The accounting: V. 15. And it came to pass that, when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. V. 16. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. V. 17. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. V. 18. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. V. 19. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. V. 20. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin; V. 21. for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
The prince pursued his intention in spite of all the hatred and enmity of his rebellious subjects; he did not change his plans in one particle; at the appointed time he returned to his country. His first official act upon his return was to summon the servants before him to whom he had entrusted the silver. This was the most important business: it had to be settled before anything else was undertaken. He wanted to know what business they had done and what success they had had, for the object had been to test their fidelity and capacity.
The first servant came before him with a modest report. Successful he had been indeed, but he ascribed this to the mina of the lord: it had gained ten further pounds. That was a splendid increase, showing the hard and faithful work of the servant. The lord therefore praised the servant as good, noble, devoted, and rewarded him far beyond his hopes and deserts, giving him authority over ten cities. It was a gracious reward of faithfulness.
A second servant had had similar success and reported on it with the same modesty. He was also praised highly and placed in charge of five cities.
But with a third servant things did not look well from the start. With slinking gait he approached, with whining voice he attempted to excuse his failure. He brought back the one piece of money which the lord had entrusted to him, having had it wrapped up and carefully laid away in a napkin.
As in the case of the average useless servant, his excuse contained an accusation against the master. He had been afraid on account of the austerity of the lord, literally, because he was such an exacting employer. Besides, he took things which he had not laid down, and harvested where he had not sowed. The servant had, from the start, despaired of pleasing the master, since he was afraid of an exorbitant demand for profit. This was a feeble and unjust accusation, merely calculated to cover over the servant's laziness. It was his business to serve the master to the best of his ability.