How should we live until Christ returns? Jesus answers that question with His parable of the Minas. What has the Lord entrusted you with? He is calling you to use it to advance Christ’s interests until He returns. Be faithful and eternal rewards await you!
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How Should We Live Until Christ Returns?
Luke 19:11-27
Last Sunday we saw the Lord Jesus choose and call the worst man in Jericho by His grace. A man who had lived his whole life for money and possessions all of a sudden began to live his life for the glory of God! A man whose life was characterized by greed, lying, stealing, and cheating, was now characterized by unselfishness, and generosity. What an amazing transformation! At the end of that narrative Jesus spoke these classic words in verse 10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Verse 11 goes on to say, “While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.” This verse answers a couple of questions for us.
First, who was Jesus speaking to in verses 12-27? Well, our text says, “while they were listening to these things.” The they that were listening to these things would have included Zaccheus, his family, Jesus’ disciples, and any other tax collectors or sinners that Zaccheus had invited over to meet Jesus. Perhaps they were still in Zaccheus’ house, or perhaps they had spilled out onto the courtyard.
Second, why did Jesus give this parable of the Minas? We, Luke tells us in verse 11. It was because Jesus was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. Jesus was only about 15 miles or so from Jerusalem, about a 5 hour walk. The expectation of the disciples and many in the thronging crowds was that it would be at this time that Jesus would establish himself as the Messiah of Israel, and overthrow the Romans, and rule from David’s throne in Jerusalem. The Passover Festival was at hand. The Passover was that national festival in which the Jewish people remembered how Jehovah had delivered them from the oppression of their enemies, the Egyptians. And so, their mind naturally began to long for and pray for another deliverance from the Romans. Many expected that Jesus would cause the kingdom of God to appear immediately, in just a little over a week’s time. However, that would not be the case. Even after Jesus died and rose again, His disciples were still asking Him, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” No matter how many times Jesus tried to teach them, they just couldn’t get it through their thick heads that Jesus didn’t come to restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus came to suffer and die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of His people, and then rise from the dead to pour out the Holy Spirit upon the church. Yes, one day, far in the future, Jesus would bring the fulness of His kingdom into the new heavens and the new earth, but that would be many centuries in the future.
Now, this parable is similar to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. However, these are two completely different parables.
Parable of the Talents Parable of the Minas
Jesus gave while in Jerusalem Jesus gave while traveling to Jerusalem
A man A nobleman
3 slaves 10 slaves
Gave Different Amounts of Money to Each Gave Same Amount of Money to Each
No Mention Why Went on Journey Went on Journey to Receive a Kingdom
Slaves Doubled their Money Slaves increased 10x and 5x.
Unfaithful Slave put money in hole in ground Unfaithful Slave put money in handkerchief
Both Slaves Given Same Reward Slaves Given Different Rewards
The lesson from the Parable of the Talents: “Equal faithfulness to different degrees of opportunities yield the same rewards.”
The lesson from the Parable of the Minas: “Different degrees of faithfulness to the same opportunities yield different rewards.”
In this parable of Jesus, there are three different groups of people: The Nobleman, The Slaves, and The Citizens.
1. The Nobleman
His Nobility. This Greek word literally means “a high-born man.” He was a man born into an important and dignified family. No doubt his family was wealthy, famous, and powerful. He would probably have been a man who had descended from a king, with a right to succeed him in the kingdom. Of course, this nobleman represents the Lord Jesus Christ, and there was never a more noble man than He! Jesus is the Son of the Living God, the only begotten of the Father. He is higher than any king of any kingdom on earth. He has a heavenly parentage.
His Departure. Where did this nobleman go on his journey? To a distant country. This intimates that he will be gone a long time. Travel was painstakingly slow in the first century. Usually people walked, rode camels or donkeys, or sailed by ship. At most, a person could travel just a few miles per hour. So, if a person needed to travel from Jerusalem to Rome, the round trip could take many months. This departure of the nobleman looks forward to Christ’s ascension. After coming from heaven to earth to die for sins, He returned back to heaven for a long, indefinite period of time. No, Jesus’ hearers should not think that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. It would not appear until Christ’s second coming.
His Kingdom. Our text tells us the reason for this nobleman’s journey. It was to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. Actually, only about 30 years prior to this, Herod the Great had died, and left a portion of his kingdom to his son Archelaus. However, permission to rule as king had to be granted by the emperor of Rome, so Archelaus traveled to Rome to receive the kingdom bequeathed to him in his father’s will. However, his own people hated him, and sent a delegation of 50 Jews to Rome to plead with the Emperor not to make Archelaus king. It worked. He wasn’t made king. Instead he was made an ethnarch, and not given all the power that he wanted. In fact, Archelaus had built a palace for himself in Jericho, the very place Jesus was when he gave this parable. So, when Jesus told them this parable, those who heard Him were thinking “Oh yeah, I’ve heard this before. I know how this story goes, and I know the person you’re talking about.” Now, what is most interesting is that the Bible says that when Jesus ascended to heaven, He was crowned King of the heavens and the earth.
