Parable of the Ten Minas
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning. Welcome to CHCC. As we continue our study through Luke’s gospel, we find ourselves at the final parable before passion week—before Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem and everything that follows after that. Not his final parable in Luke, but the final one before He enters Jerusalem. Jesus and his group of followers have recently made their way through the city of Jericho, stopping briefly to heal a blind beggar and then to dine with the chief tax collector of the region—a small man by the name of Zacchaeus.
Much of chapter 18 and the passage involving Zacchaeus have a focus on money and possessions. Last week we compared the different responses of the rich ruler from Luke 18 and Zacchaeus in Luke 19 when it came to their wealth and possessions. Jesus called for the rich ruler to sell all that he had and give to the poor and then to follow him. The rich ruler went away sad, it tells us, because he was very rich. This is where we get the famous teaching from Jesus that it is easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter into heaven.
On the contrary, Zacchaeus’ heart change is evident for he immediately commits to give half of his wealth to the poor and with the rest he will make restitution to those who he had swindled money from—and not just return what he took but give back FOURFOLD! This commitment elicits the response from Jesus to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house, sinse he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10).
Interestingly, the passage this week, while it uses money as an illustration, is not at all the theme of the parable. Rather, the focus is on the kingdom of God and our responsibility as believers living in the timeframe between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. The question that comes out of the parable for us is this: What are we doing with the spiritual investments God has given us?
If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Luke 19 as we begin in verse 11.
PRAY
The Ten Minas
The Ten Minas
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. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 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. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 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.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 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.’ 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? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘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. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”
A CURRENT EVENT PARALLEL
A CURRENT EVENT PARALLEL
There always seems to be more context to many of the passages and teachings throughout the Bible than initially meet the eye. I have found this to be especially so when it comes to Jesus’ teachings and parables. This one is no different. One thing I have learned when exegeting Scripture is to first start with the initial audience and the culture of the initial audience. From there, we then learn to bridge the cultural gap. A book by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays titled Preaching God’s Word has been an invaluable resource for me in that area and where I first learned of the concept of drawing out the ancient culture first and walking through it to our culture today.
So as I was digging through the context of this particular parable I was excited to find that it was quite likely that Jesus’ parameters for this parable involved a well known event that took place just a couple of decades prior. Anyone here ever heard of a man named Archelaus? He is mentioned in passing once in Matthew 2:22.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.
He was the son of Herod the Great or as Matthew records, “Herod the king” (Matt. 2:1).
Early on in Jesus’ life Herod had died and his son, Archelaus became the Palestinian ruler. And he had this grand scheme to procure the title of “king” for himself. I was intrigued to find out that while his father, Herod, had given him half of his kingdom, the title of “king” was not something that was naturally passed down to vassal rulers under the reign of the Roman empire.
Herod the Great, in essence, earned his title of “King” when he came alongside the Roman military to help defeat the Parthians. It was then that Marc Antony bestowed upon him the title of “rex” which is the Latin word for king.
So Archelaus desired to obtain this very title for himself. So what does he do? He decides to make an appearance before Caesar in Rome and he brings his own little entourage to help him make his case. He brought with him his mother, some close friends, other relatives estimating to 10-20 people.
But Archelaus was in for a rude awakening. When he arrived in Rome and stood before Caesar, some of the very family he brought with him spoke against him—opposing his attempt to gain the title of king. Then things really took off. Historian, Flavius Josephus, tells us that fifty Palestinians (which included Jews and Samaritans together—enemy of my enemy is my friend…) caught wind of Archelaus’ plan and also travelled to Rome to oppose him. Then the big domino fell. After hearing of what was happening, some 8,000 expatriate Jews who were living in Rome also came before Caesar to put a stop to this attempt.
The Palestinians relayed to Caesar that Archelaus had murdered over 3,000 Jews at Passover, throwing the bodies into the temple, all the while torturing many others. Why?? Simply because he wanted to “prove” he was as powerful as his father. This guy is a real ego trip. The Palestinians also argued that Archelaus was inept as a ruler and very obviously corrupt.
So Caesar issues everyone out of his presence while he determines what to do with all this information. A few days later he reconvenes the groups and his decision leaves both sides frustrated. He gave half the kingdom to Archelaus with the title of “Ethnarch,” (which is a non-king ruling over an ethnic group in a region) with the promise of the opportunity to become “king” should he, as Josephus puts it, “prove his deserts.” Archelaus never did become king. In fact, his reign as ethnarch would be short lived because a few years later he would be deposed in AD 6 and Caesar would put a new ruler in place—the first Roman prefect over Judea, a man by the name of Coponius.
So what does all of that have to do with Jesus parable? As we go through it, we will see the structure of the parable bears some similarities to that of Archelaus but with a different ending as the king in the parable is none other than the One True King—Jesus Christ.
We also may ask, “Why did Jesus tell this parable? Why did he tell it when He did?” And He tells this particular parable at this particular time because there is this growing crescendo among His followers about the coming kingdom with their idea of a Messianic rule and reign. Verse 11 gives us some clarity into that.
