The Cost of Stewardship

Intro

Story of being in High School and left alone while my parents went on vacation, but left me money for food, and gas and such

The Backdrop (v.11)

We see that v. 11 continues in the same setting of the city of Jericho

That sets up why Jesus says what he says

First Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to die, which we see immediately after this, in the Triumphal Entry

Notice, it says, Luke 19:11 (CSB) 11 because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.

The kingdom they thought Jesus was bringing was going to be the physical kingdom, one that would overthrow the Romans

Now why is this important in context?

While in Jericho, Jesus was called “Son of David” by the blind beggar, which is a Messianic Title

Then he called himself “Son of Man” in dealing with Zacchaeus, another Messianic Title

Now since he is headed towards Jerusalem, these things are on the minds of the crowds, is Jesus going to be the Messiah to free us from Rome????

To add even more fuel to the fire, Jesus is going to Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover

What is Passover a remembrance of for the Jews?

Deliverance from the oppressive Egyptians

So you can see how the Jews would be thinking, just as God did for us with Moses, he will do again!

Maybe this Jesus is the promised one!

Moses himself told the people before they entered into the promised land there would be a promised one

Deuteronomy 18:15 CSB

15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.

So you can see there were many swirling matters, that would lead to Jesus being misunderstood, and ultimately fuel for his crucifixion

The Arrangements (v. 12-14)

Jesus opens this story with referencing a nobleman traveling to a far country to receive the kingdom, the authority to be king and return

To set this up, he called 10 servants and gave them 10 minas, one mina each

Now a mina is about 6 months of salary for the average person in that day

If we go based off the 2022 annual US Salary, 3 months of that would be about 27,000 bucks!

What did he ask them to do with that money?

It was seed money, to invest and to keep the master’s interest continually growing until he returned!

The trip to Rome would take several months, and he needed the trustworthy men that followed him to continue building his kingdom while he was gone!

The subjects of this nobleman hated him and sent a delegation after him to persuade those in power of his authority transfer to refuse it

Earlier I mentioned that it was important that Jesus did this in Jericho, that is because there was a very real appeal to a story that revolved around Jericho for the Jews

Luke Jesus Tells the Parable of the King’s Ten Servants / 19:11–27 / 181

The historical background to this story provides a further link to what Jesus was saying in this parable and how his listeners would have understood exactly what was happening. As noted above, rulers had to go to Rome to officially receive their appointments. The visit there by one of Herod the Great’s sons, Archelaus, provided the setting for this parable. Archelaus was an evil man who had murdered three thousand Jews at the first Passover after becoming their ruler. Truly his subjects hated him. So when he went off to Rome, the Jews sent a delegation to plead for him not to be given the title. The emperor gave Archelaus the authority to rule but did not give him the title of “king” until he would prove himself worthy. Unfortunately, he never improved, so he never received the title. The fact that this was told near Jericho makes the Archelaus connection even more interesting, for Archelaus had built a beautiful palace in that city.

So if we think about it, the parable would of been agreement, but they would not be happy with how Jesus and the Disciples were to understand it!

The Return of the King (v.15-26)

So Jesus related this story to something and someone the people in Jericho would know well

So what happens when this nobleman comes back as the king with authority?

First he calls back those who are his servants, those that served him faithfully!

He had given them their directives, how had they done in the business?

The first came and gave his report, he had gained 10 more from the one he received

This is a 1000% return on investment! That 27,000 was now worth 27 million!

His reward is now to be the steward and ruler over 10 towns! The rewards match the growth!

The second servant is called in and said he had taken his one Mina and gained 5 more!

A 500% return on that investment. That 27,000 is now 13.5 million dollars!

This man’s reward is also proportional to his return, 5 cities for him to steward over

This is where things change with the third steward

Master, here is your mina, I’m returning it to you

Notice he said “I kept it safe in a cloth”

This was literally the worst thing he could of done, since even burying the money would of been safer option

Master this is who you are

You are a harsh man (the greek word here is where we get austere)

You collect what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow

We see that partially by the other servants, he collected 1000% and 500% return on money, but he didn’t do that work, he only reaped the benefits!

