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PARABLE: of the talents

 {PARABLE} of the talents_ 

Matthew 25:14-30 

 
God has entrusted each of us with resources to use in the furthering of God’s Kingdom of love. We each have been called to invest the resources we have been given so they can grow and multiply. 

 
[Group discussion starter] If someone loaned you a million pounds and you had to pay it back in ten years, what would you do with it? 

 

 
We do not need to fearfully horde or hide what we have been given. It is important that we not let fear trap us in this way. The results are tragic, as Jesus’ parable of the talents demonstrates... 

 
[Read Matthew 25:14-30] 

 

If you could re-name this parable, what title would you give this story? 

 

 
In verses 14-15, how and why does the master entrust his money to these servants? 

 

 
A ‘talent’ wasn’t a personal ability, but a weight measure of money, equal to 20 years’ worth of wages! Put yourself in the place of the first and the third servants. What thoughts, beliefs and feelings would you have experienced if you were entrusted with their talents? 

 

 
In verses 19-23, compare the reactions of the master to the first and second servants. 
What matters to him, and what does not matter? 

 
As you look at the statements of the three servants (verses 20, 22, 24-25), what can you infer about their relationships with their master? 

 

 
How might their relationships have affected their actions in verses 16-18? 

 

 
Think of people you have done jobs for. 
What bearing did your relationship with them have on your attitude towards the job? 

 

 
How is the master like God and how is he unlike God? 

 

 
How does our relationship with God affect our attitudes towards what we do? 

 

 
[Activity] List some of the resources God has given his people to further his Kingdom. 

 

 

 

 
How can you faithfully handle the responsibilities God has given you?  

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