Q: the Synoptic Sayings Source (Red Letter Edition)

Luke 19:12-27 Matt 25:14-30

¹² So he said:

¹⁴ "You know, it's like

"A nobleman went off to a distant land a man going on a trip

intending to acquire a kingship for himself

and then return.

¹³ Calling ten of his slaves, who called his slaves

he gave them them ten minas and told them, and turned his property over to them.

'Do business with this while I'm away.'

¹⁵ To the first he gave

five talents worth of silver;

to the second, two talents worth;

and to the third, one talent worth,

to each in proportion to his ability.

Then he left.

¹⁶ The one who had received

five talents worth of silver;

went right out and put the money to work;

he doubled his investment.

¹⁷ The second also doubled his money.

¹⁸ But the third,

who had received the smallest amount,

went out, dug a hole,

and hid his master's silver.

¹⁴ His fellow citizen, however, hated him

and sent a delegation right on his heels

with the petition:

'We don't want this man to rule us.'

¹⁵ And it came to pass ¹⁹ After a long absence

that he got the kingship

and returned. the master of those slaves returned

He had those slaves summoned

to whom he had given the money,

in order to find out to settle

what profit they had made. accounts with them.

¹⁶ The first ²⁰ The first,

who had received five talents of silver,

came in came and produced an additional five

and reported with this report:

'Master, your mina has increased 'Master, you handed me five talents of silver;

as you can see,

ten times over.' I have made five more.'

¹⁷ He said to him, ²¹ His master commended him,

'Well done, 'Well done,

you competent slave! you competent and trustworthy slave!

Because you have been trustworthy You've been trustworthy

in this small matter, in a little,

you are to be in charge of ten towns.' so I'll put you in charge of a lot.

Come celebrate with your master.'

¹⁸ The second ²² The one with two talents of silver

came in and reported also came and reported,

'Master, your mina has increased 'Master, you handed me two talents of silver;

as you can see,

five times over.' I've made you two more.'

¹⁹ And he said to him, ²³ His master commended him,

'Well done,

you competent and trustworthy slave!

You've been trustworthy in a little,

'And you are to be in charge of five towns.' so I'll put you in charge of a lot.

Come celebrate with your master.'

²⁰ Then the other <slave> came in and said, ²⁴ The one who had received

one talent of silver

also came and reported,

'Master, here is your money. 'Master,

I kept it tucked away safe in a handkerchief.

²¹ You see, I was afraid of you, [see Matt 25:25 below]

because you are a ruthless man: I know you are ruthless,

you withdraw what you didn't deposit

and reap what you didn't sow. reaping what you didn't sow

and gathering where you didn't scatter.

²⁵ Since I was afraid,

I went out

and buried your money in the ground.

Look, here it is!'

²² He said to him, ²⁶ But his master replied to him,

'You incompetent slave! 'You incompetent and timid slave!

Your own words convict you.

So you knew I was ruthless, did you? So you knew

That I withdraw what I didn't deposit that

and reap what I didn't sow? I reap what I didn't sow?

and gather where I didn't scatter, did you?

²³ So why didn't you put my money ²⁷ Then you should have taken my money

in the bank? to the bankers.

Then Then when I returned

I could have collected it I would have recovered what's mine,

with interest plus interest.

when I got back.'

²⁴ Then he said to his attendants,

'Take the mina from this guy ²⁸ So take the talent away from this guy

and give it to the one who has ten.' and give it to the one who has ten.'

²⁵ 'But Master,' they said,

he already has ten minas.'

²⁶ He replied,

'I'm telling you, ²⁹ In fact,

to everyone who has, more will be given; to everyone who has, more will be given

and then some;

and from those who don't have, and from those who don't have,

even what they do have will be taken away. even what they do have will be taken away.

²⁷ But now, about those enemies of mine, ³⁰ And throw this worthless slave

the ones who didn't want me to rule them:

bring them here

and slaughter them here in front of me.'" into the utter darkness,

where they'll weep and grind their teeth.'"

Core

At first glance, Matt 25:14-30 and Luke 19:15-27 look like different parables, but closer examination shows that they are variations of the same story. The common elements are:

Man gives slaves money before a trip:

Some invest & earn more; one saves it.

