Ready for Impact (10 minutes)
Catch up on how things have been since the last time your Impact Group met. Allow anyone new to introduce themselves. Then ask group members:
- As you look to your future career, who would be your ideal boss?
Ask for a volunteer to read Matthew 25:14-30 to the group, praying a short prayer that – however much they’ve come to know Jesus, they’d get to know him better as a result of your time together.
Watch
Impacted by the Word (15 minutes)
- Each bag of gold (or ‘talent’) represented twenty years’ wages. How might the servants have felt when they received the bags of gold from their master?
- What do the first two servants’ actions reveal about how they viewed their master?
- For what exactly does the master commend the first two servants? (verses 21 and 23).
- What do the third servant’s words and actions reveal about how he viewed his master?
- Jesus knows he will soon depart. What warning does this parable give to those who aren’t faithful to Jesus’ priorities in his absence?
- What encouragement does it bring to those who are?
- What might it look like for you to be a “good and faithful servant” in your current setting?
In verse 26, is the master admitting to harvesting where he had not sown and gathering where he had not scattered seed?
Some readers think not. They think that the master is simply repeating the third servant’s words back in amazement, and using the servant’s own words as a basis for his judgement (Luke 19:22). People who prefer this interpretation point to the fact that the master appears to be incredibly generous, both in entrusting his riches to his servants and in rewarding them in their faithfulness.
According to this reading, the third servant shows how much he doesn’t understand, thinking his master to be harsh. He doesn't understand that the master gives generously out of his abundance and that the proper response is to share and increase, whatever the cost to himself.
But perhaps the plainer reading is that the servant knows exactly what his master is like. Figures known as ‘bandit leaders’ existed in Jesus’ day. They would swoop in and out of the hills, raiding the farms of others. Bandit leaders were known for their ruthlessness. They simply took what they wanted from others – and got rich on it.
If this is what Jesus had in mind, he’s not implying that God is ruthless like this. He’s making a simpler point: we demonstrate our faithfulness to an absent master through committing ourselves to what matters to him. The parable of the sheep and the goats (which follows immediately afterwards) pictures part of what this looks like: offering risky love in small but tangible ways to those around us, especially those who are vulnerable.
We might add that faithfulness to Jesus is also shown in sharing the hope that can only be found in him with others.
Impacting Our Hearts (10 minutes)
Think of people you’ve done jobs for (this may be paid but could include errands for friends and family). Discuss,
- How did your relationship with them affect how you went about doing the job?
- How might knowing what matters to Jesus help you grow in faithfulness to Him now?
Turn your discussion on the second question into prayer. Pray especially for the ways in which people would like to show their faithfulness to Jesus in their present circumstances.
If you’re able to sing in your group time, why not consider some of the following songs: Build my Life, Jesus Paid it all, When I Survey
Impacting the University (15 minutes)
Watch this video (4 minutes), which considers the theme of faithfulness when it comes to speaking of Jesus:
- What strikes you about Jeremy’s faithfulness to Jesus?
- What impresses you about Jeremy’s faithfulness to his friend Shane?
- What might it look like for you – as individuals and as a group – to be faithful both to Jesus and those around you?
Pray for those, like Shane, who God has put on your hearts to be faithful to here at university.
Wrap-up – TACOS 🌮
Thank You – Thank everyone for coming, and ask someone to thank God for your time together in prayer.
Ask – Ask those who are new to reading the Bible if they’d like to explore Uncover, a set of sessions in Mark’s Gospel, allowing them to investigate one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life alongside one of you.
Church and CU – What does the CU have planned ahead? And what help would group members value in finding a local church?
Others – Who else could you invite to join your CU Impact Group next week? These friends don’t need to be followers of Jesus and may really appreciate being invited.
See You Soon – Tell the group where and when you’ll meet next week, and arrange who will bring snacks. (You might like to alternate healthy and less healthy weeks!). See if anyone would be up for sharing a meal or just hanging out in the meantime!