Well, I've looked further and I've still not found any Christian or scholarly interpreters who understands Luke 19:27 as the words of Jesus to his disciples. It's only when read completely out of context that it can be seen as such.
Michael BG wrote: ↑Wed May 23, 2018 4:24 pm
Stefan
I can’t provide the answer you requested but I have these thoughts on the passage.
It comes from Q.
Matthews’ is the closest to the original Q version as the man gives five talents to one, two to another and one to a third (Mt 25:15). The first two double their money and the third doesn’t (Mt 25:20, 22 and 24). Luke states there are 10 servants (Lk19:13) but he only has three later on – the first (verse 16), the second (verse 18) and “another” or “next one” (verse 20). To me this seems to be evidence that the original only had the three servants as in Matthew.
Matthew does not have “λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι” “For I-am-saying to-you”. Therefore in the Matthean version it is still the Master who is saying, “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.” It should be interpreted that the master is still speaking because of the reference to the worthless servant.
Therefore Jesus didn’t say “'But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and slaughter them in my presence” it is a Lucan creation.
Hi Michael
If I were a believer in Q, I would probably agree with you all the way. But since someone did make up the Parabe of the Talents, and if it wasn't Jesus (which it surely wasn't), then why not Matthew, is what I'd say.
Here's my broader take on the interrelationship. Matthew knew from gMark the Parable of the Sower and even appropriates it including the saying connected to it "To him who has will be given ..." (Mark 4:25/Matt 13:12). And he also knew the Parable of the Watchful Servants (Mark 13:33-37) and these two parables are closely connected through a dominant theme in the NT: the effort which is required of the Christians, God's 'servant', in the interim period before judgement day, or the preparation period. And this effort is on the basis of the things that have been
given to the Christians. The Sower parable is about the job which is mission with the Christians having been given the Word, the "seed", the "secret of God's kingdom", and the Watchful Servants parable is apparantly more generally about the job of caretaking of God's "house", even through all the tribulations (Mark 13:1-27), with the Christians having been given management of the Christian fellowship.
These two parables share this common theme, then, the Christians have been
given things and so an effort is required until judgement day, and as Matthew appropriates also the Parable of the Watchful Servants from gMark, he even expands the theme and teaching into four sections (Matt 24:42-25:46):
- the Watchful Servants
- the Ten Bridesmaids
- the Talents
- the Great Judgement
Watch how the man who travels abroad in Mark's Parable of the Watchful Servants is removed by Matthew to be used instead in his Parable of the Talents and then expanded by Luke in his Pounds parable (so now it's a nobleman travelling to aquire a kingship).
And we should not be surprised that Matthew inserts the saying from the Sower parable, Mark 4:25 ("To those who have will be given..."), into the Parable of the Talents, because it is all about the theme of the effort of the Christians, and the eventual accorded reward/punishment. The Parable of the Talents is an expansion of the Parable of the Watchful Servants, and it's all deeply connected thematically with the Parable of the Sower.
Likewise, not surprisingly, we find that when Luke appropriates the section in gMatt with the Watchful Servants and the Ten Bridesmaids (Matt 24:42-25:13 ~ Luke 12:35-48) he comes up with this new version of the giving-saying: "From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded."