The Return of the King
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Beloved, while scouting locations for a popular TV series, an advance team came upon the perfect site for an action scene—an impressive house with a beautiful, large, lush, green lawn.
The script called for the cars to be spinning out of control and crashing on the lawn, tearing out shrubs and mowing down flower beds.
The residents of the south Florida home were so infatuated by the possibility of having their house prominently featured on a prime-time TV show that they eagerly gave their consent.
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Days later, the film crew arrived and began shooting the scene.
Cars driven by Hollywood stunt drivers were soon racing wildly across the front lawn, violently ripping up the beautiful grass, shrubs and flowers.
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That was when a neighbor called the owner of the house—in New York!
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You see, Beloved, the TV scouts had asked the residents of the house for permission to film, not realizing that they were only tenants who had absolutely no authority to allow the property to be harmed, much less destroyed.
Understandably, the owner in New York was not a happy man, the TV director was embarrassed, and the residents were soon looking for a new place to live.
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Renters are not owners; they are stewards.
The biggest difference between renters and owners can be defined with two words:
Rights and responsibilities.
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Owners have rights.
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Stewards have responsibilities...
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And Beloved, stewardship is going to be the main topic of our discussion today.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 19 and focus on verses 11 through 27.
Our message this morning is titled “The Return of the King.”
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As you are turning to our passage today, please keep in mind this fact:
The parable of the ten minas which we will cover today concludes the Lukan travel narrative to Jerusalem that began back in Luke 9:51.
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So, this morning we will cover four main points:
1) The Setting
2) The Hated King
3) The Faithful Servants
And...
4) The Unfaithful Servants
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are such a good and loving God...
The one true God who created all things seen and unseen by Your very will.
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Help us to understand the text that we will be covering today...
And help us to apply these truths to our lives.
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Thank You for being patient with us...
And thank you for giving Your children grace in the place of the judgement we deserve.
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And it is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
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.’
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.
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.’ ”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Setting
1) The Setting
Verse 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.
Beloved, I like how the NLT renders of this verse so I would like to share what it says:
“The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said.
And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.”
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So, the first item we notice in our section is that Luke tell us that our passage, that we will cover today, is taking place while they where hearing the things Jesus said in the previous section.
That previous section we covered in the last two weeks and they compromise of Luke 19:1-10, which says:
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich.
3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.”
6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.”
8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
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So, what is the connection between what we just read and our passage today?
Well, the link is found in Jesus dialogue to Zacchaeus that salvation has come to his house...
This statement confirmed that Jesus’s ministry contained the presence of salvation...
And a very likely interpretation of that presence of salvation in Jesus’s ministry then signifies the arrival of the Kingdom of God in its fullness.
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Though the Kingdom of God had arrived with Christ...
Though Christ’s ministry brings salvation...
The fullness of the Kingdom of God was still in the future...
And Jesus wants to clarify this to all.
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In addition to this, Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem is nearing its end...
And some believe that, with Jesus fast approaching Jerusalem, He will soon expel Rome’s occupation of Israel and restore it’s political independence and military dominance.
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However, those who believe this...
And it was most people who where following Jesus at this point...
They misunderstand both the timing of God’s plan and the character of Christ’s Kingdom.
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In between Christ’s assentation and second coming, there will be a interim period...
And Jesus’s words, as we will see, make it clear that this will not be a short period.
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Now, the idea of a delay was hard for the disciples to understand...
So see, they where so convinced that Jesus would set up his Kingdom immediately...
In fact, as late as Acts 1:6 they still held out hope for an instant full kingdom...
As that verse says:
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
And it was not until Acts 3:20–21 that this view had been tempered by reflection as it says:
20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
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Furthermore, Beloved, we will see that it is the disciples’ responsibility in this interim period to faithfully serve Christ, (the absent king of the parable) by making use of the gifts and responsibilities He has given us.
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So, now that we covered the background...
Let’s get to the parable...
And that takes us to our second point.
2) The Hated King
2) The Hated King
Verses 12-14: 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.’
Beloved, we need a little historical context to really understand the fullness of this text...
So, please keep this fact in mind...
In Jesus’s day, the need to travel to a distant country in order for a nobleman to secure his dominion would not seem odd in the Roman world.
You see, Beloved, in the Roman world, rule was parceled out centrally from Rome to those who would serve as client-kings and governors.
So, kings in Roman provinces like Galilee and Perea actually traveled and went to Rome to receive their kingdoms.
In fact, the entire Herodian dynasty was dependent on Rome for ruling power, and Herod the Great himself had gone to Rome to be given his kingdom.
