Jerome

Calling together the Apostles, He gave them the Gospel doctrine, to one more, to another less, not as of His own bounty or scanting, but as meeting the capacity of the receivers, as the Apostle says (1 Cor. 3:2.), that he fed with milk those that were unable to take solid food. In the five, two, and one talent, we recognise the diversity of gifts wherewith we have been entrusted.

He that had received five talents, that is, having received his bodily senses, he doubled his knowledge of heavenly things, from the creature understanding the Creator, from earthly unearthly, from temporal the eternal.

After a long time, because there is a long interval between the Saviour's ascension and His second coming.

He says, Thou wast faithful in a few things, because all that we have at present though they seem great and many, yet in comparison of the things to come are little and few.

What greater thing can be given to a faithful servant than to be with his Lord, and to see his Lord's joy?

The servant who of five talents had made ten, and he who of two had made four, are received with equal favour by the Master of the household, who looks not to the largeness of their profit, but to the disposition of their will.

For truly that which is written, To offer excuses excusing sins (Ps. 141:4.) happened to this servant, so that to slothfulness and idleness was added also the sin of pride. For he who ought to have honestly acknowledged his fault, and to have entreated the Master of the household, on the contrary cavils against him, and avers that he did it with provident design, lest while he sought to make profit he should hazard the capital.

Also, by this which this servant dared to say, Thou, reapest where thou sowedst not, we understand that the Lord accepts the good life of the Gentiles and of the Philosophers.

But what he thought would be his excuse is turned into his condemnation. He calls him wicked servant, because he cavilled against his Lord; and slothful, because he would not double his talent; condemning his pride in the one, and his idleness in the other. If you knew me to be hard and austere, and to seek after other men's goods, you should also have known that I exact with the more rigour that is mine own, and should have given my money to the bankers; for the Greek word here (ἀζγύριον) means money. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried in the fire. (Ps. 12:6.) The money, or silver, then are the preaching of the Gospel and the heavenly word; which ought to be given to the bankers, that is, either to the other doctors, which the Apostles did when they ordained Priests and Bishops throughout the cities; or to all the believers, who can double the sum and restore it with usury by fulfilling in act what they have learned in word.

Or, it is given to him who had gained five talents, that we may understand that though the Lord's joy over the labour of each be equal, of him who doubled the five as of him who doubled the two, yet is a greater reward due to him who laboured more in the Lord's money.

Many also who are naturally clever and have sharp wit, if they become neglectful, and by disuse spoil that good they have by nature, these do, in comparison of him who being somewhat dull by nature compensates by industry and painstaking his backwardness, lose their natural gift, and see the reward promised them pass away to others. But it may also be understood thus; To him who has faith, and a right will in the Lord, even if he come in aught short in deed as being man, shall be given by the merciful Judge; but he who has not faith, shall lose even the other virtues which he seems to have naturally. And He says carefully, From him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have, for whatsoever is without faith in Christ ought not to be imputed to him who uses it amiss, but to Him who gives the goods of nature even to a wicked servant.

What is weeping and gnashing of teeth we have said above.

(Verse 26-28) But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. 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. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' The lazy person, because he did not want to double the talent, was condemned in one part to pride, in the other part to negligence. 'If,' he said, 'you had known that I am harsh and cruel, and pursue what is not mine, and reap where I have not sown, why did not such a thought instill fear in you, so that you would know that I would diligently seek what is mine, and give my money, or rather silver, to the moneylenders? For both ἀργύριον, as the Greek word signifies. The words, he said, of the Lord are chaste words, silver tested in the fire, proven to the earth, purified sevenfold (Ps. 11:7).' Therefore, money and silver are the proclamation of the Gospel and a divine message, which should be given to money changers and bankers, that is, to other teachers (which the apostles did, appointing elders and bishops in each province), or to all believers who can double money and return it with interest, so that they may fulfill whatever they have learned in word with actions. However, the talent is taken away and given to the one who had made ten talents, so that we may understand that even though the Lord's joy is equal in both labors, that is, in the one who had doubled five to ten and the one who had doubled two to four, a greater reward is owed to the one who has worked more with the Lord's money. Where the Apostle says: Honor the elders who are truly elders, especially those who labor in the word of God (I Tim. V, 17). From the fact that the wicked servant dared to say: You reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter, we understand that even the good life of the Gentiles and philosophers receives the Lord, and that those who act justly are different from those who act unjustly, and that those who neglect the written law are condemned in comparison to those who serve the natural law.

He who was within two days to celebrate the passover, to be delivered to the cross, and mocked by men, fitly now holds out the glory of His triumph, that He may overbalance the offences that were to follow by the promise of reward. And it is to be noted, that He who shall be seen in majesty is the Son of Man.

Also the goat is a salacious animal, and was the offering for sins in the Law; and He says not 'she goats' which can produce young, and come up shorn from the washing. (Song of Solomon 4:2.)

This prepared for you from the foundation, of the world, is to be understood as of the foreknowledge of God, with whom things to come are as already done.

It were indeed free to us to understand that it is Christ in every poor man whom we feed when he is hungry, or give drink to when he is thirsty, and so of other things; but when He says, In that ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, He seems tome not to speak of the poor generally, but of the poor in spirit, those to whom He pointed and said, Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother. (Matt. 12:50.)

(Verse 31 onwards) But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the king will say to those on his right hand, 'After two days I will celebrate the Passover, be handed over to the cross, mocked by men, and be given vinegar and gall to drink, for he rightly precedes the glory of the triumpant, so that he may compensate for the scandals that will follow with the reward of his promise.' And it should be noted that the one who is to be seen in majesty is the Son of Man. And what follows: He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left, understand this according to what you read elsewhere: The heart of the wise is in his right hand, but the heart of a fool is in his left (Eccl. 10:2). And above in this same Gospel: Let your left hand not know what your right hand does (Matt. 6:3). The sheep are commanded to stand on the right side of the righteous: the goats, that is, sinners, on the left, who are always offered for sin in the Law (Exod. 12). And he did not say, the goats, which can have offspring, and when they are shorn they come out of the bath, all with twin offspring, and there is none sterile among them (Canon 4); but the kids, a lustful and playful animal, and always eager for copulation.