Notice Daniel 7:13-14, “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.” Now, Daniel is not describing Jesus’ second coming, because he says that one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. This is a description of the ascension of Jesus Christ back to His Father in heaven, and the glory, dominion, and authority that the Father gave His Son. This is His coronation day! Jesus did go to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. That’s why He could tell His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Jesus has received a kingdom from His Father, but He has not returned to rule and reign in person yet.
2. The Slaves
Their Number. Notice that there were not twelve slaves, representing the apostles of Christ. The number ten in Scripture usually speaks of completeness. These ten slaves represent all of those who profess to be the followers of Jesus Christ. These slaves do not just represent Christian leaders or pastors or missionaries or ministers. These slaves represent ordinary Christians around the world.
Their Commission. The nobleman gave one mina to each of his slaves. A mina was equivalent to 100 day’s wages of a common laborer. So, it was about four months pay. Now, the whole point of the nobleman giving minas to his slaves was for them to use that money to make more money. The nobleman didn’t give these slaves money so that they could go on vacation for the next six months! Notice His commission – “Do business with this until I come back.” This amount of money was not a gift to the slaves. The nobleman was entrusting it to them, and was going to require that they give an account of what they had done with it. Now, notice that each slave received the same amount of money. Now, what is it that Christ has given to all of His disciples? I believe the mina represents the one life that we all have. Christ has given us a life here on earth to do His will and bring glory to His name. We can seize that opportunity and diligently seek to advance the interests of Jesus Christ, or we can live for ourselves and fail to use our life for Christ’s glory. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “What am I doing with the life that Christ has entrusted to me? Am I living this life for myself or to advance His interests?”
Their Judgment. Verse 15 says, “When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done.” These slaves were called to account. They had to give an accounting of what they had done while their Master was gone on the long journey.
So too, we will one day have to give an account of our lives to God on Judgment Day. Romans 14:12 says, “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” One day, every person who has ever lived will stand before Christ the Judge. We will stand alone. We will have to give an account of what we did with the life He gave us. What did we do with it? Did we live it for our own pleasure and desires, or did we live our life for His pleasure and His desires? Did we take the gifts, and abilities, and opportunities we had in this life and treat them as if they were our own to do with what we wanted? Or did we take them and use them, knowing that they are God’s, and must be used for His glory?
Now, the Slaves can be subdivided into two categories: the faithful slaves and the unfaithful slave.
1. The Faithful Slaves:
Increased Their Money. These faithful slaves put their Master’s money to work. They bought merchandise, and resold it at a profit. They were diligent and hard-working. One slave took his one mina, and made ten minas more – a 1000% increase! The other slave took his one mina, and made five minas more – a 500% increase! Both increased their money in order to please their Master. One worked more diligently than the other, but both worked for their Master.
Were Rewarded. These faithful slaves were rewarded in two ways – praise and authority. 1 Cor. 4:5 says, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” The nobleman told the faithful slave, “Well done, good slave.” You know, I think that would be reward enough. Just to hear my Savior say to me, “Well done, good slave!” Praise from the Savior will be one of the rewards of heaven. The other reward mentioned here is authority or honor. Jesus tells the slave that made ten minas to be in authority over ten cities. He tells the slave that made five minas to be in authority over five cities. Our time here on earth is our testing ground. The Lord is looking for men and women who will be faithful and seek His interests above their own. When He finds someone like that, He promotes them and gives them greater responsibility.
What is interesting to note is that on the one hand these slaves are rewarded according to how diligent they were in the service of Christ. The one who made ten minas was given a greater reward than the one that made five minas. But on the other hand, it seems their reward is far greater than what they had actually earned. That comes out in verse 17 where Jesus says, “Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.” Using their money for the nobleman’s interests was a very little thing. Yet, the nobleman rewards them by putting them in authority over a city for every mina they had made! Imagine being in authority over a city with thousands of people! Even when it comes to our eternal rewards, God will deal with us in grace and lavish generosity! When Jonathan Edwards was a young man he wrote out 70 resolutions, one of which states, “Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself (as much happiness, in the other world,) as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.” Have you ever made a resolution like that? Are you living with all your might to obtain for yourself as much happiness in the other world as you possibly can? I think all of us should!
2. The Unfaithful Slave:
He Made No Effort To Increase His Trust. The other two slaves worked diligently to have some profit to give to their Master when he returned. This slave did nothing, except wrap up the mina in a handkerchief, and give back exactly what the nobleman had given to him. This is a picture of the tragedy of a professing Christian who never labors for his Master. He never denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows Jesus. He never lives his life for his master’s glory.
