In 4 BC when Herod the Great died, his territorial rule was divided between his three sons. Archelaus, one of Herod’s sons, was assumed to rule over Judea. Though Archelaus began to rule immediately upon his father’s death, his royal title could only be ratified by Augustus Caesar. So Archelaus made the long journey to Rome where he expected to be crowned as king. However, there was an active opposition to his rule by his subjects in Judea. A delegation of fifty Jewish leaders came from Jerusalem to Rome seeking an audience with Caesar claiming that Archelaus was unfit to govern because of his cruelty. The thousands of Jews who were living in Rome participated in the demonstration against the rule Archelaus. Caesar eventually allowed Archelaus the opportunity to prove himself worthy to rule Judea. When Archelaus returned to Judea he executed swift punishment against the men who rebelled against his rule.
Christ uses the Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11–27 to teach about the coming kingdom of God on earth. The occasion of the parable is Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. The reason this topic is important is because it is the last week of Jesus’ life. Verse 1 tells us that Jesus is in Jericho as he tells this parable, a town on the way to Jerusalem where we saw the salvation of the Lord come to Zacchaeus.
Many people in the crowd along the road believed that He was going to Jerusalem in order to establish His earthly kingdom immediately. (Of course, He was going to Jerusalem in order to die, as He had stated in Luke 18:33.) Jesus used this parable to dispel any hopeful rumors that the time of the kingdom had arrived.
In the parable, a nobleman leaves for a foreign country in order to be made king. Before he left, he gave ten minas to ten of his servants (Luke 19:12–13). A mina was a good sum of money (about three months’ wages), and the future king said, “Put this money to work . . . until I come back” (verse 13).
However, the man’s subjects “hated him” and sent word to him that they refused to acknowledge his kingship (Luke 19:14). When the man was crowned king, he returned to his homeland and began to set things right. First, he called the ten servants to whom he had loaned the minas. They each gave an account for how they had used the money. The first servant showed that his mina had earned ten more. The king was pleased, saying, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities” (verse 17). The next servant’s investment had yielded five additional minas, and that servant was rewarded with charge of five cities (verses 18–19).
Then came a servant who reported that he had done nothing with his mina except hide it in a cloth (Luke 19:20). His reason: “I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow” (verse 21). The king responded to the servant’s description of him as “hard” by showing hardness, calling him a “wicked servant” and commanding for his mina to be given to the one who had earned ten (verses 22 and 24). Some bystanders said, “Sir . . . he already has ten!” and the king replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (verses 25–26).
Finally, the king commanded that his enemies—those who had rebelled against his authority—be brought before him. Right there in the king’s presence, they were executed (Luke 19:27).
In this parable, Jesus teaches several things about the Millennial Kingdom and the time leading up to it. As Luke 19:11 indicates, Jesus’ most basic point is that the kingdom was not going to appear immediately. There would be a period of time, during which the king (Jesus) would be absent, before the kingdom would be set up.
The nobleman in the parable is Jesus, who left this world but who will return as King some day. The servants the king charges with a task represent followers of Jesus. The Lord has given us a valuable commission, and we must be faithful to serve Him until He returns. Upon His return, Jesus will ascertain the faithfulness of His own people (see Romans 14:10–12). There is work to be done (John 9:4), and we must use what God has given us for His glory. There are promised rewards for those who are faithful in their charge.
The enemies who rejected the king in the parable are representative of those who rejected Christ while He walked on earth—and everyone who still denies Him today. When Jesus returns to establish His kingdom, one of the first things He will do is utterly defeat His enemies (Revelation 19:11–15). It does not pay to fight against the King of kings.
The Parable of the Ten Minas is similar to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30. Some people assume that they are the same parable, but there are enough differences to warrant a distinction: the parable of the minas was told on the road between Jericho and Jerusalem; the parable of the talents was told later on the Mount of Olives. The audience for the parable of the minas was a large crowd; the audience for the parable of the talents was the disciples by themselves. The parable of the minas deals with two classes of people: servants and enemies; the parable of the talents deals only with professed servants. In the parable of the minas, each servant receives the same amount; in the parable of the talents, each servant receives a different amount (and talents are worth far more than minas). Also, the return is different: in the parable of the minas, the servants report ten-fold and five-fold earnings; in the parable of the talents, all the good servants double their investment. In the former, the servants received identical gifts; in the latter, the good servants showed identical faithfulness.