“As they heard these things…” What things? What was said to Zacchaeus in verses 9 and 10. Salvation and the arrival of the Son of Man seeking and saving His people. There was a growing excitement that the Messiah was in their midst and that He would obtain His kingdom once He arrived in Jerusalem. Perhaps the prophetic words of Zechariah are dancing upon their hearts.
On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light.
On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter.
And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
Standing roughly 17 miles from this possible prophetic fulfillment has the people excited and so Jesus gives them a parable that his incarnation, the gospel, his rejection by most of the world, and his crowning as King of kings, and finally His return as judge over the earth.
So as the parable begins, keep in mind the historical event of Archelaus.
He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.
Sounds similar doesn’t it? A nobleman went into a far country (Rome) to receive for himself and kingdom (be given the title of “king”) and then return…
But this line also encapsulates everything about Jesus including His second coming. It parallels His incarnation, His ascension, and His future return. Now, of course, we have the benefit of history and hindsight. His followers do not at this point in time fully understand what we do today. But they would no doubt realize the connection later on after His death, resurrection, and ascension.
Let us continue the parable.
Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’
This parable is often confused with the parable of the talents, which is different and gives a different lesson altogether. In that parable three servants are given three different amounts of money (talents). That parable speaks to what we do with what God has given us (spiritual giftedness and talents). This one, everyone is given an equal amount. Each servant is given a mina which is equivalent to a 100 days worth of labor—roughly three months wages. So not an insignificant amount of money. But minas has a spiritual meaning here. R. Kent Hughes explains:
But here in Luke mina does not signify an ability but rather a deposit that is given to every Christian—namely, the gospel.
In other words, God has given the gospel as a deposit to every believer and each of us are called to be stewards of the gospel. Paul’s letters tell us on several occasions that we have been entrusted with the gospel.
but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
In 1 Timothy, Paul mentions he has been entrusted with the gospel.
O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”
That deposit being the gospel.
and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.
Each and every one of us have been entrusted with the gospel. From the likes of the disciples, the apostle Paul, to every “average Joe.” This is something we all receive. And it is important we understand that like the servants in the parable, we too have the same exact calling on our own lives. Jesus says to “engage in business until I come.” In other words, we have a responsibility with the gospel we have received.
Invest the gospel, increase its returns so to speak.
But not everyone is on board with this nobleman are they?
But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
Again, notice the parallels to Archelaus. There is a delegation sent after him because they do not want this nobleman to reign over them. Of course the great difference here is that Jesus is the One True and Perfect King, while Archelaus was a selfish, prideful wannabe.
And the reality is that Jesus has always had His detractors and always will until He ushers in the millennial reign. Jesus would speak of it often to His disciples.
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
We also have the response of the crowd in Jerusalem after his arrest that reveals their hearts.
Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.
The world throughout the ages have said in their hearts, “We do not want Jesus to reign over us.” The world is against everything for which God stands for. Another difference in our parable and with Archelaus is that the crowd against Archelaus was justified. He was an awful ruler; vain with selfish ambition. Everything that Jesus is not.
Also, Archelaus returned unsuccessful. Jesus will return with full rule and reign and there is nothing that can stand against it. Jesus says as much through the parable.
When he returned, having received the kingdom…
As one pastor put it: “He was declared King by his resurrection. He was received as King at His ascension.” He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Paul makes a beautiful declaration of this in his letter to the Phlippians.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When we get to verse 15, everything now jumps ahead to a future time. “When he returned” refers to His second coming and what we read next in the parable refers to His judgement of the living and the dead. Of the saved and unsaved. The king in the parable firsts deals with those servants with which he left the 10 minas.
…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.
I believe this refers to what Paul calls the “judgement seat of Christ.”
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.
The first two servants in our parable do incredible work. 1000% and 500% return on investment is pretty darn successful. I think everyone would be thrilled with such a return in their own portfolios. But what is more is the response of these servants. They recognize that it is the King’s minas and not their own.
The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 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.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’
They display great humility before their king and their faithfulness to increase the return of what the king invested into them is remarkable. 10 cities for one and 5 for the other! But the cities really pale in comparison to the gift of eternity with Christ. I love what Helmut Thielicke says:
The splendor of the cities committed to them will be far less important than the fact that now they are the viceroys of the Lord and therefore among those closest to him and thus will always have access to him and be able to speak to him and tarry in his presence at all times. Their reward is that in the end the Lord will receive them with honors, that they will be privileged to speak and to live with Jesus forever. For heaven does not consist in what we shall receive, whether this be white robes and heavenly crowns or ambrosia and nectar, but rather in what we shall become—namely, the companions of our King.
What a reward for the faithful believer that we would spend eternity in close unity and fellowship with our Savior!
