Bible Discovery Zone

Transcription

1 Bible Discovery Zone Parable of the Talents Lesson Plan Memory Verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace... 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV 2011) Learning Centers Overview: Holy Word Studio: View the DVD Parables of Jesus and answer the review questions Computer Bible Lab: Use Amazing Bible Stories and Cal & Marty Scripture Memory Game CDs to retell the story of the Parable of the Talents and memorize the Bible verse. Praise Him! PlayHouse: Video tape skit of Parable to Talents, portray how do we bury our talents with trash can Bible Background: THE GOOD STEWARDS OF OUR GOD-GIVEN TALENTS This background also reflects on the deeper meaning of "talents". What does God give us? Matthew 25: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace... 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV 2011) What a great memory verse for this parable! I wonder if Peter was thinking of Jesus' parable when he wrote his letter? I'll bet so! (Parts of this background are adapted from the Parable of the Talents Rotation Lesson Set from Bedford Presbyterian Church, Bedford, NY, The Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishing and The Student Bible, Zon dervan Pub.) Today when we talk about a talented person such as a musician or athlete, we are actually referring back to this parable. A talent in Jesus time was a valuable sum of money. A "talent" was probably a "weight" of gold or silver. Sources differ in how much a talent was worth. Some sources say about 2 years wages and others say 15 years wages. At any rate (pardon the pun) a talent was a large sum of money, but because of Jesus, the word talent took on a different meaning, and so today we talk about the talents or gifts we have been given, which are like money we can invest and do things with. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like this: A man (God) is going away on a journey. The man (who was very rich) calls his three servants and entrusts them with talents... large sums of money each according to his ability. Well the master certainly knew his servants because the two who had been entrusted with greater sums got straight to work and doubled this money for their master. The third servant, afraid to take a risk with even the smaller amount of money entrusted to him, digs a hole and hides it in the ground. The master returns, calls his servants before him and demands an accounting of the talents entrusted to them.

2 Now here's an interesting question: God knows which servant will probably fail the test. But he gives that servant the talent anyway! Even failure is an opportunity for confession and improvement. You have to ask yourself: WHAT IF the failed servant had confessed his sin? The two servants that doubled the money were highly praised and given more responsibility (and the privileges that come with it). The third servant, although the money had remained intact, was punished because he had not used his talent s wisely or even used them at all. He had covered up his talents so they could not be seen. Master, cries the third servant, I know that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. That's strange: the servant was AFRAID of the Master. Are we so afraid of God that we do little? risk little? try not to make waves at school, at church, in the world? And why were the two other servants NOT afraid? What did they have that the failed servant didn't?? The master is furious with this account of his money. You wicked, lazy servant! he angrily replies, So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. What happens next may be surprising to some. The master takes the one talent from the third servant and entrusts it to the second servant. Everyone who has will be given more, the master declares, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And with that he throws the third servant out of h is presence and into the darkness. Why was the master so angry? And why is this like the kingdom of heaven? Of course, it's important to remember that this same God is a Good Shepherd. He makes sure the 99 sheep are safe, and then he goes out to find the lost sheep. The man was cast out, but like Adam and Eve and the Lost Sheep, God followed. God does not abandon. No one received more or less than he could handle." If he failed in his assignment, his excuse could not be that he was overwhelmed. Failure could come only from laziness or fear or hatred toward the master. Why do YOU fail the Master? What is holding back YOUR faith? And how do you get over that? The talents represent any kind of resource we are given. God gives us time, gifts, and othe r resources according to our abilities, and He expects us to invest them wisely until he returns. We are responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have. You have probably heard the expression, "USE IT OR LOSE IT." That is the same as Jesus message in this parable. It can be hard to hear that to those that have much, even more will be given, and to those that have nothing, even the little they have will be taken away. The message is th at God entrusts us with our talents so that we will choose to use them, not just to hide them away. Jesus warns us not to hide our light under a bushel but to shine it from on top of the highest hill. God SAVES US. God FORGIVES US. But the parable also says that GOD WILL HELP US according to how well we respond to what he has given us. Using our Talents is about RESPONDING to what the Master has given us. It's okay to think about "talents" as "honesty" or "can kick a ball really good". But what are the gifts GOD GIVES? (Paul's fruits of the spirit come to mind.) Now imagine the gift was salvation,...how do some people BURY the gift of salvation? How can you take salvation and invest/spread it around? Imagine the gift was forgiveness,...how do you INVEST a talent for forgiveness in the world? Even ONE Talent was far more than a person needed to be considered rich. What would it mean to have FIVE talents of forgiveness? Ten!

