Luke 19:11-27. This sermon was preached on July 26, 2015 by Pastor Marty Bonner.
The parable that Jesus gives us today is a picture of the whole church age from the leaving of Christ to his coming back again. As we analyze this parable we will gain a big-picture view regarding what God has been doing over the last two millenniums, and what is happening in the now. In fact we see that both unbelievers and those who call themselves Christians have a choice to make every day. Am I going to trust Jesus as my King or not? Regardless of our decision, it will be the key to our fate when Christ returns. This world and the United States of America will not continue on as they are. Father God has declared Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords. This will not be overruled. The sooner we deal with that the better it will be with us.
In verse 11 we are given the reason for this parable. Jesus was approaching Jerusalem and the people thought Jesus would institute the Kingdom of God on the spot. Clearly Jesus wants to dissuade their expectations and prepare them for what was really going to happen: crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. In fact this is a recurring dynamic that we saw back in Luke 18:31-33. No matter what things looked like on the surface, Jesus was headed into a situation where he would be rejected and killed.
Now this parable is very similar with the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Though some details are different, the spiritual points being made are the same. Jesus would not receive his kingship from the people of Israel or even the people of this world. He is not appealing to people to vote him in as king. That might be a bit of a shocker to those of us who are used to living in a republic. But, rather, God the Father is his source of authority to be king of the earth. This will not be given to any man, either now or in the future, but Jesus.
In this parable Jesus pictures himself as a nobleman with the promise to become king, but with some things to do in order to secure it. The distant country his is traveling to is heaven. In Matthew 25 we are told that the return is not till after a long time has passed.
Thus the world experiences a period of time when there is rightful king is not present, but his servants are. These servants are tasked with taking care of his affairs. Though it has been 2,000 years and some would scoff at the idea of Jesus returning to earth, this is the testimony of the one who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. He told us in advance of the Resurrection so that we could understand and believe what was going on now.
Jesus has received His kingship and that kingship is over the whole earth, not just Israel. In Psalm 2 we are given a glimpse into this global decree of God the Father. “Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” This would be a good description of the world today. In fact, we are actually seeing many countries, who appeared to want Jesus to be king, changing their minds (AKA USA and Europe).
Before the nobleman (Jesus) leaves, he divvies out money to 10 servants, at one mina apiece. Now a mina is about 3 months wages. So what do these minas represent? Jesus clearly gave the gifts of Truth, Wisdom, and Spiritual Gifts to the church as he left. On another level we who become Christ’s servants by faith in his absence also receive gifts of him. Now we have natural gifts such as: money, position, power, and we have spiritual gifts. So what am I doing with these things? Am I serving the business of my Lord Jesus, or am I using it for my own benefit? In Matthew 25 differing amounts are given to the servants according to their ability. But in this parable it is an equal amount. Why this difference? Some gifts of the Lord are given in differing amounts, and others are given equally to all. Think of it this way. All believers receive the same Gospel and same Holy Spirit enabling them. And yet, other things are not equal. Not all have the same amount of money, influence, and abilities. The question is not how much I have received, but what am I doing with it? If you feel like God has not given you very much and you are envious of other servants who have great amounts, be careful. God has not slighted you and if you are faithful you will be blessed. Thus the mina really represents our life and the opportunity it gives us to serve Jesus. No matter how long it is, we all have only one life with which to serve him. So let’s make it matter!
“Do business till I come” implies that we should be doing the business he wants done versus the business we want done. Thus verse 10 is critical. Jesus has come to seek and save the lost. That is his business. We are to use all the gifts that come to us in life to add people to the house or Church of Christ, or better bring them into relationship with him. Now notice that Jesus does not leave task masters behind to whip us and make us work. He only leaves us with the means to do the work and the knowledge that he will return.
