in "parables as subversive speech: jesus as pedagogue of the oppressed" (1994), william r. herzog ii presents a liberation theology interpretation of the "parable of the talents", wherein the absentee landlord reaps where he didn't sow, and the third servant is a whistle-blower who has "unmasked the 'joy of the master' for what it is — the profits of exploitation squandered in wasteful excess." hence, the third servant is punished for speaking the truth, and not for failing to make a profit. from the critical perspective of liberation theology, the message of the "parable of the talents" is that man must act in solidarity with other men when confronting social, political, and economic injustices.