Luke 12:48b For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Luke 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.

16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.

17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.

19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.

22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?

24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.

25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

MEMORY VERSE: Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. —I Corinthians 4:2

CENTRAL THOUGHT: In God’s final analysis of my life, faithfulness—doing everything with the awareness that I am going to give an account, that little things are just as important as big things, and that true, loyal, devoted service is due to the Master—is the deciding factor, whether I have been given little or much responsibility.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Luke 19:13 “Occupy till I come”: a verb only found this one time in the New Testament; a compound form of it is in verse 15, “gained by trading.” It means “do business with” or “make the most of your money.”

LESSON BACKGROUND

The parable of the pounds in Luke 19 differs somewhat from the parable in Matthew 25, in that Jesus speaks of “pounds” in Luke 19, as opposed to “talents” in Matthew 25. In today’s lesson, distribution of pounds was divided equally among the ten servants. A kingdom of citizens who rejected His kingship is also part of the story. Otherwise, the details are very similar. Jesus is teaching a lesson about accountability and faithfulness in the spiritual economy of His kingdom.

There are Old Testament examples of the lesson as well. Joseph was so faithful to Potiphar that he suffered prison rather than betray Potiphar in the matter of his wife. Moses was described in Numbers 12:7 as being “faithful” in God’s house. Joshua and Caleb, out of all the men who came out of Egypt, were faithful to God, wholly followed Him, and were able to go in and possess the promised land. Nehemiah chose his brother, Hanani, the ruler of the palace, to be in charge of the entire city of Jerusalem, because he was a “faithful man, and feared God above many” (Nehemiah 7:2). In II Kings 12:15 and 22:7 we read that no accounting or oversight was needed for the workmen repairing the house of the Lord under kings Joash and later, Josiah, because the workmen “dealt faithfully.” Daniel had such an excellent spirit that Darius set him over the princes to keep account, so that “the king should have no damage” (Daniel 6:2). In each of these examples we learn that God blesses and rewards those who willingly take the task given to them, obey God’s will no matter what hardships they endure, and do a good job whether or not anyone is observing them.

—Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. The parable in Luke 19 is similar to the one in _____________ 25. Discuss the similarities/ differences.

2. Jesus said those who were given much would be ____________ much.

3. Those who were faithful in ____________ would be faithful also in _________.

4. What did faithfulness mean in the parable of the pounds? How did the last servant prove unfaithful?

5. Show how faithfulness is linked to accountability.

LIFE APPLICATION

It is so important that we each keep the concept that we are accountable in our hearts at all times. This requires faith that God is and that He is watching. He is recording what we are doing. Our deeds should be done with this in mind, not the idea that we will be seen and commended of men, for “not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth” and “not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God,” doing our work “heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (II Corinthians 10:18 and Colossians 3:22-23).

Another important concept is the importance of little things. It was one small commandment that Eve disobeyed, yet the implications were huge. Honesty about small details could decide whether you are rejected or chosen for an important job.

Faithfulness in financial matters is also very important in God’s sight. God may be leading and equipping you to be a minister of the gospel. Satan will tempt you to err in your ways of handling money because he knows that a “little” unfaithfulness will disqualify you for the job. How will people be able to trust you or I to faithfully handle the matters of their souls when we cannot pay our bills or meet obligations we have promised to clients? Whether one is called to the ministry or not, however, how can we receive blessing from Him in whom there is “no shadow of turning” if our lives are shadowed with less-than-upright business transactions? “A faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6).

—Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

As we were leaving the chapel grounds, my grandson asked me, “What is faithfulness?” I cast about in my mind how to explain faithfulness to a seven year old, then I thought of a dear sister in our congregation who is an example of faithfulness. Problem solved! “You see Sis. _______? What does she do?” It didn’t take long for him to make a list: she’s the first one at church to get it open, teaches Sunday school, organizes various events for the young people and congregation, and often is the last to leave carrying a bag of trash. This dear sister also had parents that were examples of faithfulness, and they left her with a charge to “keep the church doors open.” She’s been faithful to that charge, but who’s going to keep it when she’s gone on to her reward? Would anyone be able to point to you as an example of faithfulness?

—Sarah L. Herron