Your explanation doesn't make sense to me, sorry. You are contradicting yourself. First, you underline:
'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed
And then, you write:
This was someone who did not know the Master for He would never have said "I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed".
Say what? He certainly DID know the Master, for then the Master said "'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank
Sorry, Harley, you'll have to come up with something more convincing to explain this away.
It is a fallacy to think God only uses Christians to bring us to Him. He'll use anyone He darn well pleases. But in the parables of the talents it is obvious the one who went and buried his talent had no concept of his master.
I most certainly agree that God can use ANYONE to bring people to God. Didn't God use the Persians to free the Jews from Babylonian power? In Isaiah, I believe, the Scriptures twice mention that Cyrus was the tool of God. But this has NOTHING to do with the parable! Read what is there, read the context. Consider the immediately prior and following parables - all about the Kingdom of God and entrance to it is based on our God-inspired works...As I have explained to you before about the Virgins, and, of course, the Goats and sheep parable. The same theme. As I have shown, the lazy slave KNEW about his master's ways - and was subsequently punished.
Now, if he was invincibly ignorant...! :-)
Some Catholics don't believe anyone winds up in hell which is not what the above scriptures (e.g. Lord, Lord...) would indicate. Did the person who buried his talent go to purgatory?
The Church teaches that there are people in Hell, as well as demons and the devil. She just doesn't teach WHO is specifically in hell (human-wise). If someone teaches otherwise, they are teaching heretical doctrine. Harley, you should know better than trying to equate heretics to Catholic Teachings. Did the person who buried his talent go to purgatory? Perhaps. It would be speculation to make that determination.
Regards
Since you have eSword I would suggest you read John Gill's commentary. This is what John MacArthur has to state about this section. Perhaps this will be a little clearer.
…
Even if the slave’s accusation against his owner had been valid, it would not have excused his indolence. If anything, it would have made it more foolhardy. “If you thought I demand a return even on that which does not belong to me,” the master countered, in effect, “did you think I would not require a return on that which does belong to me?” The slave was verbally hanged with his own rope.
The truth of the matter was that the slave had no real concern for his master one way or the other, and his excuse seems to have been more spur of the moment than planned. He did not expect the master’s return and did not expect to be held accountable, and when he was caught by surprise he simply threw out an outrageous charge that made no sense.
The distinguishing mark of the first two servants was that they used their opportunity to serve the Lord before His return, which they eagerly awaited, and thereby proved the genuineness of their salvation. They were willing to invest everything they had in the service of their Master. The third servant, on the other hand, put aside what God had given him and went about his own selfish business. He called himself a servant of God but demonstrated conclusively he was not.
The master was angry with the third slave not simply because he lost a profit but because the slave wasted his opportunity. Jesus’ point was that having little to work with is no excuse for not using it at all.
John MacArthur, Commentary on Matthew