Found Faithful at the End

Luke 19:11–27 ESV

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.’ ”

Introduction:

Have you ever watched a movie and something in the film reminded you of an event that happened relatively recently in current events? Sometimes the story is meant to be a telling of the events and sometimes it’s just using a different but similar story to teach a lesson.

In our passage today, Jesus tells a parable that would clearly echo recent historical events that the people of Jericho would have been familiar with.

It is an allusion to an incident that happened about thirty years prior to Jesus passing through.

Before he died, Herod the Great split his little mini-empire between his sons. He gave Judea and Samaria to Archelaus. These gifts were subject to approval by Rome so the heir, Archelaus headed off to Rome to ask Caesar Augustus to approve of his rule. Before leaving there was a riot at the temple during Passover. Archelaus had over 3,000 Jesus killed.

The Jews didn’t like Herod the Great and they were not happy about being under the rule of his son. Their move was to send fifty men to Rome to ask Caesar for a different king rather than Archelaus. Ultimately they lost their appeal. So Archelaus ends up being king after all and his palace is in… Jericho.

Jesus had just come through Jericho. It’s easy to understand why Jesus would have used this allusion to that happening and it’s easy to understand why it would have especially

Jesus was not saying He was the same as Archelaus. Obviously we know Archelaus was wicked. We must be careful not to allegorize everything in the parable.

Why did Jesus tell this particular parable?

Luke 19:11 ESV

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.

This parable is a response to those who thought the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. Jesus was now near Jerusalem and the people may have had expectations of a political messiah come to overthrow Rome. Again we see that they were forgetting the other things Jesus said about what was ahead of Him, namely His death and resurrection.

Jesus had been clear about His purpose in coming.

Luke 19:10 ESV

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Salvation leading to repentance was displayed by Zacchaeus and Jesus said this was why He came. The people still didn’t understand fully and wanted a here and now kingdom that they could maybe get a little piece of. They were thinking temporally, not eternally.

The kingdom will not be seen in all of its fullness until the day Christ returns bodily, physically, and personally to earth to reign.

It begins in a small way and grows gradually until the day it is fully realized.

There are three main characters in this story.

The nobleman - goes away

The servants - the servants are given a job

The citizens - reject the rule of the nobleman

I. The nobleman goes away.

Luke 19:12–14 ESV

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.’

Jesus is setting their expections in order here. He’s going to go away. The kingdom is not going to come in it’s fullness right there and then. There was going to be a wait. The people were going to need to persevere and endure. How kind it is of Jesus to prepare His followers for this!?!!

The majority of the parable takes place while the nobleman is away.

Gives instructions and investment

Mina - approx 3 months wages

Commanded them to put it to work…

Engage in business until I come… Therein is a promise that the nobleman will return so his servants should expect to give a report or an account about how they have handled his business while he was away.

Deal with the citizens - the rejected King… it wasn’t time for a victory party… There would be suffering and rejection for Jesus first.

II. The faithful servants

Luke 19:15–19 ESV

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.’

The activity of the servants displays their devotion to their master.

The rewards are extravagant compared to what they were faithful with.

III. The Final Servant’s Reckoning

Luke 19:20–26 ESV

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.

This final servant hid his mina which is quite effective for protecting it but protecting it was not the charge given to him. He was to put it to work! In not doing what the master had commanded, he was being unfaithful to the master.

Defends himself by insulting the nobleman. His master…

Severe man - strict in requirements, extracting, holding to high standards

He should have acted on what he knew about the master.

His life betrayed his theology. He didn’t obviously believe that about the master or he would have pushed for a return on the investment by using it wisely.

We are responsible for what we know about Jesus. We will helpd accountable for it. We are held to account for living by the theology we profess.

Nothing about the parable tells us that the servant’s characterization of the nobleman was true...

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

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.

Revelation 22:12 ESV

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

Not the same as the Parable of the Talents

V. 27 - If resisting a mid-tier leader gets punished this severely, how much more will opposing the King of the Universe have severe consequences!?!

Conclusion:

The people were skipping everything that came before the Kingdom. They wanted to get the Kingdom without the cross. But the Kingdom required that there first be suffering.

As a follower of Christ, every aspect of your life is a gift given you to invest.

Examples

This is our stewardship

There is remarkable consistency throughout Jesus’ teaching on the point made in v. 26.

Luke 19:26 ESV

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.

Luke 8:18 ESV

18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”

Mark 4:25 ESV

25 For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Matthew 25:29 ESV

29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Opposing the King will have severe consequences.

We are held accountable for how we put the gospel to work.

As Christ’s followers we should not trouble or fret over His delay to return.

v.20 ESVSB NOTE

Those redeemed by Jesus (like Zaccheaus) should serve faithfully till He returns.

This parable is more about faithfulness rather than talent. It wasn’t about the amount given for investment but about what they did with it.

We have all received the same gospel and Jesus wants us to be faithful to put it to work in this world while we wait for His glorious return.

Here are some of the ways we can put the gospel to work: We do it by growing in our own Christian lives through repentance, prayer, and daily dependence on the Holy Spirit. We do it by trusting God to meet our needs and guide our decisions. We also put the gospel to work by serving people in need, showing the love and mercy of Christ to people who are lonely, sick, homeless, grieving, and afraid. Then we put the gospel to work by loving our families with the love of Jesus and sharing our faith with our friends. And we put the gospel to work by making a personal investment in missionary work: praying, giving, sending, and going to the nations with the good news about Jesus Christ. Furthermore, we put the gospel to work by carrying out our regular calling in a way that shows the supremacy of Christ. The worker can do this with his labor, the professor with his scholarship, the educator with her teaching, the lawyer with his justice, the doctor with his medicine, and the artist with her craft. As long as it is done with the intention of bringing glory to God, anything and everything we do is an investment in the kingdom of God. - Philip Ryken