Maturity And Responsibility JSS2 Christian Religious Studies (CRS) Lesson Note

 MATURITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

Maturity means growing up and becoming responsible. When we are mature, we act wisely, make good choices, and take care of the things God has given us. Responsibility means being trustworthy and doing what we are supposed to do. As Christians, God expects us to be mature and responsible in how we live our lives, use our gifts, and treat other people.

Jesus told several parables to teach His followers about maturity and responsibility. These parables show us that God has given each person gifts, abilities, and opportunities. He expects us to use them wisely and faithfully. These parables also teach us to be ready for Jesus’s return and to treat others with the same forgiveness that God has shown us.

List of Parables on Maturity and Responsibility

There are three important parables that Jesus told to teach us about being mature and responsible:

1. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

This parable teaches us to use our God-given abilities and resources wisely and faithfully. It shows us that God expects us to be good stewards of everything He has entrusted to us.

2. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

This parable teaches us to be prepared and ready for Jesus’s return at any time. It shows us that being mature means planning ahead and staying alert, not being careless or lazy.

3. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

This parable teaches us to forgive others who wrong us, just as God has forgiven us. It shows us that mature Christians understand how much they have been forgiven and extend that same forgiveness to others.

All three parables challenge us to grow in our faith and to act responsibly in our relationship with God and with other people.

1. Narration of Each Parable
2. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

The Story:

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who was going on a long journey to a distant country. Before he left, he called his servants together. He wanted to entrust his property to them while he was away. This man was wealthy and owned many things. He wanted his servants to take care of his business while he traveled.

The man knew his servants well. He knew their different abilities and strengths. So he divided his money among three servants based on what each one could handle.

To the first servant, he gave five talents. A talent was a large amount of money – one talent was worth about twenty years’ wages for a common worker! Five talents was an enormous amount of wealth. This servant received the most because he had great ability.

To the second servant, he gave two talents. This was also a significant amount of money. This servant had good ability, though not as much as the first servant.

To the third servant, he gave one talent. Even one talent was a lot of money – worth about twenty years of work! This servant received one talent according to his ability.

After giving each servant his share, the master left on his journey.

The first servant, who had received five talents, did not waste time. He went to work right away. He was faithful and diligent. He used the money wisely to do business. He traded, invested, and worked hard. After some time, his hard work paid off. He earned five more talents! He doubled the master’s money. He now had ten talents total.

The second servant, who had received two talents, did exactly the same thing. He also went to work immediately. He was faithful with what he had been given. He used the two talents wisely and worked hard in business. He also doubled his master’s money. He earned two more talents, making four talents total.

But the third servant, who had received one talent, acted very differently. He did not work hard. He did not invest the money or use it for business. Instead, he was afraid and lazy. He thought to himself, ‘What if I lose this money? What if something goes wrong? I will just hide it where it will be safe.’

So this servant went out and dug a hole in the ground. He buried his master’s money in the dirt and covered it up. He thought this was the safe thing to do. Then he went about his life, not worrying about the money anymore. He did nothing with the talent he had received.

A long time passed. Finally, the master returned from his journey. He called his servants together to settle accounts. He wanted to see what each servant had done with the money he had entrusted to them.

The first servant came forward eagerly. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look! I have earned five more talents!’ He presented all ten talents to his master.

The master was very pleased. He said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The master rewarded this servant by giving him even greater responsibility and inviting him to celebrate.

Then the second servant came. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look! I have earned two more talents!’ He showed his master all four talents.

The master was equally pleased with this servant. He said exactly the same words: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ The master did not reward him less just because he started with less. He rewarded the servant’s faithfulness and hard work.

Then the third servant came forward. He was nervous. He said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest where you have not sown and gather where you have not scattered seed. I was afraid, so I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ He gave back only the one talent – no more than he had received.

The master was very angry and disappointed. He said, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! You knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Then you should have at least put my money on deposit with the bankers. Then when I returned, I would have received it back with interest!’

The master turned to his other servants and commanded them: ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’

Then the master gave a harsh judgment on the lazy servant: ‘Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ The unfaithful servant was punished severely for wasting his opportunity.”

i The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

The Story:

Jesus told this parable to teach His disciples about being ready for His return. He said:

“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten young women who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. In Jewish wedding customs of that time, the bridegroom would come to take his bride to his home for the wedding feast. Young women called bridesmaids would wait with lamps to welcome the bridegroom and light his way. It was a great honor to be part of this celebration.