Lastly, the citizens in this parable are the lost who do not want Christ to be their king. Matthew 25 does not have this aspect. But it can initially be seen as Israel’s rejection of Christ as king. The country men of Jesus would not have him as king. It is interesting that such a situation happened when Herod the Great was to become king. He had to go to Rome in order to secure the kingship. When the Jews found out about it, they sent a group to Caesar to protest. Of course he was a wicked man and worth resisting. But Jesus is the righteous one they said they were awaiting. Yet, it goes beyond Israel. To this day many individuals and nations have rejected Jesus as King. They make it abundantly clear to God the Father that they do not like his decree. Thus Psalm 2 becomes very descriptive of the world back then and today. Even America is in the middle of changing its mind on who it will serve. Initially we threw ourselves at the mercy of God. “Our cause is just, save us. We have no king but King Jesus!” These are the kinds of things we said. God was merciful and we were able to prevail against the British Empire. But now we will not have Jesus as King of this nation. And, this is being made abundantly clear to God in heaven. How we ought to warn people of the coming judgments upon those who refuse to trust God’s ways. Regardless of our objections, Jesus will return and he will be king.
The day or hour of the return of Jesus is not known by anyone, but the Father. Thus Jesus is pictured preparing a place for his servants and waiting the command of the Father to go back. In verses 15-26 we see this return.
The first thing he does is settle accounts with his servants. Part of his kingship is to settle accounts with his servants who served him while he was gone. It is possible to see a hint towards the rapture in the phrase, “he then commanded these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him” in verse 15. The judgment seat of Christ is described in 1 Corinthians 3. This is where each Christian’s work will become clear, whether it was valuable for Christ or not. Even some who work will find that their work is not up to par. But they will still be saved. This shouldn’t be confused with the Great White Throne Judgment that happens after the millennial reign of Jesus. It is a judgment of believers only and they are not being judged for salvation, but for rewards. This parable adds another possibility (which we do not see in 1 Corinthians 3) that some will not work at all, but justify their lack of concern for Christ’s things. This surface profession has no desire to work for his kingdom beneath it. Only 3 of the 10 workers are revealed. One turned a mina into 10, another turned a mina into 5 and the last did nothing with it. Those who are faithful will receive a reward that involves their activity in the future kingdom. Even though there is varying levels of success, those who work all receive reward.
Yet we see a different situation with the servant who does not work. These servants have obviously done something, but they have done nothing in regards to the Lord’s business. They are content to live life for themselves and give lip service to their connection to Jesus and take hold of his gifts. In the end they only surrender back to the Lord what he gave them in the first place (their life), but no goods and no increase. This is a description of all who live for themselves. They use God’s gifts for their own benefit and eventually surrender them one by one until in death they surrender it all, only to be found wanting. They were only servants in name. They never really put their faith in Jesus as their kings, or in the reality of his coming back. It is sad to see the self-justification of this individual. It is made by blaming his actions on the Lord himself. “You are harsh, rough, and rigid,” (see vs. 21). Also he complains that the servants do the work, but Jesus reaps the benefits and then holds us accountable. Matthew adds a motivation of fear. He is afraid that if he doesn’t have at least what he was given that he will be judged. The hypocrisy of the answer is that they then should have done a bare minimum so that there was at least an increase. Thus to them who accuse God of being harsh and use it as an excuse, God will show himself harsh. But to those who recognize the grace of God and use it to motivate themselves, God will show that He is gracious. Jesus is a good king. Why would we fear if we are doing our best to work for him? This makes the harsh things being said about Jesus and God in the modern age dangerous. We have much to answer for. In Luke this servant just loses his mina. But in Matthew 25 the unprofitable servant is cast into utter darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thus some who claim to be believers will find themselves losing what was given to them and kicked out of the kingdom.
The last thing the king does is to deal with the citizens who reject him as king. These citizens are executed. Let us never fool ourselves. In this life there is a heaven to gain and a hell to avoid. God will bless those who in righteousness serve him and he will punish those who in wickedness rejected His attempts to give them Truth. God is leading this world into the greatest era of peace it has ever known. But mankind will not have it. It fights against His purposes and refuses to cooperate. Thus a date of judgment has been set. Until that day comes our judgment is not set in stone. We can affect it to the good or the bad. Make sure you become a servant of Jesus today and ensure your place in his kingdom.