Furthermore, the MacArthur Study Bible provides us with this key historical context:
“This was precisely what had happened to Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, when he went to Rome to be made tetrarch of Judea.
A delegation of Jews traveled to Rome with a protest to Caesar Augustus.
He refused their complaint and made Archelaus king anyway.
Archelaus subsequently built his palace in Jericho, not far from where Jesus told this parable.
Archelaus’ rule was so inept and despotic that Rome quickly replaced him with a succession of procurators, of whom Pontius Pilate was the fifth.
With this parable Jesus warned that the Jews were about to do the same thing, in a spiritual sense, to their true Messiah.”
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So, Jesus was painting a picture that His audience could understand...
And He was foreshadowing the fact that He would ascend and go to the heavenly seat of authority till the time for His return.
In the present and very near future, though His qualifications for kingship are impeccable...
Yet, He would be rejected by those who should serve Him as His subjects...
Jesus came as the long-promised Messiah...
The Jews finally had the King of Kings that they where waiting for...
But He would be rejected by them as a whole.
However, as the parable illustrates...
Christ, who would not only soon depart to receive His kingdom...
He also will one day return to rule and destroy all His enemies and false followers.
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In the meantime, Jesus would give instruction to His followers for what they must do during the waiting period...
And this instruction is given here through this parable.
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Now, the New Living Translation provides a helpful rendering for us again...
This time of verse 13, which says:
“Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’”
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So, this is not so much about money and wise business practices as it is about being a good steward of what God has given us...
Jesus illustrates this with this king giving minas to 10 servants...
Three of whom we will witness a full report on what then did with those minas...
As this King wanted to see these servants investing and multiplying what he had given them.
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But, to really understand this all...
We need to clarify and define a few key terms and phrases from this parable.
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For example, a “minas” is a Greek word for a measure of money that was equal to slightly more than 3 months’ salary or about 100 drachmas.
The mina was one-sixtieth of a talent, meaning that the 10 servants in this parable had been given a considerably smaller sum to account for than any of the 3 servants in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30, which although similar is a different parable.
You see, Beloved, Jesus would sometimes modify His teachings to fit different situations and emphasize slightly different truths.
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Now, the rounded number of ten for the servants was significant...
This shows that Jesus’ parable applies to all His disciples and not just the Twelve.
So, if you consider yourself a Christian, then this applies to you as well.
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Now, the phrase “Until I come” refers to the time between Jesus’ ascension and return at the end of the age...
The term, “His citizens,” represents the Jews who hated Jesus...
And their “hate” is realized in their petition that He (Jesus in reality and the king/nobleman in the parable) not be allowed to have authority over them.
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Beloved, throughout Jesus’s earthly ministry we see great hatred towards Him by the people that should have embraced Him.
But this did not catch Jesus off guard...
This was prophesied to happen...
Just look with me at Isaiah 53:3, which says:
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
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In fact, the hatred we get as Christian is not truly because they hate us...
But because we follow Christ and they hate Christ with such an ungodly passion...
For He had the boldness to call our their wicked works...
As John 7:7 says:
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
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This was not just any kind of hate...
This was a murderous evil hatred...
And shockingly the ones who spearheaded this hate where the people that should have known better...
The religious elite...
The religious leaders of the day...
Most of them where wicked...
And they wanted Jesus our of the picture...
For His teaching that were based on the Word of God flew right in the face of their man-made traditions.
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So, they plotted to Murder the Messiah they said they were waiting for...
As Matthew 26:3–4 says:
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
It was not just the Jews...
The gentiles (specifically the Romans) executed our Lord and Savior in the most cruel fashion...
Sure, Pilate wanted to wash his hands of the situation...
But the religious leaders stirred up the crowd...
And the people who should have welcomed Christ called for His brutal execution as recorded in Matthew 27:22:
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
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Finally, the phrase “sent a delegation after him” means a group went to the ruler who was bestowing authority on the nobleman...
And, according to the next verse, this delegation was unsuccessful in blocking the appointment...
Likewise, as we have mentioned, although the Jews as a whole reject Christ...
They cannot stop Him from receiving His Kingdom and eventually coming back when the Kingdom of God comes in it’s full consummation.
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Next, the parable that Jesus presents illustrated what will happen when the King finally does return...
And that takes us to our next point.
3) The Faithful Servants
3) The Faithful Servants
Verses 15-19: 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.’
One more time, let’s look to the NLT rendering of verse 15 as I like how it is said:
“After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money.
He wanted to find out what their profits were.”
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So, Beloved, this pictured Christ’s return to earth...