The Master’s Response

The very way that the servant views his master will be the way in which he is judged

Notice he starts off as you ‘evil’ servant

If you knew I was an austere man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow, why did you just keep my money in a cloth?

Why did you not put it in the bank?

This is a reference to the banks of the time, which would lend out money, at nearly 50% interest!

It would require nothing of the servant, and he would of returned over 1 Million dollars!

The mina was taken from him and given to the one with 11 minas

This brings up the question, what did the third servant do wrong?

What is so wrong about not risking the investment so you have at least what you left with?

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 19:15–26

The implication was that the servant did not really expect the king to come back. He was not at all concerned about the king’s return so he did not bother with the king’s business

In essence, he didn’t think the king would return, he was a ‘servant’ of the nobleman by name only

In his heart he was with the kings enemies!

He also had an incorrect view of the nobleman, he viewed him as this hard man, yet he never once viewed the nobleman with correct views

It seems to me that this steward had the same attitude as the older brother from the Prodigal son in Luke 15

If he was such a terrible master, why had the other two servants worked so hard to get great returns?

This shows us a very important thing, who we believe God to be will have a large impact on how we serve him

If he is a ‘austere’ man, hard to please, and penalize you for losing his money, then yes you would act like this servant

Luke Jesus Tells the Parable of the King’s Ten Servants / 19:11–27 / 181

There would have been only two groups: those who used the master’s money well (the amount they made seems to have been inconsequential), and those who did nothing, as this servant here who brought back only the original amount. He had not stolen it; in fact, he hid it and kept it safe (literally, “put away in a face cloth”). Some might think that should have been enough—but his motivation for doing so was wrong. Actually, burying the money in the ground would have been considered even more secure. This servant was afraid of the master, and that fear had led him to inactivity. He was only thinking of himself and playing it safe. Afraid of a risky investment, this servant did not invest at all. He was afraid that his master expected too much, so he did nothing at all. Perhaps there was a bit of anger that he had to do all the work, while the master took the profits—taking what wasn’t his and harvesting crops that he didn’t plant.

I can certainly understand this man’s timidity, life choices are hard!

Often times the choices of what degree to go to college for, what college to go to, what job to take, should you date this person, should you marry the person you are dating, etc

Fear is a powerful motivator, and it is not always a negative thing, we all have FOMO today, fear of missing out on the newest piece of tech, going to that concert, or other such things

I remember when I was at Moody, one of the choices I had was to study abroad, which I didn’t do, mostly because I thought, I’d miss out on perhaps meeting a spouse if I went abroad

Of course, as you know I didn’t meet my spouse at Moody, so my FOMO made me miss a great opportunity to go abroad and study!

Pushback

Now the King said this servant is wicked, so what he has will be taken from him and given to the one with 11 Mina’s already!

Yet, his people said, Master! He already has 10!

When we are faithful in the small things, God gives us bigger things to be in charge over

Just like we all grew up as children, first you might start with your kids being in charge of taking out the garbage, then the dishes. Then if you are lucky your dad teaches you how to mow the lawn, and (they suffer through a few terrible mowings, and for my brother and I a few murdered mowers)

We grow up by our parents giving us more and more responsibility, and it is the same with God!

We don’t make brand new converts into Sunday School teachers or deacons, we want to grow their faith and see that they are able to make that next step

The Judgement

The last verse on this speaks to the enemies of the king

These are the people that hated him and sent a delegation after him at the beginning of this parable

They are brought before the king and executed for their treason against him

This seems rather intense for our peace loving minds, but one read through the book of Revelation reveals that this is what will happen to the enemies of Jesus

Application

So you might of seen the underlying truth of this parable as we’ve gone through it

So who are the characters?

Jesus is the nobleman, he is the one going back to the ‘Emperor’, his Father to bring back the authority to rule his kingdom when he returns

You and I are the servants of the nobleman, who are the ones that receive the mina

The enemies of the nobleman are twofold, both the Jews at the time of the Jesus, the ones who are primarily responsible for his death, but also those that are the enemies of God, those not apart of God’s family

The final reveal is what does the Mina represent?

