Matthew recorded in the 25th chapter of his Gospel (vv 14-30).  It seems appropriate that a look at the passage, which gave the original impetus to this study, should also serve as its summary.  Because of the length of that parable, and the limited space for this post, I must ask the reader to look it up (gasp!) and read it for himself, so that the following remarks will make sense (go and read it now).

We see several things in this story.  First, that God, our Master, gives us our abilities.  In fact, our English word talent is derived from and related to the translation of the Greek word talanta, which was a monetary unit in New Testament times worth $1,000 in silver content (much more in actual buying power).  This costly monetary unit came in Western culture to symbolize the even more precious natural abilities and gifts given by God to all men, and gave its name (talent) to those gifts.

Secondly, we see that God does not distribute those talents evenly among men (symbolized by the servants). One servant received five talents, another servant two, and a last one just one talent, “to each according to his own ability,” as the Scripture puts it (v 15).  We are not all equally gifted, artistically or otherwise, for God gifts men according to His Own Purposes, though (especially among the Church) the Spirit’s Gifts are distributed for the common good (cross reference: 1 Cor 12:4-27; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Cor 3:5-10; etc.).  We are to use our gifts to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31).

Third, even though God does not distribute His Giftings equally, everyone has opportunity to improve upon their talents, and cause them to grow, as the servant with five talents and the servant with two talents did in Christ’s Parable (vv 16-17).  Fourth, to develop their talents meant that the two servants who did had to use imagination, learning skills, initiative, and effort.  In other words, they had to work to improve their holdings of talents (vv 16-17).

Fifth, this development of talents takes time, such as the Master gave the servants when “he went on a journey” (v 15) returning “after a long time” (v 19).  The servants were expected to use that time to advance their talents.  Sixth, the Master graciously let the servants take part in the growth of what was actually His (v 14), letting His servants act as stewards of the talents, though presumably He didn’t need to. 

Seventh, the servants were held accountable for what they did with their talents (vv 19-30), and were expected to develop those talents for the Master’s Enrichment and Pleasure (vv 21, 23), and were rewarded for tasks “well done,” entering into the Master’s “joy” for being “good and faithful servants” (vv 21, 23).  We artists are to develop our God-given talents to His Glory through diligent work over time as well, that at our accounting, we, too, may be judged servants who have done well. 

The alternative is seen in the servant who simply buried his talent (v 18).  When he was called to account, he gave some of the lamest (not to mention stupidest) excuses on record (vv 24-25).  The Master responded by calling him what he was: wicked and lazy.  The servant was wicked because he let his fear (v 25) keep him from following the Pattern of his Master’s Will, rather than having godly fear that would goad him to obedience (cf. Matt 10:18; Deut 6:2; Ecc 12:13; etc.), and lazy because his wicked ungodly fear of his Master he held more important than obedience, and thus did nothing.

His master recognized the servant for what he actually was, “wicked and lazy,” and pointed out that his quilt was made even worse since he knew what his Master expected (v 26) and yet did not do what he should have done (v 27).  As a result, the unfaithful servant’s action brought forth drastic Judgement from the Master, as his single talent was taken from him and given to the most faithful (also, not coincidentally, the most productive) servant (who had the ten talents).

Beyond this, the unprofitable servant was cast into “the outer darkness,” v 30, one of the scariest and most disquieting verses in the entire Bible, considering its implications for mankind and our responsibility to work as God intends.  Selah. 

We are responsible (artists and everyone else) to develop the gifts and talents God has given us as God wishes us to.  The core message of Matt 25:14-30 is summed up by the Lord Jesus in v 29:

“For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

We have all been given much; what will we do with what we have?  Time will tell.