What is the sin of the servant in verses? His sin is doing nothing. He took the mina given to him and did nothing. Now listen to the parable because this person is a servant. This is not talking about the unbelievers in the world. Do not apply this to them. Apply this to yourself. This parable is to be applied to people who believe they are the Lord’s servants. The condemnation is that you took the mina and did nothing. We have seen on a number of occasions throughout the study of Luke’s gospel that we will be held in account for what we did with our wealth and how we used our wealth for the kingdom of God. God has given us our wealth and we will be judged by what we did with it. But I would like to explore another area where God has given to us richly for which we will be called into account.
What have you done with the gospel? The gospel is the greatest gift that we have received. Our salvation is a gift from the Lord. So what are we doing with that gift? We have received the gospel and Jesus wants us to put that gospel to work in the world. The most important job we have been given is to be sowing the seed of the word of God. We cannot do nothing with the gospel. We cannot remain unconnected to the body of Christ. We cannot refuse to grow in the word of God, developing to a maturity of the faith and knowledge of our Lord. We cannot refuse to serve each other. We cannot refuse to teach. We cannot refuse to lead. Do you see the selfishness of this servant? I know what you gave me and I decided to do absolutely nothing with it. I was afraid of you. I was afraid of failure. So I did nothing.
I believe that the parable identifies one reason why we refuse to do something with the great gospel gift we have been given. Listen to the perception the servant has of the Lord. The servant describes his as a severe man. He is considered an unreasonably demanding master. He is pictured in his mind as a harsh, unjust taskmaster. You are too hard to obey! You are too demanding of me! You are requiring too much. Do you hear what the servant is doing? He is blaming God. He is saying that because his master is so demanding, he was afraid and did nothing. God is not demanding. If you think he is demanding, then you do not know our Lord at all and I would like to study the scriptures with you to show you the true character of God. But let’s suppose you are right and he is asking too much of us. How does disobedience make your point? If he is demanding so much of us, then how does our laziness and stubborn refusal fix the situation? If you are right, then you better obey because he is going to judge because he is the ruler and we are servants. We do not get to tell him how to rule and the kingdom is not entered on our terms. God has given you the mina of the gospel of grace. What are you doing with it? Are we hiding it? Are we sitting on it? Or are we putting it to work? Doing nothing is sin.
But there is another group of people in the story and another sin is identified. These are the citizens who hate the Lord and do not want him to rule over them. Their judgment is certain as it is described in verse 27. What is the difference between the citizens and the servant who did nothing with the mina? Nothing because they are both in rebellion to the king. One openly states that they do not want the king to rule and the other does not speak their rebellion, but their lives reflect the rebellion. Both are rejecting his authority. If you are in the group like these citizens. You are refusing the rule and reign of Jesus as king. He is going to come back in judgment. The scriptures clearly show that Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven and took his rightful place on the throne and has begun to rule. Now we are awaiting his return. When he returns, those who are his enemies will be judged to condemnation. This is why the gospel message call is to submit to the king before he returns. So often people seem to have a hard time with eternal punishment. But notice it is the choice of each person. These people do not want Jesus to rule over you. So Jesus will leave you in the kingdom of darkness, sin, and Satan rather than bringing you to the kingdom of life, as you requested. You are choosing what will happen when the king returns.
The Moral of the Story:
God has given each of us gifts (the gospel) to invest (multiply or make disciples)
God holds us accountable for how we invest (share the gospel, reach and serve people for Jesus)
Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos
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Read Along Daily Bible Reading: YouVersion (https://www.bible.com/organizations/370f8a6e-16bc-464f-8c43-0b7623fd2952)
Sources:
https://www.gotquestions.org/parable-ten-minas.html
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