Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas and said to them, “Engage in business until I come.” Luke 19:13 ESV¹

Read Luke 19:11-27

What would you do if your employer called you to his/her office and handed you a check equal to about four months of your current salary? What if your boss then explained that he/she was entrusting you with this money for the purpose of conducting business and making a profit while he/she was called away for an undetermined length of time to acquire another business asset? What would you contemplate doing with the money if you knew you would be held accountable for how you put it to use in your boss’s absence? Late in His earthly ministry, this is the exact scenario Jesus presented, in parable form, to His disciples.

“He proceeded to tell a parable … ‘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.” …  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!” [In return, their master said,] “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 19:11a, 12-13 & 15-26).

Most Everything Worthwhile Takes Time

The reason Jesus told The Parable of the Minas was that His followers had a distorted expectation concerning the timing of the commencement of His Kingdom. The verse immediately preceding the recorded parable sets the context.

“[Jesus] proceeded to tell [this] parable, because He was near to Jerusalem, and because [His followers] supposed that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11).

Glance at what is recorded by Luke that happened immediately after Jesus shared this parable. Beginning in verse 28 of Luke 19, the events surrounding Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem are described. Indeed, Jesus’ disciples were all too eager to make Him an earthly king instantly.

Somehow, the majority of His followers failed to realize what Jesus was trying to communicate through this allegorical story. Jesus had tried to explain a couple of things that needed to happen before His Kingdom would be realized on Earth and that those things, by their very nature, would take time.

“‘A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return’” (Luke 19:12, emphasis added).

Previously, Jesus had told His disciples:

“I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So, there will be one flock, one Shepherd. (John 10:14-16).

Later, in a conversation with His closest disciples, Jesus explained further:

“‘Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also’” (John 14:1-3).

Before Jesus would be King, He would be required to go away for an undetermined length of time. During that time, He would be preparing a place for His people to spend eternity with Him. But there was also much work to be done on Earth before Jesus would reign over His people. All of Jesus’ subjects would need to be assembled together. That gathering wasn’t going to happen spontaneously. Like the nobleman in His parable, Jesus expected His disciples to be helping with this rounding up. Of the nobleman, Jesus said:

“’Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, “Engage in business until I come”’” (Luke 19:13).

Like the nobleman in the parable, Jesus is coming back. When He does, He will be looking to see if His disciples have been engaging in His business.

Responsible in Business

The nobleman, in Jesus’ parable, was a wise and organized businessman. He chose ten of his most trusted servants for the important task of profiting his business in his absence. The Greek word for servant in this passage is doulos and means a servant, attendant … who gives himself up to another’s will … extending and advancing his [master’s] cause … devoted to another to the disregard of one’s own interests.² The servants the nobleman chose were the ones who had previously devoted their lives to him and had committed themselves to his wellbeing.

The nobleman placed in the hands of each of these devoted workers a sum of money, a mina, which was equal to about three to four months’ salary. This money did not belong to the servants and was not intended for their personal uses but was supposed to be employed for the advancement of the nobleman’s kingdom.

As Christians, we are Christ’s douloses. When we accepted His offer to be His servants, we promised to make His interests the ones about which we would be most concerned. When we chose to follow Him, we gave Him, as our Master, full access to our lives. He has the right to ask anything of us.

All of Jesus’ disciples—from those to whom He spoke this parable initially down to everyone who claims Christ as Savior today—have been given the important job of advancing His Kingdom. But Jesus doesn’t expect us to complete that responsibility using our own resources. Like the nobleman’s minas which he gave to his servants, we have been given by Christ something of His own that is exactly what we need to accomplish the task He has for us.

Freely Given the Required Resource

The nobleman in Jesus’ story had a business and he gave his servants the money they needed to carry on that business. Jesus is in the Kingdom business of saving souls and making disciples. As Jesus’ followers, we have free access to what we need to further Jesus’ business.

“His Divine Power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).

What is it that gives us all we need for life and godliness? What does Jesus intend for us to use for His glory and excellence? What do we need to do Christ’s business until He comes? What is necessary for us to make gains for Jesus’ Kingdom?

