I tell you, to everyone who has faith, more will be given. The evangelist makes it clear that the parable we read in today’s Gospel reading is tied to two things: Jerusalem (or to the things that were soon to unfold in Jerusalem), and the appearance of the Kingdom of God. Even with all the things that Jesus was doing, he had not managed to convince the community at large that the kingdom was already in their midst (cf. Luke 17:20ff). Jesus must have been left speechless by the failure of the people to see in his ministry the coming to life of the kingdom. He thought the works he was doing would speak to them and satisfy their curiosity. And if that was not enough, had he not on several occasions told them that the kingdom was already in their midst? The only logical explanation was that they  had rejected him and what he was about. Thus the reason for the parable of the pounds.
The point Jesus wants to make with the parable is fidelity (in what God is doing in, and through him). Jerusalem and its inhabitants (the elected nation) had been designated by God as recipients of God’s election. They had been given talents which God expected to be put to use. With their election, they should have been the first ones to recognize in Jesus’ ministry the incoming of the Kingdom of God. But like the subjects in the story, they stubbornly refused and it would soon be time for judgment. 
We are less than a week from celebrating the feast of Christ the King, a feast that reminds us that as Christ’s subjects, a time will come when we will appear before the judgment seat of our King (cf. the Gospel reading for the feast) and we will be judged as having been worthy/unworthy of our belonging to Christ based on how we have used our talents. It will be a time for assessing how faithful we were to Jesus and to our call. And those found to have been faithful will be rewarded with eternal life.