Among these ten young women, five were wise and five were foolish. What made the difference between the wise and the foolish? Their preparation.

The five wise young women took their lamps and also took extra jars filled with oil. They knew the bridegroom might come late, and they wanted to be prepared. They thought ahead and planned for a long wait. They made sure they had enough oil to keep their lamps burning no matter when the bridegroom arrived.

But the five foolish young women took their lamps but did not take any extra oil. They did not think about what would happen if the bridegroom was delayed. They did not plan ahead. They were careless and assumed everything would work out fine without preparation.

All ten young women waited for the bridegroom to come. As they waited, it got later and later. The bridegroom was delayed much longer than expected. It became very late at night. All ten young women became drowsy and fell asleep while they waited. They all slept – both the wise and the foolish.

At midnight, when everyone was sound asleep, suddenly there was a loud shout: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Someone announced that the bridegroom was finally coming.

All ten young women woke up quickly. They jumped to their feet and began to trim their lamps, getting them ready to light the way for the bridegroom. They needed to make sure their lamps were burning brightly for the celebration.

But then the five foolish young women discovered a serious problem. They looked at their lamps and realized they were going out. The oil was almost gone. Their lamps were growing dim and would soon go out completely. They had not brought extra oil!

The foolish young women were desperate. They turned to the wise young women and said, ‘Please give us some of your oil! Our lamps are going out!’

But the wise young women replied, ‘No, we cannot share our oil with you. If we do, there might not be enough for all of us. Our lamps might go out too. Instead, go quickly to the market and buy oil for yourselves.’

So the five foolish young women rushed off into the night to try to find someone who would sell them oil. They ran through the dark streets looking for a shop that was open at midnight.

While the foolish young women were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The five wise young women who were ready and had their lamps burning brightly went with him into the wedding banquet. They joined the celebration. Once everyone was inside, the door was shut and locked. The feast began with music, dancing, and joy.

Later, the five foolish young women finally came back. They had found oil and now their lamps were lit. But when they arrived at the wedding hall, the door was shut. They knocked on the door, calling out, ‘Sir! Sir! Open the door for us! Let us in!’

But the bridegroom answered from inside, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ He would not open the door. It was too late. They had missed the wedding feast.

Jesus ended the parable with this warning: ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come.'”

ii The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

Background to the Story:

Peter came to Jesus and asked Him a question about forgiveness. Peter said, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Peter probably thought he was being very generous. The Jewish teachers said you only had to forgive someone three times. Peter doubled that and added one more!

But Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus meant that we should forgive without limit, as many times as necessary. Then Jesus told this parable to explain why we must forgive others:

The Story:

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. He wanted to collect the money that people owed him. The king called his servants to come and pay their debts.

As the king began reviewing the accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him a huge amount – ten thousand bags of gold, also called ten thousand talents. This was an absolutely enormous debt. Ten thousand talents would be worth millions and millions of dollars today. It was more money than this servant could earn in several lifetimes. It was impossible for him to pay back such a massive debt. Perhaps this servant was a high official who had managed the king’s money but had stolen it or wasted it.

The king ordered that payment be made. But the servant could not pay. He had no way to get that much money. So the king commanded that the servant, his wife, his children, and everything he owned be sold to pay back as much of the debt as possible. The servant and his whole family would become slaves.

The servant was terrified. He would lose everything – his freedom, his family, his home, everything! In desperation, the servant fell on his knees before the king. He begged for mercy, saying, ‘Please be patient with me! Give me time, and I will pay back everything I owe you!’

Now, the servant’s promise was impossible. There was no way he could ever repay ten thousand talents, even if he worked his whole life. He was making an empty promise. But he was desperate and begged the king for mercy.

The king looked at his servant kneeling before him, pleading desperately. The king’s heart was filled with compassion. He felt pity for this servant and his family. The king made an amazing decision. He did not just give the servant more time to pay. He did something far greater. The king canceled the entire debt! He forgave all ten thousand talents. He told the servant, ‘You are free. You owe me nothing. Go in peace.’

This was incredible mercy! The servant should have been overwhelmed with gratitude. He had been forgiven an impossible debt. He had received mercy he did not deserve. He and his family were free!