The Mina is the stewardship of the great commission, living our our faith and making more followers of our faith

There is a very similar parable in Matthew 25, in which there are servant that receive talents, which are worth 60 minas!

These speak to what a Christian does with the Spiritual gifts God gives us

Yet here the servants, you and I all start at the same place, we have the gospel, we know it because it is what brought us to faith

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Eighteen: Jerusalem at Last! (Luke 19)

Our gifts and abilities are different, but our job is the same: to share the Word of God so that it multiplies and fills the world (1 Thes. 1:8; 2 Thes. 3:1). Only 120 believers met together on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:15), but before that day ended, there were 3,000 more (Acts 2:41). And before long, there were 5,000 believers (Acts 4:4). In time, the Jewish leaders accused the disciples of “filling Jerusalem” with the message! (Acts 5:28)

This is why this story is not about minas but about stewardship!

You see, we are in the period where our noble, soon to be king, Jesus has gone away from the land and we are awaiting his return

Stewardship has no meaning if the king is not gone for a time

This is when he will reward his servants and judge his enemies

So what does this mean for you and I?

First off, do not be concerned about others success compared to your own!

Notice in the parable, there are some who have great success in multiplying faith

These are people like Billy Graham, Apostle Paul, Jonathan Edwards, etc.

Not everyone can have that success, but God wants us to do our best, which is why the servant that did 1/2 as much (1 mina to 5) was still praised

The final servant was called evil because he did nothing, he never tried!

If you and I are faithful in what God has granted us, we will get the same reward

Luke Jesus Tells the Parable of the King’s Ten Servants / 19:11–27 / 181

A time of accounting will come for all believers. Christians can know they are saved and will be with God in his kingdom, but they will be judged for how they have used what God has entrusted to them during his absence and their time on earth. God will reward faithful servants.

This is perhaps one of the most difficult lessons for us, because if God will reward his faithful servants, it also means that he will judge the unfaithful servants

This servant thought he was safe from judgement, but he lost everything he had, it was taken from him

Do we act like that manager, do we seek safe and secure discipleship, does our faith cost us anything?

Jesus is not going to reprimand us for taking risk and failing, but for unfaithfulness!

For us to play it safe in following Christ is a great slap in the face to Jesus who existed as God, emptied himself into the form of a servant, and humbled himself to death on a cross, as it is written, cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree

Faith is not passive but active

Our faith makes maximum use of our talents, resources, time, and pursues God’s mission in the world

Are there resources you are wasting instead of using for God’s kingdom?

That mission is our goal in this church, to love God, Love Others, and to make more followers of Jesus

To put it another way, are there people on the fringes that we can love and care for to show the love of Christ

Do something rather than nothing

Luke Jesus Tells the Parable of the King’s Ten Servants / 19:11–27 / 181

God’s people dare not sit idly by, not using their God-given gifts. The excuses are many. Some may not feel “ready.” Others may not feel that they can use what they have been given on a large enough scale or make a big enough difference. Others may think, pridefully, that they ought to be able to share some of the glory instead of giving it all to God. Others may be afraid that if they cannot produce “ten times as much,” then they do not want to produce at all. If they cannot receive an A+, then they do not want to try. Others may see people with the same gift who seem to use it so much better with better results, so let them do it. Others do not feel needed. Still others do not seek out opportunities, expecting people to come to them. But to sit idly by will mean to eventually lose that gift, that “mina” that God has given

We are accountable to Jesus for the way we use our time, money and abilities!

Jesus’ disciples should be like the grateful ex-leper (17:11–19), persistent in prayer (18:1–14), childlike (18:15–17), like the former blind man (18:35–43), and like Zacchaeus (19:1–10) as opposed to the rich ruler (18:18–25).

Exalting Jesus in Luke The Philosophy of the Parable (19:25–27)

Be like Zacchaeus: repent of sin. Believe in Christ as your Lord. Be faithful to serve Christ all your life. Then receive glory and honor as you reign with him. That’s the philosophy of this chapter. That’s the philosophy of the Christian life. There’s no better way to live. This is the only way that can properly be called “living.” Everything else is a kind of death. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will live.