His Second Coming...
And at that time...
Everyone will have to give an account for what they did with what God gave them...
Many claim to be followers of Christ...
But it is time to see if there actions back up their talk...
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And we must understand this point well...
Those with relatively small gifts and opportunities are just as responsible to use them faithfully as those who are given much more.
Every believer is called to make a profit on what God has given them...
From the person leading a international worldwide ministry to the little old lady down the road...
If you claim to follow Christ...
It need to show in your actions.
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You see, Beloved, faithfully carrying out stewardship responsibilities in this life will result in being given greater responsibility and stewardship in the life to come...
And everyone who is a genuine follower is producing at least some kind of fruit.
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So, let’s take a look at the first two servants Jesus mentions in His parable.
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The first servant says, “Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.”
And the second servant says, “Lord, your mina has made five minas.”
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As Matthew 25:21 records:
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Both of these servants did well.
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With the same mina...
One servant made ten more and the other made five more...
And on top of that...
Both had the same humble attitude...
For instance, notice the two faithful servants desire to give the credit for their success to the king for creating the economic environment that allowed the mina to grow so remarkably.
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So, the first servant brings an encouraging report...
And he earned ten minas from one...
That is a 1,000% profit!
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The second servant also brings an encouraging report...
And he earned five minas from one...
That is a 500% profit!
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This may seem a little exaggerated...
And parables often used hyperbolic language to make it point...
But such a large profit was not unusual in the ancient world.
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Either way, this is one of a number of passages that teach degrees of reward and responsibility in heaven.
For both servants where greatly rewarded for their faithfulness.
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The first servant was given ten cites to govern in the new kingdom...
And the second servant was given five cites to govern...
For the profit they made...
This reward was out of this world!
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You see, Beloved, the disproportionate nature of reward to service should be noted.
Jesus is making a sticking point!
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This picture truly represents the magnitude of the “treasure in heaven” that faithful believers will receive in eternity.
The Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke puts it this way:
“The gift of a mina is not the extent of God’s blessing, but a test:
Its faithful employment will lead to greater blessings in the future.
The reward is astonishingly disproportionate to the disciple’s effort:
A mina would scarcely purchase a barn, yet for each mina gained a city is given!”
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In essence, the first faithful servant given the ten cites was made a vice-regent ruling over a province or region under the king.
Likewise the second servant would rule over his own region of five cities.
These rewards symbolizes believers’ responsibility and rule under Christ in His future Kingdom.
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Beloved, this brings to mind the words found in Matthew 24:45–47, which says:
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
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So, whether it be a little or a lot...
Make sure you are faithful with what you have.
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Do you have a blog or podcast or website?
Use it to share the Good News of Jesus Christ!
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Do you work in ministry or a secular job?
Tell your co-workers and those you interact with about the Good News of Jesus Christ!
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Do you have neighbors or friends or family members who are lost?
Share the Gospel as found recorded in the Word of God!
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Do you have any social media accounts?
Use it for the glory of God!
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Are you planning to eat at a restaurant or have an upcoming visit with a doctor?
Tell those you come into contact with how Jesus changed your life!
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Is Evangelism intimidating?
Start by handing our a solid Gospel track or come see me afterwards and I can help in that area!
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Are you seeing what Christ is asking of all of us?
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What are you doing with what God gave you?
As Luke 16:10 says:
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
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And on that note...
We turn to see what happens to those who claim to follow Christ but refuse to obey Him...
And we see what happens to those is direct rebellion as hostile enemies of God...
Which takes us to our fourth and final point.
4) The Unfaithful Servants
4) The Unfaithful Servants
Verses 20-27: 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.’ ”
Now, when the “wicked servant” says, “I was afraid of you,” this was a craven fear, not borne out of love or reverence, but tainted with contempt for the master.
So, immediately, we see the unfaithfulness of this servant.
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Furthermore, his actions show that not only was the servant unfaithful, but he also may have been careless with the kings mina.
Hiding money in this manner of keeping it in a cloth is attested in Jewish sources at the time as not as safe as burying money it in the ground.
So, even the fashion in which he hide his master’s mina was foolish and lacked genuine care.
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This third servant then goes on and gives his rationale for hiding the mina instead of obeying the command to trade it...
And, in his failed defense, the wicked servant sought to paint a negative picture of the character of the nobleman.
He calls the king a severe man...
He claims the king steals...
He claims the king is dishonest...
But, Beloved, we have seen the actions of the king in the parable...
And the third servants description is more than just a little off.
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You see, the hearers and readers of the story know this is incorrect, because of the kings generosity to the first two servants in verses 17 and 19.
