Kingdom Business

Luke 19:11- 27

Kingdom Business

a. Introduction

i. Has anyone ever heard of the phrase manifest destiny? Manifest Destiny was a name given to a cultural belief in the early 19th century that it was divine destiny that European settlers inherit all of the lands in North America. This belief led many Americans to do whatever they thought necessary to inherit that land. In a bit of irony, we celebrate Thanksgiving, but to indigenous people, it wasn’t a reason to celebrate but to lament their loss.

Why am I talking about “manifest destiny”? Well, Thanksgiving did pass, but much of kingdom advancement in the Old Covenant was Israelites reclaiming territory that God promised them. So much so that we see this beef still playing out to this day in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

When we come to the New Covenant, we see that this war is less about physical land. It’s more about spiritual real estate. So when we talk about a kingdom already but not yet, we are not just referencing heaven. We reference heaven and Earth, past, present & future, earthly and spiritual Real Estate. I thought of this during my studies.

The Jews thought Jesus was coming to establish an earthly Kingdom for them. Jesus is telling them, I’m not coming for a patch of land; I’m coming for the whole shebang; I’m coming to reclaim all of creation to myself.

Colossians 1:19-20 says, “ 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on Earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Why does it matter to us? Because when we understand the Kingdom. It changes how we see ourselves concerning our role in this world. To our families and our communities.

A partial view of the gospel considers the cross the end destination, but the cross is a launching pad for the Kingdom of God. The gospel of the Kingdom sees us as reconcilers in our lives, marriages, and neighborhoods. A partial understanding stops at salvation; Kingdom sees salvation as the chains being removed to unleash them. A partial view only sees us being saved from sin; a full view sees us being saved from our sins but set apart to God. A partial view says I just want a better life on Earth, and a full view says I’m working toward a life in eternity. This is Kingdom

This is important to understand when reading the gospels, especially passages about the Kingdom. I define Kingdom as God’s kingly rule — his reign, dominion, and action over the past, here & now, and the world to come. So when Jesus references the Kingdom, he always references the here and now and the kingdom yet to come. On Earth as it is in heaven. So keep this tucked as we go through chapter 19 today.

II. Kingdom Business – The most important we learn in the coming parable is: We, as believers, will inherit a kingdom; our position is to be good servants advancing His kingdom until he returns

a. 11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’

14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

b. Where Pastor Nate left off last week, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. So far, we have walked through 18 chapters of Luke. If you’re tracking with the series, you know that Jesus’s mission is coming to a head. Shortly, he will be facing a Roman cross. So, as Jesus’ mission concludes, it gets more real and more hectic.

Nate did an excellent exposition of Luke 18 and the story of Zacchaeus. An important phrase I want to take from that passage is Chapter 19, verse 10, which says, “The Son of Man came to seek to save the lost.”

In this parable, Jesus reveals to the crowd he is here about the Kingdom, and he expects his followers to be about Kingdom business. To be about the Kingdom or Kingdom business, we must first know that

i. It is God’s Kingdom, but he is not the King most expect.

1. In verse 11, he says, “Kingdom of God,” & verse 12 says, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom for himself.”

a. After the people following Jesus saw him tell Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house.”

And because Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem mirrored other Roman officials who had taken power in the past, their natural assumption was that Jesus was coming to take over. They were correct, but not the way they assumed. He was coming to rule, but not the way they thought. The text says, “To receive a Kingdom,” which was their way of saying receiving “Kingship.”

The people assumed it would come by the tip of a sword, but it came by surrendering on a cross. The end goal is still the same: authority. But God wasn’t aiming to rule a nation; God had a bigger prize in the hearts of humanity.

b. The outsiders and many of his followers expected Jesus to come as a conqueror, but he came as a servant to die on the cross. We know this, so what’s different?

i. If Jesus is King, and it’s his Kingdom, he sets the rules of engagement.

ii. If we want to follow the King to Glory, we must follow in his footsteps. One theologian said, “People are ready to skip the cross, and go straight to the kingdom.” “But the truth is, there is no kingdom unless there first comes the cross. First comes suffering, then comes glory.”

c. Before engaging in Kingdom business, we must remember that we are workers in his kingdom and follow in his footsteps. Jesus ushered in the Kingdom by preaching, serving, and loving the lost. We are not above our King.

i. Matthew 10 16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Vs. 24, “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. 25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master.

ii. Kingdom follows the King into humbly suffering, boldly preaching the gospel until he returns on a cloud. That’s Kingdom.

The second thing we learn from this parable is that

ii. We are called to advance God’s Kingdom (Luke 19:14-19)

1. In verses 14-19, Jesus gives the analogy of how, upon receiving the kingdom, some rejected him as King, and we’ll talk about them last. But the ones who accepted as King were given treasure to manage while he was gone.

a. I always liken parables to rap metaphors; a good rap metaphor is relevant, communicates your point clearly, and is entertaining. This parable is no different. In the parable, if you haven’t figured it out, the Nobleman is Jesus; & the “return” refers to his second coming. The servants are his disciples or followers, and the citizens represent the unbelieving world, especially unbelieving Jews. We’ve dealt with the King; let’s look at the servant.

i. We are the servants, followers, and disciples of God. Everyone who has believed the gospel since the ministry of Jesus. He has given us a treasure to steward, or “minas. Now, in the parable, the expectation is the multiplication of those minas. But what exactly is the “minas”?

ii. I wrestled over this a lot because I was confused about what the “minas” represented in the story. A “mina” represents 100 days’ wages, roughly $22,000 in today’s currency. It’s not retirement money, but a decent chunk of change.

