Mat 25:27 You should therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and [then] at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Alternative: You really needed to put my cash on deposit with the bankers and then when I returned I could have gotten it back with interest.

The word translated as "usury" primarily means "childbirth." You can see how the specific meaning of bank interest arose from the original idea as a kind of slang. Money gives birth to more money. The word itself is a good summary of this parable.

Christ's focus here is on productivity. This entire analogy is about being productive in the time we are given with what we are given. He takes this opportunity to give us another view of the value of money. He sees money as useful. In this story, he says that we must use it productively.

There is a difference between using money productively and worshipping it as an object that allows consumption. Much is made of Mat 6:24, where Christ says we cannot serve both God and "mammon." The word used in that earlier verse, mammonas, an Aramaic word that was a personification of money, has nothing in common with the Greek words for sums of money used in this parable. Nor does Mat 19:24, the camel through the eye of a needle verse, also doesn't condem successful men. It condemns the "opulent" (plousios), that is, those who are ostentatous consumers rather than productive people.

Worshipping money is bad. Overconsumption is bad. However, not using money productively is also bad. Criticizing people because they work with money is bad. Not understanding the value of money is bad.

Money is both a physical thing, a mental idea, and part of our relationship with other people. As such it can play an important role in our cycle of thoughts, deeds, and feelings. However, Christ sees it as a tool to build something through that cycle. It is not an end in itself. The goal is not to make money, but to produce value. The goal is not to spend money on pleasures, but to use it for what we need to fulfill our purpose on earth.

Remember, this section of Christ's words (Chapter 24,25) began with a discussion of Christ's purpose and his role in the purpose of the age. From there, it has gone on to discuss the purpose of the age as and analogy for the purpose of life in general and our individual lives. In this discussion, Christ says that we must meet both manmade and natural tragedies, but we must also remember that it all has a purpose, a goal. Everything has meaning.

Our job is not only to stay vigilant, but to prepare and to build. We don't know when our end will come. With that in mind, we must accomplish all we can in the time we have.


"Should" is from dei (dei), which means "there is need," "it is needful," "one must," and "it is fitting."

"Therefore" is from oun (oun), which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "then," and "therefore."

"To have put" is from ballô (ballo), which means "to throw," "to cast," "to let fall," "to put," "to place," "to place on deposit," "to put for oneself," and "to lay as a foundation."

"Money" is from argurion (argurion), which means "a small silver coin," "a sum of money," "cash," and "silver."

"Exchanger" is from trapezitês (trapezites), which means "money changer," "banker," and "broker."

"Received" is from komizô (komizo), which means "to take care of," "to provide for," "to receive," "to treat," "to carry away as so to preserve," "to convey," "to get back," "to recover," and "to return."

"Usury" is from tokos (tokos), which means "childbirth," "the time of childbirth," "offspring," "produce of money," and "interest."