"Go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves," i.e. Let us now see what they can profit you who have used to sell you their praise. "Lest there be not enough for us and you," because no man is profited in God’s sight by the testimony of others, because God sees the heart, and each man is scarce able to give testimony concerning his own conscience.
Jerome: But because the season for buying was now past, and the day of judgment was coming on, so that there was no room for penitence, they must not now lay up new works, but give an account of the old.
Hilary: "The marriage" is the putting on of immortality, and the joining together corruption and incorruption in a new union.
Chrys.; That, "While they went to buy," shews that even, if we should become merciful after death, it will avail us nothing to escape punishment, as it was no profit to the rich man, that he became merciful and careful about those who belonged to him.
Origen: Or, He says, "While they went to buy," because there are men to be found who have neglected to learn any thing useful, till when, in the very end of their life, when they set themselves to learn, they are overtaken by death.
Augustine: Or otherwise; "While they went to buy," that is, while they turned themselves to things without, and sought to find pleasure in things they had been accustomed to, because they knew not inward joys, came He that judges; and they "that were ready," i.e. they whose conscience bore witness to them before God, "went in with him to the wedding," i.e. to where the pure soul is united prolific to the pure and perfect word of God.
Jerome: After the day of judgment, there is no more opportunity for good works, or for righteousness, and therefore it follows, "And the door was shut."
Augustine: When they have been taken in who have been changed into angelic being, all entrance into the kingdom of heaven is closed; after the judgment, there is no more place for prayers or merit. [[1Co 15:15]]
Hilary: Yet though the season of repentance is now past, the foolish virgins come and beg that entrance may be granted to them.
Jerome: Their worthy confession calling Him, "Lord, Lord," is a mark of faith. But what avails it to confess with the mouth Him whom you deny with your works?
Gloss., ap Anselm: Grief at their exclusion extorts from them a repetition of this title of, "Lord;" they call not Him Father, whose mercy they despised in their lifetime.
Augustine: It is not said that they bought any oil, and therefore we must suppose that all their delight in the praise of men being gone, they return in distress and affliction to implore God. But His severity, after judgment, is as great as His mercy was unspeakable before. "But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not;" by that rule, namely, that the art of God, that is, His wisdom, does not admit that those should enter into His joy who have sought to do in any thing according to His commandments, not as before God, but that they may please men.
Jerome: For "the Lord knoweth them that are his," [[2Ti 2:2]] and he that knoweth not shall not be known, and though they be virgins in purity of body, or in confession of the true faith, yet forasmuch as they have no oil, they are unknown by the bridegroom. When He adds, "Watch therefore, because ye know not the day nor the hour," He means that all that has been said points to this, namely, that seeing we know not the day of judgment, we should be careful in providing the light of good works.
Augustine: For indeed we know the day and the hour neither of that future time when the Bridegroom will come, nor of our own falling asleep each of us; if then we be prepared for this latter, we shall also be prepared when that voice shall sound, which shall arouse us all.
Aug., Ep. 199, 45: There have not been wanting those who would refer these ten virgins to that coming of Christ, which takes place now in the Church; but this is not to be hastily held out, lest any thing should occur contradictory of it.
Ver. 14. "For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.21. His lord said unto him, 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.22. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.23. His lord said unto him, Well done, 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.24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:25. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.26. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:27. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury.28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.29. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.30. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Gloss: In the foregoing parable is set forth the condemnation of such as have not prepared sufficient oil for themselves, whether by oil is meant the brightness of good works, or inward joy of conscience, or alms paid in money.
Chrysostom: This parable is delivered against those who will not assist their neighbours either with money, or words, or in any other way, but hide all that they have.
Greg., Hom. in Ev., ix, i: The man in travelling into a far country is our Redeemer, who ascended into heaven in that flesh which He had taken upon Him. For the proper home of the flesh is the earth, and it, as it were, travels into a foreign country, when it is placed by the Redeemer in heaven.
Origen: He travels, not according to His divine nature, but according to the dispensation of the flesh which He took upon Him. For He who says to His disciples, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world," [[Mat 28:20]] is the Only-Begotten God, who is not circumscribed by bodily form. By saying this, we do not disunite Jesus, but attribute its proper qualities to each constituent substance.
We may also explain thus, that the Lord travels in a far country with all those who walk by faith and not by sight. And when we are absent from the body with the Lord, then will He also he with us. Observe that the turn of expression is not thus, I am like, or The Son of Man is like, "a man travelling into a far country," because He is represented in the parable as travelling, not as the Son of God, but as man.
