acquired

May 27, 2019

Five minas (Lk 19:18-19:18)

“Then the second slave

Came in.

He said.

‘Lord!

Your mina

Has made five minas.’”

 

καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ δεύτερος λέγων Ἡ μνᾶ σου, κύριε, ἐποίησεν πέντε μνᾶς.

 

Luke indicated that the second slave came in (καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ δεύτερος) and told this nobleman, his lord (λέγων Ἡ μνᾶ σου, κύριε), that he had bargained his one mina into 5 minas (ἐποίησεν πέντε μνᾶς).  This second slave had made 5 times more than what he had originally had.  There is something similar in Matthew, chapter 25:22, perhaps indicating a Q source.  However, in Matthew, the slave only doubled his investment.  Jesus said that the one who had received the 2 talents (προσελθὼν καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο τάλαντα) came forward.  He explained to his lord and master (εἶπεν Κύριε) that he had given him 2 talents (δύο τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας), but now he had made, acquired, or gained 2 more talents (ἴδε ἄλλα δύο τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα).  He had doubled his talents as a wise trader.  Are you wise with your money?

May 27, 2019

Ten times as much (Lk 19:16-19:16)

“The first slave

Came forward.

He said.

‘Lord!

Your mina

Has produced

Ten more minas.’”

 

παρεγένετο δὲ ὁ πρῶτος λέγων Κύριε, ἡ μνᾶ σου δέκα προσηργάσατο μνᾶς.

 

Luke indicated that Jesus said that the first slave came forward (παρεγένετο δὲ ὁ πρῶτος) and said to the nobleman lord (λέγων Κύριε), that he turned his original mina into 10 more minas (ἡ μνᾶ σου δέκα προσηργάσατο μνᾶς).  Once again, this is the only Greek biblical use of the word προσηργάσατο, that means to work or gain besides, or produce in addition.  This nobleman’s original investment had made 10 times more than what he had originally.  This first slave had turned his one mina into 10 minas.  Matthew, chapter 25:20, had something similar, as if a Q source.  In Matthew, the first slave only doubled his investment.  Jesus said that the one slave who had received the five talents (καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν) came forward with 5 more talents (προσήνεγκεν ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα).  He explained to his lord and master (λέγων Κύριε) that he had been given 5 talents (πέντε τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας), but now he had made, acquired, or gained 5 more talents (ἴδε ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα).  He had doubled his investment as a wise trader.  However, Luke’s trader had a higher rate of return with less money.  Have you ever traded money in investments?

July 5, 2018

The slave with two talents (Mt 25:22-25:22)

“The slave with two talents

Also came forward.

He said.

‘Master!

You handed over

To me

Two talents.

See!

I have made

Two more talents.’”

 

προσελθὼν καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο τάλαντα εἶπεν Κύριε, δύο τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας· ἴδε ἄλλα δύο τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα.

 

This parable is unique to Matthew, but there is an equivalent in Luke, chapter 19:18, where the 2nd slave had made 5 times more than what he had originally.  Here this 2nd slave only doubled his investment.  Jesus said that the one who had received the 2 talents (προσελθὼν καὶ ὁ τὰ δύο τάλαντα) came forward.  He explained to his lord and master (εἶπεν Κύριε) that he had given him 2 talents (δύο τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας), but now he had made, acquired, or gained 2 more talents (ἴδε ἄλλα δύο τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα).  He had doubled his $8,000,000 US into $16,000,000 US, as a wise trader.

 

July 4, 2018

The slave with five talents (Mt 25:20-25:20)

“The one who had received

The five talents

Came forward,

He brought

Five more talents.

He said.

‘Master!

You handed over

To me

Five talents.

See!

I have made

Five more talents.”

 

καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν προσήνεγκεν ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα λέγων Κύριε, πέντε τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας· ἴδε ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα.

 

This parable is unique to Matthew, but there is an equivalent in Luke, chapter 19:16, where the 1st slave had made 10 times more than what he had originally.  Here the first slave only doubles his investment.  Jesus said that the one slave who had received the five talents (καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν) came forward with 5 more talents (προσήνεγκεν ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα).  He explained to his lord and master (λέγων Κύριε) that he had given him 5 talents (πέντε τάλαντά μοι παρέδωκας), but now he had made, acquired, or gained 5 more talents (ἴδε ἄλλα πέντε τάλαντα ἐκέρδησα).  He had doubled his $20,000,000 US into $40,000,000 US, as a wise trader.

July 4, 2018

The second slave added two more talents (Mt 25:17-25:17)

“In the same way,

The one slave who had

Two talents

Made two more talents.”

 

ὡσαύτως ὁ τὰ δύο ἐκέρδησεν ἄλλα δύο.

 

This parable is unique to Matthew, but there is something similar in Luke, chapter 19:12-27.  Jesus said that in the same way (ὡσαύτως) as the slave with 5 talents, the slave who had 2 talents (ὁ τὰ δύο) made, gained or acquired 2 two more talents.  Thus, he doubled the value of his 2 talents from $4,000,000 US to $8,000,000 US.

July 3, 2018

One added five more talents (Mt 25:16-25:17)

“The one slave

Who had received

Five talents

Went at once.

He traded with them.

He made

Five more talents.”

 

πορευθεὶς ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν ἠργάσατο ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐκέρδησεν ἄλλα πέντε·

 

This parable is unique to Matthew, but there is something similar in Luke, chapter 19:12-27.  Jesus said that the first slave who had received 5 talents (πορευθεὶς ὁ τὰ πέντε τάλαντα λαβὼν) went at once and traded with his money (ἠργάσατο ἐν αὐτοῖς).  He made or acquired 5 more talents (καὶ ἐκέρδησεν ἄλλα πέντε).  He was a very successful trader, doubling his money to $40,000,000 US.

May 25, 2018

The servant slave owed ten thousand talents (Mt 18:24-18:25)

“When he began

The reckoning,

The one who owed him

Ten thousand talents

Was brought to him.

He could not pay it.

His lord ordered him

To be sold,

With his wife

And children,

With all his possessions.

Thus,

Some payment

Would be made.”

 

ἀρξαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν προσήχθη εἷς αὐτῷ ὀφειλέτης μυρίων ταλάντων.

μὴ ἔχοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος πραθῆναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει, καὶ ἀποδοθῆναι.

 

This parable about the unforgiving servant slave is unique to Matthew.  This king began to settle his accounts (ἀρξαμένου δὲ αὐτοῦ συναίρειν).  This first servant or slave owed the king 10,000 talents (προσήχθη εἷς αὐτῷ ὀφειλέτης μυρίων ταλάντων), an unbelievable sum.  A talent was about 60 mina, 10,000 denarii, or 3,000 shekels.  Thus, in current money that would be about $1,500 for a talent.  The amount owed would have been approximately $15,000,000.00, that’s right 15 million dollars.  There was no way that he could have acquired that much in debt, and certainly no way to repay it (μὴ ἔχοντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι).  Thus, it is called a parable story.  This lordly king decided and commanded that the best way to get this debt off his books was sell him, his wife, his children, and all their possessions (ἐκέλευσεν αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος πραθῆναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἔχει,).  This would make a small payment (καὶ ἀποδοθῆναι) to this enormous debt, but not very much.  Things did not look good for this servant slave with the large debt.