A Good and Faithful Servant
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Psalm 24:1
Matthew 25:14-29
15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21"His master replied, '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!' 22"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23"His master replied, '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!' 24"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well 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. 28"'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.Buy from US (FOTF)
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Spanish Version
“A Good and Faithful Servant” is episode #63 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Phil Lollar, and originally aired on February 25, 1989.
Summary
The Barclay family tries a new budget.
Plot
Budget. The word conjures up feelings of grief and doom to teenagers and families everywhere. And when Jimmy, Donna, and Mary Barclay keep cornering George for money, he decides a budget is just the ticket. Donna is especially unhappy about having a budget. She believes that it will spell the end of her fun. She tells Whit this before she heads home to learn about her father's plan. Whit tells Donna to keep an open mind — it might not be as bad as she thinks.
That night, George and Mary present the budget to the kids. Though it is strict, the plan allows Donna the flexibility to spend and save. It teaches her and Jimmy responsibility in the process. Despite that, Donna still isn't very thrilled about the idea.
After three weeks of being on the plan, George and Mary decide to test the budget and let Jimmy and Donna shop by themselves at the mall. After shopping, the family will meet up at Whit's End.
Later, while waiting for the kids, George and Mary tell Whit about the situation and wonder how their daughter and son — as well as their financial experiment — fared. They don't have long to wait. Jimmy enters and says that he only purchased a small tank for his soldier collection. But the big test is Donna. A few moments later, she enters. To the Barclays' surprise, Donna has purchased nothing!
Donna explains that while shopping, she was reminded of something Whit said: Christians are God's stewards — all things are God's gifts to us, and they should be used wisely. So instead of spending money on herself, Donna went to church and put part of her money into the missionary fund. Her parents and Whit are pleased, Jimmy is impressed, and Donna has learned an important lesson about stewardship.
Discussion Questions
- Both George & Whit said, “Money is a great motivator.” What did they mean by this?
- Are you and your family on a budget?
- What are its advantages?
- Disadvantages?
- How can you be a faithful steward of God’s gifts?
Cast
Notes
- Trivia
- Zapazoids is first introduced in this episode except that Jimmy Barclay refers to it as singular "Zapazoid".
- George asks Jimmy if he failed another spelling test, a reference to #57: “The Prodigal, Jimmy”.
- The financial plan George and Mary Barclay implemented for their kids was based on a plan devised by Ron Blue in his book "Money Matters for Parents and Their Kids."
- Donna's line about credit cards was first spoken by Connie in #5: “Gifts for Madge and Guy”.
- During the opening with Chris Anthony, the hymn "This Is My Father's World" is heard playing over the speakers in the bank.
- Listen carefully: at the very end of the first Barclay family scene when the others are all talking at once, George can be heard quoting one of Jackie Gleason's catchphrases from the classic TV sitcom The Honeymooners: "Bang, zoom!" This phrase usually accompanies Gleason's character Ralph Kramden pretending to punch his wife Alice to the moon any time he's frustrated with her.
Reviews
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Quotes
Donna Barclay: That’s why I need a new one. A genuine Rostan Harringbone with real synthetic fur lining. They’re on sale at Greenway’s Department Store: 20% off.
Jimmy Barclay: I think you’re 20% off.
George Barclay: This may come as a terrible shock to you all, but this family is not independently wealthy. I mean, these things all take money, and although I never thought I’d hear myself say this, money doesn’t grow on trees.
Donna Barclay: We know that. That’s why they make credit cards.
George Barclay: Very funny, Donna.
Eugene Meltsner: I don't believe there's any real "problem," Mr. Whittaker. ... I believe it's all a matter of personality.
Connie Kendall: Yeah! I have one, and he doesn't!
Eugene Meltsner: For instance, when I speak, I use English. When Miss Kendall speaks, she uses... <turns to Connie> ...what do you call that again?
Bank Teller: I said we want your money to feel at home here. In fact, we want it to stay at home here! It's all a part of our motto.
Chris: Which is...?
Bank Teller: We'll teach you how to be responsible with money — even if it kills you!
Chris: Oh, catchy.
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