To answer those questions, let me draw you to the phrase, Kingdom of God, found in Luke 19:11. Though this parable does not follow the pattern of other parables in which Jesus specifically made comparisons to explain the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God), this parable could be classified as a Kingdom of Heaven parable. If you have been following me in this series, you will remember that when the Kingdom of Heaven (or the Kingdom of God) is mentioned, it is a clue for us to look for what Jesus is teaching us about a relationship with Him.

As I have mentioned in previous articles, the Kingdom of Heaven is not so much a future realm or far-off place as much as it is an ever-present relationship with a Person that is available now and continues into eternity. When one enters into a relationship with Christ, he/she is given the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9).

The minas that were passed out by the nobleman in Jesus’ parable picture the Holy Spirit which Jesus has given to His servants. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians have access to spiritual gifts, Christian graces, and the ability to do God’s will.

The Purpose of the Endowment

The nobleman was not self-focused in providing resources and requesting that his servants keep his business going. The advancement of his business meant security for his servants; therefore, it could be said that the nobleman’s motivation for passing out minas was so that none of his subjects would be homeless. Likewise, the Holy Spirit gives Jesus’ servants victory and the advancement of Jesus’ Kingdom is beneficial for all people. Jesus’ motivation for giving the Holy Spirit was so that no one would have to go to Hell!

Before ascending to Heaven, for an undetermined length of time, Jesus spoke to His disciples and commanded,

“‘All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18b-20).

“‘And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’” (Matthew 24:14).

How is it that Jesus can be with His followers, helping us spread the Good News, when He is in Heaven? It is through the Holy Spirit in us that He is with us. Jesus has given us His Spirit to live in us. Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to the authority of Jesus to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus effectively and powerfully in this world.

“You are from God and have overcome [the world, the flesh, and the devil], for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

“The mystery hidden for ages and generations [is] now revealed to His saints. To them, God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26b-27).

And Jesus has given us His Spirit to work through us to advance His Kingdom.

“‘When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you’” (John 16:13-14).

“‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth’” (Acts 1:8).

There is More Than One Way

There is no formula for accomplishing the task of advancing Christ’s business. There is no one way to use what Jesus has given us through the Holy Spirit to grow His Kingdom. It is not as important by what method Christians are making spiritual gains in this dark world but that they are. Besides the Holy Spirit, God intends that His people use the personalities and the connections He has given them for the work He has planned for them where He has placed them.

When the nobleman called his servants to himself to give an accounting, it appears, in the English translation, that both of the first two servants used the same word in their reports. But in Greek, the language in which this parable was written, two different words were used.

In verse 16, the word, made, is, prosergazomai, and means to work besides; by working or trading to make or gain besides.³ Whereas, in verse 18, the word, made, is, poieō, which means to make …, to produce, construct, form, fashion, … to make a thing out of something; … to be the authors of a thing.⁴

The nobleman didn’t seem to care if his servants were intimately involved, hands-on, in the production of wealth with his mina or if they invested his money and allowed it to create more. What he cared about was the profit acquired and he rewarded them accordingly! Both of the first two servants proved to be faithful stewards of the relatively small amount of money they had been given; therefore, according to the ability they had displayed, they were trusted with the control of much more.

Just Do Something

Jesus has given us what we need to advance His Kingdom and He expects us to put to work what He has made accessible to us. We will be held accountable for how we have used our Master’s property—His Spirit in us. Our work will be critiqued and we will be judged accordingly. If we have used what we have through our relationship with Christ to make more disciples, we will be rewarded. If we choose not to accomplish the task Christ has placed before us, we will have to face the consequences

This truth is illustrated in Jesus’ parable.

“‘Then another [servant] 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.” [The nobleman] 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’” (Luke 19:20-23)?

The third servant knew what he had been given was valuable. That is why he kept it safely hidden away. Because he kept the mina laid away in a handkerchief, I doubt the other servants even knew the nobleman had chosen him to help continue the workings of the master’s business. There are some who consider themselves Christ-followers who have done little more than sneak into the Kingdom. They know their salvation is of value, yet no one around them knows they confess Christ; they keep that part of their lives carefully concealed lest others think them strange. Perhaps these cloaked Christians suffer from the same personal and emotional problems as the disobedient doulos in Jesus’ story.