But what does this mean for each of us? Is Jesus saying one used the gospel to bring 10 others to faith. The other used the gospel to bring 5 to faith? Not necessarily. But it does reveal a faithfulness in each of the servants to “engage in business” until His return. In other words, they were faithful and obedient and “went to work.” And that may look very different for all people. Some, like Billy Graham, through their faithfulness may bring thousands of souls to Christ. Others may help one. I don’t think it is the number that is important here but rather how faithful we are to the work God has given us with His gospel.
John Piper says,
The Lord rewards faithfulness above fruitfulness, which puts us all on the same footing, whether famous for our effectiveness or unknown in our faithfulness.
John Piper
However, not all are as faithful as the first two servants.
Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 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.’ 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? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘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.
The third servant did not do anything with his mina. He simply stashed it away. And not only that, but he—in a sense—blames the master for this. He says, “I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man.” I.H. Marshall explains:
“The servant appears to have feared that he would get no return for his work: all the profit would have been taken by the master. At the same time, he may have feared that if he incurred a loss on the capital he would have to make it up to the master.”
And so, rather than “engage in business” as he was commanded, he simply hid away that which was given to him. The spiritual parallel here is the Christian who hears the Word, receives the Word and then hides it away from the rest of the world. They do not use it to advance the gospel. They do not share it in order to reveal Christ to the world.
So the king then turns the servants words back on them.
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? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’
The king simply asks, “If you assume I am so severe then I didn’t you simply put the money in the bank in order to at the very least accrue interest? Instead, you did nothing with what I have given you. Because of this, I will instead give it over to the one who proved faithful.”
This passage alongside Paul’s letter to the Corinthians reveals that there will be a judgment upon believers. It isn’t a judgment upon sin, nor is it a judgment that will cast any believer into hell. But we will be judged and rewarded or not rewarded for the work we did or did not do.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
John MacArthur explains this passage, stating:
This is not a judgment for sin. Christ has paid that price (Rom. 8:1), so that no believer will ever be judged for sin. This is only to determine eternal reward. No matter how much is worthless, no believer will forfeit salvation.
What we must then understand that is that every single believer has been given the same deposit of the gospel and the Holy Spirit. Regardless of our abilities, if we faithfully “engage in business” for the kingdom of God, we will find ourselves rewarded beyond anything we could imagine. We will reign with Christ, beside Him in glory for all eternity.
So what of us then? Are we investing the gift of the gospel God has given to us? Are we utilizing what has been handed down to us to reveal His glory? As R. Kent Hughes so aptly puts it, “This is not a question of giftedness but of faithfulness.”
Listen, I understand that I will never be a Charles Spurgeon or a Martin Luther or a Billy Graham. I don’t have the same talents and giftedness they do. But God has not called for me to be any of those men. He has called me to this specific ministry and He has given me the very same gospel every one of those men received. So the question isn’t how much, but am I being faithful?
We all know the Apostle Paul. He is accredited to writing roughly half the New Testament. He brought the Gospel throughout the world to the Gentiles, establishing many churches along the way. We think, “Man, Paul was absolutely remarkable! How many thousands did his work bring to Christ?”
But what about the man that was called to meet Paul on the Damascus road? Do you know him? You very well might, for he is mentioned in Scripture. Three times, all in reference to this one moment. His name was Ananias. And while we may think, on the surface, that his work was less impactful, was it?
His faithfulness to the call God placed on him was an important part of Paul’s conversion, which Paul attests to.
“And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
Both Paul and Ananias were faithful in the call of “engaging in business.” They took their investment of the gospel and invested it further. Whether the work is big or small makes no difference to God so long as we are faithful with what He has given us.
And there are practical examples and applications that we can make of this. Are we simply using our money and resources to invest in the good news? Money given to ministries and missions to advance the spreading of the gospel play a crucial role as it helps promote evangelism and support missionaries and the work of many ministries.
What about our words? Are they making an investment of the gospel. The things we say; the things we talk about—do they bear witness to Jesus?
Even our time—how are we investing it? How do we fill up our calendars. Time is our most precious resource so it says a lot about who we are and what we value by how we use it.
God does not call perfect people to do the work of His ministry. If He did, he would have no workers. He is not looking for perfection. He is looking for faithfulness.
Lastly, as we close, there is a sobering judgment upon those who stand in opposition to Christ and His kingdom.
But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”
This is the eternal finality of all those who reject Christ.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
This image is equally beautiful as it is terrifying. But the reality is that Jesus is coming again and every person must decide for themselves where they stand. Are they servants of the king or enemies of the king?
Through this parable we see three possible results. To those who have taken their investment of the gospel and made further investments there will be unfathomable reward. For those who have received the investment but have done nothing with it and hidden it away there will be shame. But for those who reject Christ’s rule and reign there will be eternal separation—the finality of spiritual death.
And we must be ready. He is coming soon. I do not know when; if it will be in my lifetime or not, but we must be ready because the King of kings and Lord of lords is coming again, so we must ask ourselves, “Are we engaging in the business of God?”
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
May we be a church of faithful servants.
PRAY
