Sadly, most commentaries and interpreters assume that the master is Jesus and the slaves are disciples and the return is the second coming. I say "sadly" because Jesus as the master here is a serious problem. If Jesus is the master, we have to contend with him in his own voice calling the talent-burying slave "worthless". This kind of entitlement exegesis can reinforce a distorted image of God as one who rewards the successful and damns failure, which is not the gospel.