(2 Mc 7:1, 20-31; Ps 17:1BCD, 5-6, 8B and 15; Lk 19:11-28)
In today’s Gospel selection from Luke, we have the Parable of the Ten Gold Coins. This classic parable of Christ tells about how a nobleman gives one coin each to 10 different servants, with the first turning his one coin into ten, a second turning his coin into five, and a third hiding his coin for fear of losing it. There are some minor differences between this version of the story and the version found in Matthew 25:14-30, and were I a Bible scholar, I could surely write something interesting by carefully parsing those differences. However, instead I’m going to ask a fairly obvious question: Why doesn’t anyone in either of the two parables lose money?
On the face of it, it’s a curious question. Imagine the fourth servant didn’t hide his coin, but invested it like the first two servants . . . and – due to a bad investment – lost the money. Would the nobleman have been happy regardless of how things turned out? Would he be more or less angry than the third servant who hid the coin?
When I originally had this question – many years ago when I first truly considered the story – I felt the lack of addressing that possibility might have been an oversight. However, today I don’t believe that. Since the Bible is divinely inspired, it seems unlikely that there would be a noteworthy omission.
If it’s not a mistake, then what does it mean?
Backing up a moment, I believe we all realize that the gold coins referred to here and the talents referred to in the Gospel of Matthew are not literal units of money. That doesn’t make sense; God doesn’t give us cash and then expect us to invest it.
So if it’s not money, why is that important? And how does it tie into the fact that the parables don’t mention any of the servants losing money?
I believe it’s because – whatever Jesus is referring to in his parables – it’s something that couldn’t be lost. In other words, to have anyone actually consider the possibility of them losing their gold coins would be as nonsensical as trying to figure out what happens when the world runs out of gravity; the words in the question may make sense, but the underlying truth of what the question asks doesn’t.
If the coins and talents aren’t really money and it was impossible to actually lose them, then what do the talents and coins represent?
The traditional view I’ve held was that the coins were the gifts that God has given us; those who are given great gifts – money, wealth, power, etc. – are expected to use those gifts for the greater glory of God. That makes sense on some level; God expects us to use our gifts wisely. However, that interpretation doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the parables. In both of versions of the parable, there is similar language; in Luke, it says: “I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” If it’s any kind of gift from God, that doesn’t seem in keeping with the spirit of Christ’s words elsewhere, such as Matthew 20:16 (“Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last”) or Matthew 5:5 (“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land”).
Now, the line about “to everyone who has, more will be given” appears in both Luke and Matthew. In fact, it appears elsewhere in Matthew. See Matthew 13:11-12: “[Jesus] said to them in reply, ‘Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.'”
Ah-ha! Now if we go back and re-read the two parables of the coins/talents in Luke and Matthew, it becomes clear. In Luke, the preamble to the parable is, “[t]hey thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately.” In Matthew, its prompting is Christ saying, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
In other words, in both cases the topic was the end times – the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
By taking all the words together, we can see the pieces start falling together. What are the coins? They’re knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They’re insight into God’s plan for the world. That’s why there’s nothing in the stories about a servant losing his coin; because if the coin is knowledge, then it’s impossible to lose wisdom . . . you can only ignore the gift you’ve been given.
Thus, those who have received great insight into the Kingdom of God will receive even more. This isn’t God favoring the powerful, but a natural consequence of seeking God’s wisdom and insight. When we dedicate our lives to God, we can’t help but grow in our knowledge, understanding, and responsibility. To those who have shut off knowledge of the Kingdom of God, “even what he has will be taken away.” Again, this isn’t a condemnation of the powerless, but a natural expression of the fact that we can’t get to Heaven without knowing God.
By virtue of hearing about Christ, we have all been given at least one “coin” and the responsibility to grow it in our hearts, and on our minds, and on our lips. If we hide that coin – keeping it buried or tucked away where it’s not even considered – we risk losing everything . . . literally, everything. We must do what we can to grow the wisdom and knowledge of the Kingdom here on Earth, to best prepare ourselves for entry into eternity with our Maker. Any other action is being foolish with the gifts we’ve been granted.
