Americans are fascinated by talent. New talent, young talent, fresh talent, and especially marketable talent. Musical talent is especially popular, as evidenced by shows such as “American Idol”, “Nashville Star” and “High School Musical.” There is even a show called “America’s Got Talent,” which features judges—arguably the real stars of the show—whose main talent is apparently the ability to be celebrities.
While much that passes for talent in popular culture is void of heft or substance, the word “talent” comes from a Greek word, tálanton, which, ironically, indicates a certain weight, specifically a measurement of money. The Book of Revelation, using the same Greek word, describes hailstones as “heavy as a hundred-weight” (Rev. 16:21; RSV). The talents mentioned by Jesus in the parable of the talents, heard in today’s Gospel reading, likely referred to a hundred pounds of silver. That weighty sum was roughly twenty years of income for someone working for minimum wage.
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