In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a story that is as piercing today as it was two thousand plus years ago; the Parable of the Talents. A master, before leaving on a long journey, entrusts his servants with varying sums of money: five talents to one, two to another, and one to the last, each according to his ability.
When the master returns, he finds that the first two servants have doubled what they were given, but the third, out of fear and caution, buried his talent in the ground, and so he returns it untouched, safe but fruitless.
The master’s response is sharp and unsettling:
For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
Matthew 25:29
It is a haunting lesson not about greed, but about growth. Not about accumulation, but very very much about stewardship. The parable is not condemning those who have little, but those who refuse to do something with what they have.
The Gift and The Obligation
Each of us is entrusted with something, yes each of us, everyone of us has been entrusted with something, time, skill, opportunity, influence, or wisdom. Whether we call it God-given or nature-given, these are not possessions to be hoarded, but seeds meant to grow.
The tragedy of the third servant is not his lack of return, but it is his lack of courage. Fear made him waste his potential, and so he chose safety over service, caution over calling. And in the same way, when we hide our gifts, silence our voice, or let fear dictate our choices, we bury our talents in the ground. And life, as the parable reminds us: Life is NOT gentle with what goes unused, and over time, even what we have begins to fade because it has not been used and is not fruitful.
The Stoic Parallel: Seneca’s Call to Increase What We Inherit
Interestingly, the Stoic philosopher Seneca echoed this same truth around his time. Born into privilege and intellect, he understood that gifts come with weight, a moral expectation to multiply them.
In Letter XIV, Seneca wrote: We should play the part of the careful householder; we should increase what we have inherited.
For the Stoics, this was not about wealth or recognition, but very very much about virtue, the continual cultivation of wisdom, discipline, and strength of character. To receive life’s blessings and not grow them was, to Seneca, a kind of spiritual negligence, and to neglect your obligations.
The Danger of Burying Our Talents
It is very very tempting to think that playing it safe is wise; that avoiding risk protects us, but the parable and Stoic teaching both reveal the opposite: Inaction is the greatest loss.
When we refuse to step into discomfort, we fail not only ourselves but the One who entrusted us with these gifts. Fear whispers that we might fail, but faith and philosophy answer that: Failure in effort is nobler than safety in stagnation.
We are not called to return life exactly as we received it; we are called to expand it, to make more of what has been placed in our care, our time, mind, relationships, knowledge, and influence.
To increase what we have been given does not always mean dramatic success; it means growth, quiet, steady, faithful growth. It means reading a little more, helping a little more, giving a little more, creating something that did not exist before.
It is the small act of turning one talent into two. The servant who buried his gift thought he was being prudent, but prudence without purpose is paralysis. The master’s anger was not cruelty; it was disappointment at wasted potential. He expected effort, not perfection, movement, not just maintenance, and growth, not stagnation.
The True Reward of Increasing
The master’s praise to the faithful servants is simple and profound: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things; I will make you ruler over many.”
In that sentence lies both a promise and a pattern: Faithfulness with little leads to trust with much.
Every gift you grow increases your capacity for greater things. Every step of obedience, discipline, and courage multiplies your purpose. So, like Seneca advised, let us “play the part of the careful householder.” Let us grow what we have inherited, not out of pride, but out of reverence for the Giver.
Because the greatest tragedy is not in losing what we have, but in never using it.
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Conclusion
The message of the Parable of the Talents and Seneca’s teachings reminds us that life is not about preservation but participation. We are not meant to guard our gifts out of fear; we are meant to grow them in faith.
Every talent, seen or unseen, large or small, carries both a gift and a duty. To increase what we have been given is not about ambition or comparison; it is very very much about responsibility. It is about honoring what has been entrusted to us by refusing to let it lie dormant.
Those who shy away from risk, who bury their abilities or silence their voices, eventually discover that even what they tried to protect begins to fade. But those who dare to invest, to learn, to create, to serve; they find abundance, not always in wealth, but in character, in impact, and in the quiet joy of having multiplied what was placed in their hands.
So, my dearest readers; the question for each of us is this: What have you been given and how are you increasing it? Because the truth remains: Faithfulness is not in what we keep, but in what we grow.