3 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generou sly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been saved by His grace, we become his children living in the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7 Holy Word Studio: Memory Verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace... 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV 2011) Materials: DVD Player/Projector Popcorn to serve in paper bags Video: Parables of Jesus (Nest) It is about 25 min. long. Teacher preparation: 1. Read the Scripture passages prayerfully, asking God to show you what He has to say to y ou and to those He s given you to teach. 2. Read the Biblical Explanation and Background, and think about what concepts you need to teach. 3. Watch the DVD and review all of the questions so that you are familiar with how to use them. 4. Prepare the necessary materials. Watch the DVD and guide the kids through the following review questions: Review the memory verse and close with prayer

4 Screen Savior (Computer Bible Lab): Memory Verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace... 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV 2011) Supplies: Awesome Bible Stories software CD installed on all computers Cal & Marty Scripture Memory Game software installed on all computers Awesome Bible Stories: Parable of the Talents Parable of the Talents - Matthew 25:14-30 Menu Choices: Play the Story Talents-Stewardship Game This parable has some vocabulary and concepts that will be new to many students. So, we have created an interactive story in which they can select alternate phrases for key ideas as they move through the story to help them understand what Jesus is talking about. The idea here is that you ll have the time to hear the story several different ways. Here s how it works... The narration/animation will pause at 8 key concept points in the story to allow students to select from one of several translation options. For example, students can select you wicked slacker instead of you wicked servant. These options appear as onscreen buttons: A,B,C, or D. Option A always plays the original scripture version. Option A is also colored red, so you could simply say play the red options first time through the story. At the end of the selection, a continue and replay button appears. If you press replay it will replay the previous scene and offer you the translation options again so that you can pick another one. Some of the options are fun translations. You ll see some study notes/questions during the story. Additional concepts are narrated in a set of study notes at the end of the story. Your use and discussion of these note will depending on your age group and the time you have. If you have time after going through the story, encourage students to come up with additional phrases that could be used at each point in the story. If you have time, older students could write a new ending to the story. How can the wicked servant be

5 rehabilitated? Being a good steward of your talents is further explored through a fun onscreen Stewardship Board game for one or two players. (Divide kids so two kids play each other in this game) The Talents Board Game considers modern day ways we bury or invest our talents. The game uses the same 25 concepts each time, but the good/bad results and # of spaces you move are randomly generated. Theological Comment: Some students may feel that the parable is unfair because it punishes the one servant for merely saving the money. Clearly Jesus is teaching that he expects us to do more than keep God s gifts to ourselves. This is not a parable about ultimate destinations; it is about God s Kingdom here on earth (what Matthew calls the Kingdom of Heaven, but Luke and Mark call the Kingdom of God). Jesus is not talking about heaven and hell. Outer darkness should not be equated with a permanent condition. People who walk in darkness still have the opportunity to see a great light. For further discussion with older students: The other servants don t say why they invested their talents, but we do know the wicked servant hid the talent because he feared losing it. He believed his master was harsh and punishing, and that caused him to misuse the talents he was given. What we believe about God affects how we act as Christians. Discuss what may have motivated the other servants to invest the gifts they were given. Student worksheets and lesson plans that use stories in this CD are available at Cal & Marty Scripture Memory Game Have students open Cal & Marty and seek out 1 Peter. Then click on 1 Peter 4:10. Students should study the memory verse, then scramble verse, and work to place words in order. Once all kids have finished, repeat the memory verse together and close with prayer.

6 Praise Him! Playhouse: Memory Verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God s grace... 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV 2011) Supply List Video camera & tripod Helpers to run video camera, voice over speaking parts Chocolate coins Costumes for Jesus, servants, Master Trash cans Small package, wrapping paper, bow Markers Items to make trash, newspaper, etc. THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS DUBBED Actors will "lip sync" to off-camera narration while they are videotaped. This is a fun technique seen in improv shows. It is like being "dubbed" in a foreign film. Allow about 2-3 minutes for kids to get costumes, assign parts, and pass out scripts to adults /teens. Tell the families that you will be doing a foreign film. Kids will act out the parts and move their mouths whil e adults off camera read the lines. The result will be like a foreign film "dub"!! Wormy adds... IMPORTANT VIDEO TAPING SUGGESTION: For the lip syncing to really look great, you have to have the actors CLOSE TO THE CAMERA. Pause the recording at certain key lines, reposition the camera or zoom in to record the actor up close. You can also pause the recording, and reposition the camera to cut to other actor's facial reactions. This also gives you the opportunity to discuss how the actors should react to key lines/ideas. Have the narrators standing directly behind the camera so they are picked up by the microphone. Put the camera on a tripod so that the camera stays still for close -ups and the cameraperson can see the direct waving "CUT!" to stop the action. Add "scenes" and "close up" remarks to the script before practicing so everyone knows where to stop. Extra students can hold lights, make sound effects (which you can add to the script). Apply some STAGE MAKEUP and moustaches, beards, wigs. Kids LOVE that. KIDS: 6 Characters dressed in costume (see below) and 6 adults/teens to read the parts, one adult/teen to run the video camera. NOTES: Narrator will say their lines on camera, then move off to the side. Jesus will stand off to the side of the action, on camera, the whole time. The rest of the kids and adults who want to can be other servants in the background acting like they re doing work throughout the story.