Man returns to settle accounts.

Profitable slaves promoted;

last slave's money given to one who earned the most.

The audit of the conservative slave (Matt 25:24-28//Luke 19:20-24) is the section with the greatest verbal agreements between the two versions.

Performances

Matthew and Luke develop this plot with such different details that the original story has been buried in reinterpretation. For instance, Matthew has three slaves who are given unequal amounts. Luke has ten slaves who are given equal amounts. The units also differ. Matthew's measure is the Hebrew talent; Luke's, the mina. Comparing these is like comparing dollars and dimes. On an ancient pay scale, the slaves in Luke each got about thirty months pay. In Matthew, even the third slave got six times that.

Other details in Luke belong to a subplot about a rebellion against a nobleman who went abroad to be installed as king. This may recall Jewish opposition to Herod's son, Archelaus, who went to Rome in 4 BCE to be confirmed as his father's successor. While he was gone several upstarts tried to usurp Herod's throne (see Josephus, Antiquities 17.222-285).

Editing

Despite such differences, Q is probably the source for the parable of entrusted funds in both Matthew and Luke. The fate of the last slave is a good illustration of Q's opening lines: John the Baptist's warning to those who do not produce (Luke 3:8-9//Matt 3:8-12). And the concluding aphorism (Matt 24:29//Luke 19:26) stresses this point. The anonymous protest separating these in Luke 19:25 is probably an editorial comment. Ancient scribes often inserted notes earlier readers had made in the margins into the body of the text itself. Matthew and Luke add different conclusions that shift the focus of the parable away from the original point: the reward of the slave who earned the most (Matt 25:28//Luke 19:24).

Other signs of editing involve disparity in the number of slaves, the funds entrusted to each, the master's instructions (or lack thereof), and the fate of the timid slave. The original oral parable probably had only three slaves, since only three are included in the final reckoning. Luke's focus on the slaves receiving equal shares and being given instructions on what to do, as well as their proportionate rewards, portrays the master as fair. Moreover, it justifies his scolding of the conservative slave and stripping him of any authority because of his obvious disobedience. In Matthew's version the slaves' fate depends on their own the initiative rather than obedience to instructions. Since he claims the funds were distributed according to the recipient's ability, the condemnation of the "worthless" slave seems harsh and excessive.

Attribution

Entrusted funds % Red Pink Grey Black WA Print

Luke 19:13, 15-24
Luke 19:12b,14,25,27
Matt 25:14-28 (-21c, 23c)
Matt 25:30 5
0
5
0 73
0
73
0 18
0
18
0 5
99
5
99 59
00
59
00 pink
black
pink
black

This parable has been revised, perhaps several times to serve different story-tellers' agendas. The original is beyond recovery, but the core is still visible. Thus, the Fellows agreed to print obvious changes by Matthew, Luke or previous editors in black.

Many argued that Luke's portrayal of the master made his performance better suited to illustrate Jesus' view of divine justice. But others argued that Matthew's version was more likely original simply because it is more difficult. Early Christians evidently revised this vivid parable because they found the original shocking. The protest of unfairness in Luke 19:25 fits Matthew even better. So, Matthew's version is probably less revised than Luke's. Dramatic exaggeration for emphasis is a feature of oral composition evident in other Jesus sayings. And this parable, in either version, graphically illustrates Jesus' observation that those who try to preserve their lives are bound to lose it while, paradoxically, those who risk losing it will preserve it (Luke 17:33//Matt 10:39). So most Fellows agreed that both versions of this parable preserved the core logic of a genuine Jesus saying, despite heavy editing by early Christian scribes.

Luke 8:18 Matt 13:12 Mark 4:25 Thom 41

¹ Jesus said:

¹⁸ "So pay attention

to how you're listening;

in fact, ¹² "In fact, ²⁵ "In fact,

to those who have to those who have to those who have "Those who have

something in hand

more will be given, more will be given, will be given more,

and then some,

and from those and from those and from those and those

who don't have, who don't have, who don't have, who have nothing

will be deprived of

even what even what even what even the little

they seem to have they do have they do have they have."

will be taken away." will be taken away." will be taken away."