Had this wicked servant had any true regard for the master, a righteous “fear” would have provoked diligence rather than sloth.
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Instead of obeying his king...
He attacks the kings character!
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What foolishness!
Sounds a lot like when Adam when he sinned intentionally but tried to blame God giving him Eve!
Adam failed as the head of his house and tried to shift the blame on God...
And in like fashion this wicked servant has no shame in attacking the king that has only been shown to be good.
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Beloved, those who fail to do anything useful with the resources, talents, and opportunities God has given them will fall under His displeasure and thereby prove that they are not even true believers.
So, the third servant is either lying about how he feels about the master to excuse his lack of response or he has seriously misjudged the master.
Either way, he is acting like a fool!
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Above all, he has failed to respond properly to the king.
The unfaithful servant may have thought that he knew the king, but really he did not know him at all and certainly showed no trust in him.
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Such characters like this wicked servant are like Judas...
They hang out with the right people...
They serve with the right people...
They say the same words like the right people (at least some of the time)...
They carried out responsibilities in Jesus name, but they do not know Him.
For they are workers of lawlessness...
They claim to follow Jesus but are really following a god in their own image.
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The Jesus says the king said, “Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.”
However, this shocked those around him...
For they say, “Lord, he has ten minas!”
This may have even been the other seven servants that we do not hear a full account of...
Either way we see objection to how the king took the one mina from the wicked servant and gave it to one of his most faithful servants...
So, these people express shock that the mina is given to someone who already has so many.
Their charge is that a bonus is unfair.
But the king has spoken...
“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.”
Likewise, this is the attitude of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Now, nothing is said about the other seven.
The reason for this is that the parable is concerned with two classes:
Those who faithfully invest what the master has entrusted to them and those who do not.
We are to assume that the rest of the seven fall under one of these classes and will be rewarded or punished in like fashion.
In Matthew’s very similar parable on the Talents...
We must consider the judgement to the wicked servant in Matthew 25:30:
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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That is not the only person to face the kings wrath...
Take a look at what happens to those who tried to interfere with the nobleman first receiving his kingdom...
The king says, “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.”
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Consider this, Beloved...
The disasters that befell the Jewish people where very striking and clear...
During the Roman-Jewish war of 66–70 AD, Jerusalem was completely destroyed...
Hundreds of thousands of Jews were killed...
God’s wrath poured on those who rejected their Messiah.
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But that is not all...
Today in our age we have those enemies of God who openly attack and slander of mighty and awesome God...
All those throughout history who foolishly attack our God will suffer some of the worst imaginable judgment!
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At the Second Coming of Jesus...
All who have rejected Him will reap the retribution of everlasting loss...
As Matthew 16:27 says:
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
And look with me at 2 Corinthians 5:10:
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.
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If you make a practice of righteousness...
Then it is only because you are in fellowship with Him...
And you will join Him in eternal life.
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However, if you make a practice of wickedness...
Weather it is open high handed rebellion or a much quieter and secret rebellion...
People can fool other people but God can see right into the heart!
And those who are unfaithful and wicked will suffer an eternity in hell.
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Kirk Cameron may be confused about the eternal conscious torment of hell...
But the Scriptures are clear on the matter...
Hell is for all eternity...
The people who end up their will suffer for eternity...
The is the cost of rebelling against our Holy and Just God.
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So, if your heart hurts to know that people will spend an eternity in hell...
Then use that for motivation to share with others the Good News...
That is they repent and believe...
That is they surrender and trust...
They can have a relationship with Christ...
And His blood will wash away all their sins...
Past, present, and future...
And they will be adopted into the royal family of God.
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So, Beloved...
Go tell someone about Jesus, today.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
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To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
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To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
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To expose feelings is to risk exposing, your true self.
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To place your ideas, your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
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To love is to risk not being loved in return.
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To live is to risk dying.
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To hope is to risk despair.
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To try is to risk failure.
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But risks must be taken for the followers of Christ, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing and loss it all.
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The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing and is nothing.
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They may avoid suffering and sorrow for a time but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live...
And eventually suffering and sorrow will find them and they will experience it forever...
Charmed by their attitudes they are a slave to sin, they have forfeited their freedom.
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Only a person who risks is truly free in Christ...
So, risk it all for the Gospel...
Risk it all for the Good News...
Risk it all for Christ!
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way:
Then remove the scales of blindness from their eyes...
And show them Your light.
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You:
Use us to share Your truth with this wicked world...
And give us the courage to be good stewards of all you give us.
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’ name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