7 Tell the kids to listen carefully to the words so they will know what their part is and how they should act out motions and move their mouths. This is important. Narrator Jesus Master Servant 1 Servant 2 Servant 3 THE DRAMA Script adapted from The Children s Bible in 365 Stories by Mary Batchelor and The Family Story Bible by Ralph Milton Jesus would not always be living on the earth. His followers must learn to be loyal to him and use every opportunity to serve him, even when he was no longer with them. So Jesus told this story, a parable, to help them know what he wanted them to do. Jesus said: JESUS: I have a story to tell you about a man, the master, who said: I am going to go on a long journey. Before I leave I have to put some of my servants in charge of all my property. Servants, come here! All 3 servants replied: ALL 3 SERVANTS: Yes, master, what is it you wish? The master said: You three will be in charge of all my property and all I own while I m gone. All 3 servants answered: ALL 3 SERVANTS: Yes, master, whatever you say we will do. The master said: I will give to you each some of my money, according to how well each of you will be able to manage it. To the first servant he gave 5 talents. Talents were a kind of money. One talent was said to be worth more than one thousand dollars! The first servant said, FIRST SERVANT I will take care of these talents, master.

8 And he went away. To the second servant he gave 2 talents. The second servant said, SECOND SERVANT: I will take care of these talents, master. And he went away. To the third servant he gave 1 talent. The third servant took the talent and didn t say anything, and he went away. The master then went away on his journey. After a long while the master returned. He called the three servants to him to ask them what they had done with his money. The first servant said, FIRST SERVANT: I used the talents wisely and have doubled what you gave me. Here are ten thousand coins for you, master! The master said, Well done! You have been a good and loyal servant. You have shown that you can be trusted and obey in small w ays. I shall give you the opportunity to serve me now in bigger ways. Come and join my celebration! Then the second servant stepped forward. The second servant said, SECOND SERVANT: I have also doubled what you gave me, master. NARRATOR And he handed the master four thousand coins. The master said, Well done! You too have been loyal and good and you shall be promoted, too. Join my celebration! Last of all, the servant who had been given one thousand coins came forwar d. The third servant said, THIRD SERVANT Here are your coins back, master. You always act like you are out for what you can get. I was afraid to risk losing any of the money that you gave me so I just buried the talents in the ground for safekeeping. The master said, You bad, lazy servant! If I m really as mean as you make me out to be, then you should have invested my money so I could at least have back the interest. Your coins will be given to the servant who gained five thousand. Those who make full use of what they are given, end up being even better off. Those who refuse to make good use of the little they have, lose even that. NARRATOR Then the master turned to the other servants and said, MASTER Turn this servant out. He has lost his chance. There is nothing for him to look forward to.

9 The point of the parable is a reminder that we are not measured by what we have to begin with, but by what we do with what we have. The story tells us that God has given each of us at least one talent, one gift that is to be used in the work of the Kingdom. Not everyone has more than one gift, but we all have at least one gift to be used for the glory of God. Now some people feel that since they don t have a major, dramatic gift t hat someone else might have, it s okay for them to sit back and do nothing but guard their gift. Jesus looks at the one-talent person, saying that person has just as much responsibility to serve God "according to his/her ability" as the one with five talents does. You see, Jesus wants to point out the responsibility of ordinary people. That s what most of us are, you know? This is Jesus way of reminding us ordinary folks that God doesn t just call superstars to do his work. God needs each of us and expects us to use our gifts, no matter how small or insignificant we might think those gifts are. In fact, some of God s best work over the ages has been done through ordinary, one -talent people - people like Moses, Peter, Mary, a small boy with a small lunch. The one thing these folks had in common was that they were willing to allow God to use the gifts they had been given. THE END A "What buries your talents?" TRASHCAN Idea: Rather than just focusing on the traditional "what do we bury" use this trashcan idea to "dig" into "What do we bury our gifts WITH?" and "WHY do we bury?" We bury what God has given us with EXCUSES, with Other Commitments. Lack of Faith, Laziness, Sel fishness. We crowd him out. We bury our gift of compassion with being too embarrassed or too busy to help. Uncaring. Thinking we can't make a difference. Expand the list! Older kids could come up with this list of "things which bury the gifts, opportuni ties to serve, help, give." Bring in several large trashcans. Kids discuss how to Label the trashcans by what we use to bury God's gifts with (Excuse, Lack of Faith, etc). Kids now create the trash/dirt we use to bury those gifts. Give them stacks of ol d newspaper, or styrofoam packing, or things like gravel and bricks. All these things can be metaphors to the older kids to discuss. What gets in the way of using our talents for God's work? Place "the gift" in the bottom of each can. It can be a small box sealed with a ribbon. Inside are slips of paper put there by the kids with a "talent" or "gift" that gets buried. Older kids can work in small groups with their trashcan, labeling it, filling it, making the gift and coming up with the slips. Then they present their "buried gift" to the entire class as a presentation, and inviting a group to come look for the gift. The older kids or you could also create "tools" that the kids must use to remove the trash. What would you label of shovel? Could you make a shovel out of a stick and Bible? How about a set of cardboard praying hands? (How does Prayer help us remove the excuses in our lives?) How does God's Word help us dig through the garbage to help us reveal God's gift? (I'm thinking off the top of my head here! Run with it!) Close by reciting the memory verse together and closing with prayer.