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.
He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 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.’ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’ 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. The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ ‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’ But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ ‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ ‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’ ‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.'”
Luke 19:11-27
Luke makes it clear to us that Jesus told this next story to counter the belief that the Kingdom of God was going to be ushered in immediately. Likely as not, the thought was that Jesus would be made king in Jerusalem after the Passover. As that is where they were headed, it wouldn’t be very much longer before Messiah would be enthroned in Jerusalem. Now that was something to look forward to. But for the very reason they were approaching Jerusalem, Jesus tells them this story. There are many who believe this story and the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 are one and the same. My suggestion is that you take the time to read both and see what you think. So often, we are influenced by what others say before we know what we ourselves think. So before we do anything on this pericope, take time to see what you think about it. Use your periscope to analyse this pericope.
After just witnessing the salvation of Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, the thought must have been that really anyone can be saved. If those two can find salvation, then salvation of all of the Jews must be a certainty. Just imagine the talk in the crowd as they followed Jesus on the road to Jerusalem, after what they had witnessed in Jericho. What they had seen must have generated a full sense of hope and expectancy for what was going to happen in Jerusalem. If it could happen for “Old Filthy” and for that tax collector “Pure” then it can sure happen for us, who are Jews through and through. Imagine what Peter was thinking after his comment in Luke 18:28. If it is hard for the rich to get into the Kingdom of God, those who the Pharisees say will get there because the sign of blessing is on their life, then what about us who have left everything for Jesus? Hope must have been high among them all, disciples and crowd alike. I bet they couldn’t wait to get to Jerusalem to see what was going to happen. They were traveling with the Messiah and He was soon going to be crowned King in Jerusalem. And I am one of His in-crowd. Perhaps I can secure the role of the Minister of Something.
There is something else we have to address in this parable as we pull it apart. That is the fact that it seems to mirror the Parable of the Unjust Steward, in that it seems unjust. The third servant states that the nobleman is a harsh, unjust man who mistreats people. It appears as though he may even be a brigand who raids and plunders villagers round about, taking money and crops for himself. How can this be right and just? To be able to understand the parable, you have to harmonise these somewhat dissonant facts and explore the detail that you will find within.
Someone once asked me, “Is it true that these servants were each given a pound of silver?” At today’s prices that would amount to US$ 372.50. Is that really what is being said here? Ten pounds (lbs) of silver divided between 10 servants, resulting in them each having a pound of silver. Time for you to go check the text and consult the current world prices for silver on the traders’ listings for silver per unit weight. As I recently heard preached: All that is Mine is yours. Based on Luke 15:31. Therefore all the riches of God belongs to me. Is that what is meant in these passages in Luke? Go check it out for yourself. Avoid the cringe factor. Avoid the fringe factor too. Test for yourself what Jesus is saying. Make sure you glean what Jesus intended and not what you want the text to say. There is a world of difference between the two. Time also to dig into a lot more besides. Happy hunting. Hope you find a cache of silver or gold, a gem or a nugget or two. After that, pack up your bags and head to Jerusalem. I will see you on the way. Then we will ask Jesus all the questions we have about this passage.
Without Christ, this life on earth is the best it’ll ever get. But with Christ, your best life isn’t now. It’s still to come.
Rick Warren
The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.
Thucydides
He says yes and gives you what you want. He says no and gives you something better. He says wait and gives you the best.
Patricia Limantoro
I am sure God keeps no one waiting unless He sees that it is good for them to wait.
C.S. Lewis
Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.”
Matthew 22:29