t an hard man reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where
thou hast not strewed," "so there thou hast which is thine."

The master in reply showed the inconsistency of the excuse by assuming
that he bore the hard character charged upon him by his slave, "Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed
not, and gather where I have not strewed: Thou oughtest therefore to
have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury." It is "interest" in the Revised
Version.

This interview may be paraphrased as follows:

The unfaithful servant said: "I know the kind of a man you are. You
are dishonest. You take what does not belong to you. You reap what
other people sow, and you take up what others earn. I was afraid of
you: Here is all that you gave me and all that belongs to you."

The master said: "You are merely excusing yourself. You are a lazy
faithless slave. If I am the hard man you say I am, taking what does
not belong to me and gathering the sowings and earnings of others, you
could have met that condition without trouble to yourself, by giving
my money to the usurers and then at my coming I could have received my
unjust gain. Your excuse is inconsistent, you condemn yourself. You
are an indolent and worthless slave. Begone to your punishment."

It is clearly implied that unearned increase, reaping and gathering
without sowing, could be gained through the exchangers. If this was
what was demanded, the servant could have secured this with no effort
on his part. His charge against the master was a mere pretence to
excuse his own want of personal faithfulness, and the master's reply
was fitted to this pretense.

This is in entire harmony with the opinion our Lord expressed of the
exchangers when he called them thieves and drove them out of the
temple. It would be wholly inconsistent for him to advise an honest
and faithful servant to place any portion of the property in their
hands. His advice can only come from the standpoint of a dishonest
master such as his servant called him.

The parable of the pounds shows the degrees of faithfulness in those
who have equal opportunities. With the same opportunities one may far
surpass another, because more faithful to his trust, his reward is
proportionately greater.

In this parable each servant received the same, but the gains and
rewards differ. By diligence one gained ten pounds and is co