This third servant had an unresolved issue with his master; he was afraid of him. Fear is the opposite of love. If this doulos had been motivated by love instead of fear, this small difference would have enabled him to step out of his comfort zone in obedience to his master.

“There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

This final servant had a character flaw; he blamed others for his disobedience. Specifically, this doulos found fault with his master. There are many who are associated in some way with Jesus who, because of their lack of understanding, blame Him for the difficulties in their lives and the evil they observe around them.

Don’t get distracted by the servant’s accusation or the master’s admission. By concluding that the nobleman in the parable is a picture of Christ, we are not assuming He is in any way in the wrong. Think about it; Satan is the ruler of this world (see 2 Corinthians 4:4). Every soul Jesus saves once belonged to Satan. So, Jesus does take what He did not deposit and reaps what He did not sow. But He steals nothing; He bought our souls with His blood. Anyone who repents and believes in Jesus belongs to Him and is no longer a slave to Satan. These ones are gathered into Christ’s Kingdom where they rightly belong.

This third servant mentioned had a hindrance; he was unnecessarily overcome by his circumstances. In English, the word the nobleman used for this servant was wicked. The word in Greek is, ponēros, and actually means full of labors, annoyances, [and] hardships.⁵ This is the same word Jesus used when He taught His disciples to pray, “‘Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil'” (Matthew 6:13). This servant was suffering unnecessarily. Like the seed that fell among the thorns in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower⁶, “the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches [choked this servant], and [he proved] unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22b). Sadly, many Christians are distracted from the cause of Christ by the labors, annoyances, and hardships of this world.

The nobleman didn’t seem surprised by the third servant’s issues but that didn’t mean the master excused this doulos’ behavior. Even though he was at a disadvantage, the master had expected this servant to do something with what had been entrusted.

“‘Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest’” (Luke 19:23)?

Similarly, Jesus is not surprised by our lack of faith, our weaknesses, or our distractions but He still expects us to do something with what we have been given! Of His Followers, Jesus said:

“‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven’” (Matthew 5:14-16).

Edmond Burke, 18th Century British statesman, parliamentary orator, and political thinker, said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Too many of Jesus’ servants aren’t even doing the minimum with what Jesus has given them. They aren’t even doing the equivalent of putting His money in the bank to collect interest. If there is no depositing and sowing being done for Christ, all the taking and reaping is going to be left for the enemy.

Some of Jesus’ followers don’t advance His Kingdom because they are worried about advancing their own. Other disciples of Jesus don’t prosper His business because they don’t really love Him. Some Christians don’t let their lights shine because they are letting them be extinguished by the cares of this life. And other Believers don’t obey Jesus’ command to make disciples because they don’t believe He has given them everything they need for the task.

The Opposition

The lack of Christian commitment to Christ isn’t the only obstacle facing the coming of Christ’s Kingdom. Something else is also hindering the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.

Catherine Booth, a co-founder of The Salvation Army, once concluded:

“Looking at the book of Acts, [what if we] sit down and try to calculate what was likely to happen in the world? We would most likely expect very different results—a radically changed world as the outcome of it all. A system which started with such power, under such promises and declarations on the part of its Author and producing, as it did in the first century, such gigantic and momentous results! We would have thought (if we knew nothing of what has intervened from then until now) that the whole world would have fallen long ago to the influence of that system and would have been brought under the authority of the great Originator and Founder. I say from reading these Acts, and from observing the Spirit which moved the early disciples, that we should have anticipated ten thousand times greater results—and in my opinion, this anticipation would have been perfectly rational and just.”

There has always been opposition to the Gospel. The difference between those first-century Christians and many of those who came after them is that the first Believers, as a whole, expected antagonism and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, rose to the challenge but subsequent Christ-followers largely have been characterized by crumbling under the pressure.