The servant left the king’s presence. But then something terrible happened that showed he did not truly understand the mercy he had received.

As the servant was leaving, he met one of his fellow servants who owed him money. This fellow servant owed him a hundred silver coins, also called a hundred denarii. This was a small amount – about three months’ wages. It was real money, but nothing compared to the massive debt that had just been forgiven!

Instead of being merciful like the king had been to him, the forgiven servant grabbed his fellow servant by the throat. He began to choke him violently and demanded, ‘Pay back what you owe me right now!’

The fellow servant fell to his knees, just like the first servant had done before the king. He begged in the exact same words, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back!’ He was asking for the same mercy that the first servant had just received.

But the forgiven servant refused to show mercy. His heart was hard and cruel. He would not wait. He would not forgive the small debt. Instead, he had the man thrown into prison until he could pay back everything he owed.

The other servants saw what happened. They were deeply distressed and upset. How could someone who had just been forgiven so much refuse to forgive such a small debt? It was shocking and wrong. The servants went and reported everything to the king.

When the king heard what his servant had done, he was furious. He called the servant back to the palace. The king said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I canceled all that huge debt of yours because you begged me to. You owed me millions, and I forgave it all! Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? He owed you only a small amount. After I showed you such great mercy, how could you refuse to show mercy to him?’

The king was so angry at the servant’s cruelty and ingratitude that he handed him over to the jailers to be tortured. The servant would remain in prison being punished until he paid back all he owed – which meant he would be there forever, since he could never repay such a massive debt.

Jesus then gave the application of this parable. He said: ‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’ Jesus was making it very clear – if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us.”

III. Moral Lessons from the Parables

Moral Lessons from the Parable of the Talents

1. God Gives Different Gifts to Different People

The master gave different amounts to each servant according to their ability. God does not give everyone the same gifts, talents, abilities, or opportunities. Some people have many gifts, others have fewer. This is not unfair – God knows what each person can handle. What matters is not how much you have, but what you do with what you have been given.

2. We Must Use What God Has Given Us

The first two servants immediately went to work with what they had received. They did not waste time or make excuses. We should actively use our gifts, talents, time, money, and opportunities to serve God. Gifts that are not used are wasted. God expects us to put our abilities to work.

3. Faithfulness is More Important Than Results

Notice that the master said the same words to both the first and second servants, even though one earned five talents and the other earned only two. God does not compare us with others. He looks at whether we are faithful with what He has given us. If you are faithful with little, that is just as pleasing to God as someone who is faithful with much.

4. Fear and Laziness Lead to Failure

The third servant was afraid and lazy. He made excuses instead of taking action. Fear can paralyze us and keep us from doing what God wants. We should not let fear of failure stop us from using our gifts. God wants us to step out in faith and work diligently, trusting Him with the results.

5. We Will Give Account to God

The master returned and called his servants to account. One day, Jesus will return, and we will all stand before God to give account for how we used what He gave us. This should motivate us to live responsibly. We will answer for how we spent our time, used our talents, invested our money, and served God.

6. Faithful Service is Rewarded

The faithful servants received praise, greater responsibility, and invitation to share in their master’s joy. When we are faithful to God, He will reward us. The reward is not just in heaven someday – God often gives us more opportunities to serve Him when we are faithful with what we have now.

7. Unfaithfulness Has Serious Consequences

The lazy servant lost everything and was punished. When we waste the gifts and opportunities God gives us, there are consequences. We lose the chance to be used by God. We miss out on His blessings. Wasting what God has given us is very serious.

8. We Cannot Blame God for Our Failures

The third servant tried to blame the master, saying he was a hard man. But the master showed that the servant’s failure was his own fault. We cannot blame God when we fail to use our gifts. God has given us everything we need. Our failure to serve Him faithfully is our own responsibility.

9. Use It or Lose It

The talent was taken from the lazy servant and given to the one who had ten. When we do not use what God gives us, we can lose it. But when we use our gifts faithfully, God often gives us more opportunities and abilities.

10. Maturity Means Being a Good Steward

A steward is someone who takes care of things that belong to someone else. Everything we have belongs to God. Mature Christians understand that they are stewards, not owners. We should manage God’s gifts wisely because we are responsible to Him.