Matthew 25:14-15 (NKJV) For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
Money is neutral—it is the love of money that is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). God expects you to be a wealth creator, managing His money responsibly, as shown in the Parable of the Talents.
The Greek word for talent is talanta, which means a large unit of monetary weight or value. It refers to precious metals like silver. Today, we understand it as money. A talent was equivalent to 16 years’ worth of wages, so two and five talents would be worth 32 and 80 years’ wages respectively—these are substantial sums of money, whether in Jesus’s time or ours.
Each servant, including the one with only one talent, was entrusted with a significant amount. Likewise, God has given each of us His possessions according to our abilities, and He expects us to serve as faithful stewards. The master in the parable represents Jesus, who has gone to be with the Heavenly Father, and He will return one day to settle accounts with all of us regarding how we have managed His money, which He has entrusted to us.
Psalm 24:1 (NKJV): The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.
In the Book of Genesis, God created everything in six days and entrusted all of it to Adam and Eve to care for. God made them stewards of His creation, allowing them to enjoy all that He had made.
The master in the parable expected all his servants to trade with the talents given to them, or at least generate some interest by depositing them with the bank. In other words, Jesus expected His servants to be wealth creators with what He had entrusted to them, even though He had no objection to them enjoying life with what He provided.
God is the one who gave us life by breathing into the man He created from the earth, and our bodies have been bought and redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Therefore, we ought to care for our bodies and live intentionally for Him with the resources, gifts, and abilities that have been given to us, knowing that we will be accountable to Jesus when He returns.
Reflection: How do you personally understand and view money? What fears or misconceptions regarding God are causing you to “bury” your resources instead of using them for His purposes?
Sermon Series：Are you a wealth creator?
你是财富的创造者吗？
马太福音 25:14–15 “天国又好比一个人要往外国去，就叫了仆人来，把他的家业交给他们， 按着各人的才干给他们银子，一个给了五千，一个给了二千，一个给了一千，就往外国去了。
金钱本身是中性的——圣经指出，贪财才是万恶之根（提摩太前书 6:10）。神期待我们成为财富的创造者，按着祂的心意忠心管理祂所托付的资源，正如才干的比喻所教导的。
“才干”这个词在希腊文中是 talanta，指的是一种巨大的货币重量单位或价值单位，常用于贵重金属，如银子。今天我们可以理解为金钱或财富。在当时，一个才干大约相当于十六年的工资，因此两千和五千才干分别约等于三十二年和八十年的收入——无论在耶稣的时代还是今天，这都是极其可观的数目。
每一位仆人，包括那位只领到一千才干的仆人，都被托付了一笔重要的财富。同样，神也按着我们的能力，把祂的产业交托给我们，并期待我们成为忠心的管家。
比喻中的主人代表耶稣基督。祂已经回到天父那里，将来必再来，届时祂要与我们算账，看我们如何管理祂所托付的财富与资源。
诗篇 24:1 地和其中所充满的，世界和住在其间的，都属耶和华。
在创世记中，神用六天创造万物，并将这一切托付给亚当和夏娃管理。神使他们成为祂创造的管家，也允许他们享受祂所赐的一切美好。
在这个比喻里，主人期待所有仆人都能运用所领受的才干去经营，至少也要存入银行赚取利息。换句话说，耶稣期待祂的仆人能够用祂所托付的资源去创造价值，成为财富的创造者。当然，神并不反对我们在祂的供应中享受生活。
神赐给我们生命，是祂将气息吹入尘土所造的人里面；我们的身体也已经被耶稣的宝血所买赎。因此，我们应当珍惜并照顾自己的身体，并且带着使命感，运用神所赐的资源、恩赐与能力为祂而活。因为当主再来时，我们都要向祂交账。
反思：你个人如何理解并看待金钱？有哪些对神的误解或内心的惧怕，使你选择“埋藏”神所赐的资源，而不是将它们用在祂的旨意之中？
讲章系列：你是一个创造财富的人吗？