Don’t think for a moment that it was easy for the first servant in Jesus’ allegorical story to turn one mina into ten. Please don’t assume that it took no effort for the second doulos to multiply the mina he was given by five. What took no work and no worry about the glory of his master was what the last servant did in wrapping his mina in a handkerchief and stowing it away in a drawer.

The proverb, no pain, no gain, could be applied here appropriately. Because the first two servants valiantly accepted the pain, they abundantly received the gain—both in money for their master and in rewards for themselves. If we, as Christians, confront opposing forces, making full use of all we have in our relationships with Christ, those difficulties become springboards that allow us to make far greater impacts for Christ than we could have without them. In the process, we become stronger and more faith-filled to face more extreme challenges victoriously.

When the last servant chose a course of inaction, he probably assumed his choice would give him a life of ease. Instead, it opened him up to suffering without purpose. I have already discussed the burden under which this servant chose to live when he refused to step out and do something with his master’s mina to profit the nobleman’s business. When we as Christians faithlessly refuse to apply what we have in Christ for His glory and for the good of the world around us, we open up ourselves to the oppression of the enemy. We effectively step out from under Christ’s protection and give Satan permission to use all manner of things against us. Instead of difficulties empowering us, in His Strength, to make significant gains for Christ, we succumb to lives full of unnecessary and fruitless labors, annoyances, and hardships.

Life on this earth is going to be hard whether we fully obey Jesus or not. We just as well make our difficulties count for something. Jesus is a good Master; the greater the difficulty, the greater the Grace He gives to overcome it. And, additionally, He will more than adequately reward every devoted doulos who is faithful in the stewardship of all that has been entrusted to his/her. Those servants can expect to hear:

“‘“Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over [much more]”’” (Luke 19:17).

But keep in mind, Jesus won’t just be handing out rewards when He returns. In this parable, Jesus also revealed:

“‘“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 19:26).

Those servants who refused to use what Jesus gave them will experience embarrassing and humbling losses. But nothing can be compared to the punishment those who opposed Christ will receive. Take a look at what Jesus also said in His story about the nobleman and his servants:

“‘”But [the nobleman’s] citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, “We do not want this man to reign over us.” [So, when he returned, the nobleman demanded] … “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me”’” (Luke 19:14 & 27).

No matter how things appear currently, we can be sure that evil will not prevail. Christ will have the last word. In the end, none of us will ever be sorry for anything we attempted to do in Christ to bring Him glory and advance His Kingdom.

What Are You Doing with What He Gave You?

I owe my life to a man whom I have never met. He went out of his comfort zone and shared the Gospel with my mother. Although she didn’t respond immediately, when she hit the lowest point in her life, she remembered his words. That remembrance physically saved my life, the life of my brother, and that of my mom. I believe that man will be rewarded not only for the gains of which he is aware but all the physical and spiritual fruit of my mom, her descendants, and others his life touched, can be claimed by him as well. Because that faithful doulos of Christ invested the mina he had been given, there is no telling, this side of Heaven, the profit he has made for Jesus’ Kingdom.

What about you? What are you doing with the relationship you have with Christ and the power to which you have access? Are you investing your mina? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to work through your words and actions to increase Jesus’ Kingdom? If the Spirit of Christ is residing in you, the Good News of Jesus should naturally flow out of you, that is, unless you, by disobedience, are blocking it!

This parable is recorded for our benefit as followers of Christ as much as it was for those to whom He spoke it in person. If you are a committed servant of Christ, you have received everything you need from Him to conduct business for Him. Jesus will return when all of His sheep have been gathered into the Fold. When He comes, He will demand an accounting of what each of His douloses has done with what He has given them. May you be rewarded because, by putting your mina to work, you hastened His Coming. May it never be said of you that you hindered His Return by refusing to do business with what you were given.

 

 

1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

2 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1401/kjv/tr/0-1/

3 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4333/kjv/tr/0-1/

4 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4160/kjv/tr/0-1/

5 https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4190/kjv/tr/0-1/

6 For my commentary on The Parable of the Sower check out: https://www.blueturtletrails.com/soil-conditions/