There is debate on whether the Luke passage is just a retelling of the story of the Talents in Matthew 25. I don’t think that is crucial to understanding what Jesus is teaching.

Regardless of your belief in this Parable, a mina represents something valuable to God that is his, but he entrusts it to us to hold, cherish, and grow. And that thing that he finds valuable can grow wildly if stewarded well.

The mina is our allotment in God’s Kingdom. If Kingdom business is sharing the gospel and glorifying Jesus. That individually looks different for every believer. We’re all called to share the gospel. Some will be Pastors, some will be mothers, some will be Fathers, and some will be daughters, employees, bosses, nurses, and factory workers.

We each are called to advance the allotment that God has given us.

1 Peter 4:7 “The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

If God has given you a family, disciple your family and love your family like Christ. If God has given you a ministry, preach the gospel boldly and proclaim his name to the mountain tops until he comes. If God has given you a gift, use it to lift up the things that are Holy and not the evil of the world.

Luke 19:2 (ESV)

And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.

2. To advance God’s Kingdom, to move the ball forward. We must steward it well. We must remember 3 things: Edenic Garden principles. In Genesis, God put Adam over the Garden of Eden.

a. We are managers in his garden. Adam was given authority not of his own but from God to manage God’s Earth. Don’t build your own little garden, in the midst of God’s Garden.

b. Be obedient. Adam was given authority but also given instructions and expected to follow them. We are called to do the same. Jesus says, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.”

c. Be fruitful, and you will be rewarded. Adam was told to be fruitful and multiply, and his rewards were more to manage.

i. The servants were given a valuable treasure and were rewarded because they managed well what God gave while they waited for his return. Our faithfulness will be rewarded! “you shall have the authority of ten cities. God is not talking about money; he’s talking about the Kingdom. I love the quote, “The reward is not rest, but the opportunity for wider service[1]”

1. When we are faithful to what God has given us, the results are not about money, fame, or influence. God will give you more authority to guide and strengthen his people.

2. There is something I never noticed when reading this passage that I observed when studying it. The servants never take credit for multiplying the treasure. Their exact words were, “Y our mina has made ten minas more.” “Your mina has made 5 minas more.”

This is consistent without a principle throughout scripture. All God needs in obedience and faithfulness, and he’ll supply the increase.

I saw a quote from Rich Villodas recently that said, “We don’t build the kingdom of God. We announce it. We seek it. We receive it. We bear witness to it, “we even build for it, but

It’s the King who builds his kingdom.

Jesus says, in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

The last thing we learn about Kingdom business is.

c. Everyone must give an account to the King (20-27)

i. The believer –20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

1. This part of the parable seems a little harsh but it’s directed at believers, the followers who have not rejected the King but they have been poor stewards. When you teach people financial stewardship, there are two realities of poor money management. You lose what you already have, and you can’t acquire more of what you desire to have.

a. When we don’t steward the Kingdom, we can lose it. I’m not saying we can lose our salvation, but we can lose opportunities that God has set before us or rewards God has for us in eternity. One of the saddest phrases I’ve read in scripture is at the end of the story of Moses, which says, in Deuteronomy 34:7, “Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone.”

This is the result of earlier in Deuteronomy chapter 3 when God got angry with Moses because of his disobedience, and he took away his earthly inheritance.

b. Steward your family, job, ministry, and gifts well because God can take them from you.

c. The last thing I’ll say is something a good friend told me over the Holiday weekend. He had been married for over 7+ years with four children. He wouldn’t steward what God gave him well, and it started to go bad for him. He told me the thing that helped pull him out of his season of disobedience was, “I thought about the conversation I would have with Jesus when I die.”

i. He said I knew I wouldn’t hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 “9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

We must give an account, and our lack of obedience can cause us to suffer loss here on Earth or in the future kingdom.

ii. To the unbeliever – 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

1. His final words are the most sobering. In the Parable, the citizens who rejected Jesus as King are considered enemies and are set apart for slaughter.

a. As a person gifted with a heart for evangelism. One teaching that has never sat well with me is the teaching of Hell. The thought of people spending eternity apart from God is saddening to me. (Hell was literal place in Jesus day). Gehenna or the Valley Hinnon. In Ancient times they would sacrifice children to the God Molech there.)

b. But this is why Jesus came to seek and save the lost. So that humanity would repent and turn from their sin and trust God.

III. Conclusion

a. We are all familiar with the story of Paul Revere. It’s the famous story of a herald who rode on a horse screaming, “The British are coming, The British are coming.” Warning the colonies of a British invasion. You and I are heralds. Paul Revere didn’t announce that the war was ending, but that a Kingdom was coming that the people were unaware of.

The gospel of the King is being heralds of the Kingdom that is coming. It is living under Jesus’ rule, reign, and dominion until he returns and forever more.

- Don’t become prideful thinking it’s your garden.

- Take care of what he has given you.

- Allow him to increase what’s in your care.

Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 292.