Date
Sunday November 16
Lectionary Sunday
Ordinary 33A
Gospel Passage
Background Information
Jesus is telling this parable during His last week in Jerusalem.
He has been in conflict with the various religious groups situated in the city.
He is now talking to the people and teaching them about what God has entrusted
to them in each of their lives. He is trying to get them to understand two
major points:
a)
Everyone has the
potential to bear fruits of faith in their lives
b)
The established
religious groups were fruitless despite being initially blessed by God.
Facts of Interest
A talent is equal to 75
pounds of gold. In today’s market, it would be worth $1.25 million.
The parable is about being
faithful and effective stewards for God.
Questions to consider
1)
Why did the man
entrust his property to his servants? Why did he give them different amounts?
What did he expect of them?
2)
How did the
servants respond? What made them do this?
3)
When he returned,
what did the man seek from his servants?
4)
How did he react
to his servants who multiplied the talents of gold?
5)
How did he react
to the servant who hid the gold?
If our faith is meant to
produce fruit, are we doing this?
If Christ returned today,
how would He settle His accounts with us?
If we inwardly hide our
faith, are we guilty of misusing God’s gifts?
How should churches and
church people apply the teachings of this parable?
Other links
Exegetical Notes: http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/matt25x14.htm
Readers’ Drama: http://www.dramatix.org/archive/family/parable_of_talents.html
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing
us to serve You each day. Enable us to multiply our faith effectively by
helping others in our community and church. In Your Name, we pray. Amen.