Luke 19:26 * Matt 25:29 *

²⁶ ''He replied,

'I'm telling you, ²⁹ In fact,

to everyone who has, to everyone who has,

more will be given; more will be given

and then some;

and from those and from those

who don't have, who don't have,

even what they do have even what they do have

will be taken away.'" will be taken away.'"

* For this verse in context see the parable above.

Sources

The aphorism appended to the preceding parable in Q is found in a different context in Mark and by itself in Thomas. Matthew and Luke use it twice, first in Mark's context and then in Q's. In both Mark and Thomas it is presented as a general proverb. But in Q's context it sounds more like a legal principle.

Attribution

Haves and have nots % Red Pink Grey Black WA Print

Luke 19:26
Matt 25:29
Mark 4:25
Matt 13:12
Luke 8:18b
Thom 41 0
0
0
0
0
0 57
57
61
57
61
61 35
35
30
35
30
30 9
9
9
9
9
9 49
49
51
49
51
51 grey
grey
pink
grey
pink
pink

Uncertainty about this saying's original context left the weighted average of votes on all versions on the border line between pink and grey. It was probably attached to the parable of the entrusted money to justify the master's act of turning the last slave's portion over to the first. But its authorship remains uncertain. As a general principle, the idea of those with more prospering while those with little lose everything is hard to square with Jesus' proclamation that God's empire belongs to the poor (Luke 6:20//Thom 54). So it may have been a common proverb --- like "the rich get richer and the poor poorer" --- which the collator of Q attached to the parable of the entrusted money to help explain a difficult saying. There were no red votes.

On the other hand, it is well-attested and circulated widely as a Jesus saying. Moreover, as a compact aphorism, it was better preserved than the parable to which it was appended. Like several genuine Jesus sayings it stands common standards of justice on their head. So most of the Fellows were persuaded that Jesus probably said something like this. Pink votes were in a majority for all versions of this saying. But indications that Q's context was not original led some Fellows to rate that version lower.

Luke 22:28-30 Matt 19:28

²⁸ Jesus told them,

"Let me tell you,

²⁸ "You are the ones who stuck by me you who have followed me,

in my ordeals. when

the son of Man is seated on his throne of glory

²⁹ And I confer on you the right to rule,

just as surely as my father

conferred that right on me,

³⁰ so you may eat and drink at my table

in my empire, in the renewal <of creation>

and be seated on thrones you also will be seated on twelve thrones

and sit in judgment and sit in judgment

on the twelve tribes of Israel." on the twelve tribes of Israel."

Context

A promise that Jesus' followers will judge the twelve tribes of Israel is the last Q saying in Luke. Matthew's version is located earlier. Luke's order is probably original, since this saying is a fit conclusion to Q which opened with

warning Israel of God's judgment (Luke 3:7-9//Matt 3:7-10) and

congratulating the poor as heirs to God's empire (Luke 6:20//Matt 5:3).

But Luke seems to have edited the saying to fit his context (Jesus' last supper) by mentioning a meal. The Q saying might have also portrayed Jesus as ruler (Luke 22:29b), since Matthew stresses this. Some scholars regard Matthew's version as earlier, since its focus on the son of Man is like the Q apocalypse (Luke 17:22-37//Matt 24:23-28,37-41). But the original opening is not clear since Luke's wording is so different.

Attribution

Twelve thrones % Red Pink Grey Black WA Print

Luke 19:26
Matt 25:29 0
3 3
6 24
18 74
74 10
13 black
black

About a fourth of the Fellows found some elements in this saying that might be traced to Jesus. But few think it is based on anything he actually said. The theme of judgment is related to many Q sayings, but not those that are probably genuine Jesus sayings. The views expressed here reflect the perspective and concerns of the compiler of Q. And this promise of eschatological vindication provides an apt ending to a work designed to encourage frustrated followers facing opposition from Judean authorities (see e.g., Luke 11:49,52; 13:34//Matt 23:13,34,37). After all, authors generally compose their own conclusions.