Spiritual Meaning of Talents

Spiritual Meaning of

Talents

That the knowledges of truth and good from the Word will be taken away from those who have not acquired spiritual life for themselves, is also meant in the Lord's parables respecting the talents and pounds given to the servants that they might trade and make gain, and respecting the servant who traded not and gained nothing, of whom it is written in the parables:--

Unto him who hid his talent in the earth his lord said, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou oughtest to have put my silver to the bankers, in order that at my coming I might have received mine own with interest. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, that he may have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into outer darkness (Matt. 25:14-30).

And in another place:--

He came who had received the one pound, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin. The lord said, Wherefore gavest not thou my money into the bank, that coming I might have regained mine own with interest. And He said, Take from him the pound, and give to him that hath ten pounds. I say unto you, To everyone that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even than which he hath shall be taken away from him (Luke 19:13-26).

Here talents, pounds, and money, signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; to trade, to make gain, to put it to the bankers, or in the bank, signifies to acquire for oneself thereby spiritual life and intelligence; hiding these in the earth or in a napkin signifies in the memory of the natural man only; of such it is therefore said that from them should be taken away that which they have.

AE 193a

That works are what make a man of the church, and that he is saved according to them, is also taught by the Lord in the parables, many of which imply that those who do what is good are accepted, and that those who do what is evil are rejected. As in the parable

Of the husbandmen in the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-44):

Of the fig-tree that did not yield fruit (Luke 13:6-9):

Of the talents, and the pounds, with which they were to trade (Matt. 25:14-31; Luke 19:13-25):

Of the Samaritan who bound up the wounds of him that was wounded by robbers (Luke 10:30-37):

Of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31):

Of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1-12).

LIFE 2

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Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.