Mat 25:14-30 is the parable of the talents. It opens saying "[the kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property....
we know the parable... 3 men are given talents (money), the first 5, the second 2 and the third 1. When the master comes back the servant with 5 now has 10 and the servant with 2 now has 4 to which the response is "Well done, good and faithful servant". The final servant returned exactly what he was given because he hid it away, the master was angered by this and his talent was taken away and he "cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness"
there is a logic to this where some receive lots and some receive little. It is conceivable that perhaps a servant could receive 10, 100, or 1000 talents and with this the parable reveals there is an expectation to multiply that which was given. So we may go up with the logic but can we go down? The lowest servant got 1... are there then some who get 0 and if so what is the expectation upon that servant?
The parable uses some interesting language describing the master as a "hard man" as one who reaps where he has not sown and gathers where he has scattered no seed. One could argue giving talents to his servants to multiply it is a from of sowing but taking away when there was nothing to begin with would certainly agree with this philosophy of reaping and gather where there has been no sowing or scattering.
What is Jesus saying here? Where are the extremes this logic goes to? What about those with no talents?
To get the answer, reading the parable carefully, notice the crucial part of the
attitude/belief of the servant that did not do anything with what he was given --
14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.
15To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,
a each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
16The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
17So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.
18But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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See that crucial part in verse 24?
That's central, key to what happens here. He was a servant who did not
trust Christ.
Think on that a minute. It's huge. It's the opposite of faith in a way, to distrust.
Everyone has some talents, even if they are subtle, because even just only an ability to talk to some people and be kind or loving, for instance, just that alone is already a talent.
Or someone that can only do small repairs, or just do some yard work, and isn't able to do a lot more for others, but could at times use those physical efforts to aid those in need -- that's a talent.
I feel like the Widow's Two Coins is helpful here --
41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.
42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.
44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
See? It's not how much we have, no. It's whether we really trust and devote what we do have,
however little it seems, that matters.
If someone was in a condition where the only thing they could do at all was pray for someone, or only be friendly over the internet and nothing more, even just that, if it's a complete devotion, can be "putting more into the treasury than all the others". While I've gone to the extreme in the example of someone only able to offer a prayer and nothing more, in normal life most will have more than just a narrow window they can act through, and most have chances to do more than just one thing, but even just one thing can be very significant.