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 [[1Co 3:3]], 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.
Origen: Whenever you see of those who have received from Christ a dispensation of the oracles of God that some have more and some less; that some have not in comparison of the better sort half an understanding of things; that others have still less; you will perceive the difference of those who have all of them received from Christ oracles of God. They to whom five talents were given, and they to whom two, and they to whom one, have divers degrees of capacity, and one could not hold the measure of another; he who received but one having received no mean endowment, for one talent of such a master is a great thing.
His proper servants are three, as there are three sorts of those that bear fruit. He that received five talents, is he that is able to raise all the meanings of the Scriptures to their more divine significations; he that has two is he that has been taught carnal doctrine, (for two seems to be a carnal number,) and to the less strong the Master of the household has given one talent.
Gregory: Otherwise; The five talents denote the gift of the five senses, that is, the knowledge of things without; the two signify understanding and action, the one talent understanding only.
Gloss., ord.: "And straightway took his journey," not changing his place, but leaving them to their own freewill and choice of action.
Jerome: "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.
Gregory: There are also some who though they cannot pierce to things inward and mystical, yet for their measure of view of their heavenly country they teach rightly such things as they can, what they have gathered from things without, and while they keep themselves from wantonness of the flesh, and from ambition of earthly things, and from the delights of the things that are seen, they restrain others also from the same by their admonitions.
Origen: Or, They that have their senses exercised by healthy conversation, both raising themselves to higher knowledge and zealous in teaching others, these have gained other five; because no one can easily have increase of any virtues that are not his own, and without he teaches others what he himself knows, and no more.
Hilary: Or, That servant who received five talents is the people of believers under the Law, who beginning with that, doubled their merit by the right obedience of an evangelic faith.
Gregory: Again, there are some who by their understanding and their actions preach to others, and thence gain as it were a twofold profit in such merchandize. This their preaching bestowed upon both sexes is thus a talent doubled.
Origen: Or, "gained other two," that is, carnal instruction, and another yet a little higher.
Hilary: Or, the servant to whom two talents were committed is the people of the Gentiles justified by the faith and confession of the Son and of the Father, confessing our Lord Jesus Christ, to be both God and Man, both Spirit and Flesh. These are the two talents committed to this servant. But as the Jewish people doubled by its belief in the Gospel every Sacrament which it had learned in the Law, (i.e. its five talents,) so this people by its use of its two talents merited understanding and working.
Gregory: To hide one’s talent in the earth is to devote the ability we have received to worldly business.
Origen: Or otherwise; When you see one who has the power of teaching, and of benefitting souls, hiding this power, though he may have a certain religiousness of life, doubt not of such an one that he has received one talent and hides it in the earth.
Hilary: Or, This servant who has received one talent and hid it in the earth is the people that continue in the Law, who through jealousy of the salvation of the Gentiles hide the talent they have received in the earth. For to hide a talent in the earth is to hide the glory of the new preaching through offence at the Passion of His Body. His coming to reckon with them is the assize of the day of judgment.
Origen: And note here that the servants do not come to the Lord to be judged, but the Lord shall come to them when the time shall be accomplished. "After a long time," that is, when He has sent forth such as are fitted to bring about the salvation of souls, and perhaps for this reason it is not easy to find one who is quite fit to pass forthwith out of this life, as is manifest from this, that even the Apostles lived to old age; for example, it was said to Peter, "When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hand;" [[Joh 21:18]] and Paul says to Philemon, "Now as Paul the aged."
Chrysostom: Observe also that the Lord does not require the reckoning immediately, that you may learn His long suffering. To me He seems to say this covertly, alluding to the resurrection.
Jerome: "After a long time," because there is a long interval between the Saviour’s ascension and His second coming.
Gregory: This lesson from this Gospel warns us to consider whether those who seem to have received more in this world than others shall not be more severely judged by the Author of the world; the greater the gifts, the greater the reckoning for them. Therefore should every one be humble concerning his talents in proportion as he sees himself tied up with a greater responsibility.
Origen: He who had received five talents comes first with boldness before his Lord.
Greg., Hom. in Ev., ix, 2: And bringing his talents doubled, he is commended by his Lord, and is sent into eternal happiness.
Rabanus: "Well done" is an interjection of joy; the Lord shewing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labours well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, "In thy presence is fulness of joy." [[Psa 16:11]]
Chrysostom: "Thou good servant," this he means of that goodness which is shewn towards our neighbour.
Gloss., non occ.: "Faithful," because he appropriated to himself none of those things which were his lord’s.