Scripture Story Sketch Notes · Matthew 25:14–30; Doctrine and Covenants 60:13
The Talents
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant” Matthew 25:21
Five talents, two talents, one talent, a long journey and a day of reckoning. Walk the parable, put your gift to work, and hear what the Lord longs to say to you.
Jesus told of a man who was going on a long journey. Before he left, he called his servants and gave them his goods: five talents to one, two to another, and one to another, “to every man according to his several ability.” The first two went to work and doubled what they were given. The third dug a hole in the ground and hid his lord’s money.
After a long time the lord came back to settle accounts. To both of the faithful servants he said the very same words: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” The third servant brought back only the one talent and said, “I was afraid.” The talent that was never used was taken from him.
Who’s who
The lord: the Lord Jesus, who trusts us with His gifts
The servants: His disciples, then and now
The talents: what He gives us to use
Where and when
A household and a long journey, told on the Mount of Olives in the last days before the Crucifixion.
Watch for the Savior
Watch what the Lord says to each faithful servant, no matter how much they started with.
Eight stops from the handing out of the talents to the day of reckoning. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the gift, the work, the hole in the ground, and the return. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
Matthew 25:15 “five Meaning: large sums of money, measured by weight. One talent was worth many years of wages.”
Matthew 25:15 “according to his Meaning: own, individual. Each servant had his own ability. ability”
Matthew 25:19 “and Meaning: settles the accounts, asks what each one did. with them”
Matthew 25:24 “gathering where thou hast not Meaning: scattered, as when scattering seed.”
Matthew 25:26 “thou wicked and Meaning: lazy, unwilling to act. servant”
Matthew 25:27 “put my money to the Meaning: bankers, money changers.”
Matthew 25:27 “received mine own with Meaning: interest, the extra earned on money that is lent.”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from prophets. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. His goods, the far country, several ability, trading, the hole, the reckoning, “Well done,” the fear and the joy. Matthew 25:14–30
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Which servant are you?
Some of us feel we were given a lot, some a little, some are afraid to try, and some keep looking at what others have. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Put it to work
The faithful servants did not wait. They “went and traded with the same.” Press and hold to put your talent to work. Let go any time; nothing you gain is lost.
“Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things” Matthew 25:21
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Their world, their words
A little background helps us see what the listeners pictured. Outside sources are labeled.
Apostle · Renlund
What a talent was
Elder Renlund: “A talent was an ancient unit of weight and monetary value in Greek and Roman times.” He adds that a single talent was “about 20 years of wages for an average worker”.4
Even one talent was a great trust.
Apostle · Talmage
Who the master is
Elder Talmage: “We cannot fail to perceive even in the early incidents of the story that the Master of the servants was the Lord Jesus”.5
The parable is about Him, and about us.
First Presidency · Uchtdorf
Everyone was given something
President Uchtdorf: “You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us.”7
No servant in the story was given nothing.
First Presidency · Faust
The least he could have done
President Faust: “He could have at least put the money in circulation and received interest on it instead of burying it in the ground.”6
Even a small step would have been enough to begin.
Word study · Greek
talanton τάλαντον · “talent” (Matthew 25:15)
Bible Hub: “a balance (as supporting weights), i.e. (by implication) a certain weight (and thence a coin or rather sum of money).”9Outside · lexicon
Jesus spoke of money, weighed out. Elder Renlund applies it to every gift: “God expects us to magnify the abilities we have been given”.4
Word study · Greek
oknēros ὀκνηρός · “slothful” (Matthew 25:26)
Bible Hub: “tardy, i.e. Indolent.”10Outside · lexicon
The third servant was not robbed or unlucky. He simply held back: “I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth”.1
What the text does not say
The parable does not say the servant with five talents was loved more, or that the one with two had failed to measure up. Both heard exactly the same words. The Lord measured faithfulness, not size: “thou hast been faithful over a few things”.1
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Look to Him
He is the Lord who gives every gift, trusts us with it, and longs to say, “Well done.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund: “With His loving assistance, He expects us to become the best version of ourselves.”
Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Personal Preparation to Meet the Savior,” April 20254
“That we may start with differing abilities is irrelevant to Him. And it should be to us.”
“While we are not all equal in experience, aptitude, and strength, … we will all be accountable for the use of the gifts and opportunities given to us.”
“Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.” Doctrine and Covenants 60:13
Another testament
Weak things made strong
“If they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” Ether 12:27
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Seek Him today
A question to ask yourself
“I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth” Matthew 25:25
What is one gift you have kept in the ground because you were afraid? What is one small way to use it this week?
Try it today
One talent put to work each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven talents put to work. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant”
Read Matthew 25:14–30 slowly. Then ask Heavenly Father which gift He wants you to use this week, and for whom. Listen, and write down what comes. Matthew 25:14–30
A verse to hold
Talk about it
Why do you think the lord gave each servant a different amount?
The servant with two talents heard the very same words as the servant with five. Why does that matter?
Why was the third servant afraid? What does fear make us do with our gifts?
What is one gift in our family we could use to bless someone this week?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Apostle
Elder Dale G. Renlund, “Personal Preparation to Meet the Savior” (2025)
The three parables of Matthew 25 as one lesson on preparing to meet Him, with the talents, comparison, and becoming who God made us to be.4
Everything on this page as an 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
The Talents is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for May 17–23, 2027 (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1; Matthew 24–25; Mark 12–13; Luke 21).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. This parable is told in the Savior’s own words; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