He Had a Distorted View of His Master’s Character. Why did this slave do nothing for his master? Verse 21 gives us the answer, “for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.” First, he was afraid of the Master. Now, it is true that a Christian should fear Christ, but not in the sense we see here. This slave fears his Master, because he believes he will use him, and manipulate him for his own interests. In other words, this slave does not believe the Master has his best interests at heart. That comes out when he says that he takes up what he did not lay down, and reaps what he did not sow. In other words, he believes this man is only interested in himself and his interests. He doesn’t really care about his slaves. He only uses them for his own ends. This slave believes the Master is all about himself. He is a thief and a manipulator. That tells me that this slave really doesn’t know his Master at all. His perception is distorted. It’s interesting that the other two slaves didn’t have this same perception of their Master. They worked hard for their Master because they wanted to please him. Obviously they loved him and trusted him and did not believe that he was just using them.
He Was Worthless to His Master. Those are the very words the nobleman uses of him, “By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave.” Interestingly, the Greek word here can also mean wicked, and that is how many Bible translations have it. This man is wicked and he is worthless. He is worthless, because he is unwilling to labor to advance the interests of the Master. He is wicked because he is claiming that his Master is a thief, and a cheat, and a manipulator.
He Was Stripped Of All. His mina was taken away and given to the faithful slave who had ten minas, and was given no reward at all. The Lord will give more and more opportunities and responsibilities to His faithful servants, but will strip all of them from professing believers who are unfaithful.
Does The Unfaithful Slave Represent a True Believer? Interestingly, I found my notes on this passage from many years ago, and at that time I believed he was a believer who was saved, yet as through fire. However, I no longer agree with that view. Why? Well, first of all the nobleman calls him a worthless or wicked slave. Does the Lord view true believers as worthless and wicked? The Bible says that every true believer has been declared righteous in His sight. Secondly, this slave calls his Master’s integrity and character into question. He does not love or trust him. He believes he is just using him for his own ends. That does not sound like a true believer to me. Thirdly, the parallel passage in Matthew 25:30 confirms this. It is true that the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 is a different parable than the Parable of the Minas in Luke 19. However, there are many similarities. One of the similarities is that there is an unfaithful slave in each parable. In Matthew 25:30 Jesus says, “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Where is outer darkness? Where do people weep and gnash their teeth? Jesus is describing hell! He is saying that this unfaithful slave ends up in hell. So, I believe that this unfaithful slave in Luke 19 is not a true Christian at all. He is a professing Christian. He calls the nobleman “Master.” Yet he does not obey his Master. It is just like what Jesus says in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” Here in the United States we have millions of people like this unfaithful slave. Nominal Christians. Our churches are filled with them. We may even have some here at The Bridge.
3. The Citizens
They Were Under His Authority. Verse 14 says, “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.” Notice that they were called his citizens. It didn’t matter if they hated him and rebelled against him. They were still his citizens. He still exercised authority and rule over them. And it is the same with the Lord Jesus Christ. Millions of people do not make any profession of faith in Jesus Christ. However, He is still Lord over them. They are His. He owns them. They are accountable to Him. And on the last day, He will judge them. Simply by virtue of Him creating them, they are under His authority and must surrender and obey Him or be damned eternally.
They Hated Him. In the case of Archelaus, the Jews of Judea had every right to hate him. He slaughtered 3,000 Jews at one time to establish his tyrannical reign over them. However, Jesus says, “They hated Me without a cause.” There is no good reason why anyone would hate Jesus Christ. He loves them. He died to provide the possibility of salvation for them. He only returned good for evil toward them, even those who nailed him to the cross. Their judgment will be just, because they hated the Son of God who only loved them and did them good.
They Resisted His Rule. This comes out in verse 14, “We do not want this man to reign over us.” This sounds an awful lot like Psalm 2:2-4, “The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.” The people of this world hate Jesus Christ because He demands their allegiance and obedience. They want to do their own will, not His, so they hate Him and resist Him. However, it doesn’t matter that they don’t want Him to rule over them. It’s not up to them. It’s up to God. Again, in Psalm 2:6 it says, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” God has already made Christ Lord over all the earth, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it! The best thing they can do is bow their knees before Him now, before it’s too late.
They Were Severely Judged. Verse 27 says, “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.” This, of course, points to the ultimate judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 says that “the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Conclusion
So, which category do you fall into?
- Do we have any enemies here? Do we have anyone who does not profess to believe in Jesus Christ? The only advice I can give you is the same that the psalmist gives in Psalm 2:12, “Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled.” Sinner, bow before the Lord Jesus Christ and sue for mercy while you still can! Repent of your rebellion. Surrender to Christ, and all will be well with you.
- Do we have any unfaithful slaves here? There’s a much higher likelihood that we have unfaithful slaves than we have rebellious citizens here. Have you professed faith in Christ? Perhaps you said the “Sinner’s Prayer”. Perhaps you walked an aisle, and answered an altar call. Perhaps you joined a church, got baptized and take the Lord’s Supper. But are you a true believer?! Are you living for your own interests or for His? That is how you can know if you are true or false. Are you laboring with the life and opportunities and gifts and abilities the Lord has put in your hands to please Him and glorify Him. Or are you seeking your own pleasure and interest and glory. My friend, if that is you, repent! Begin today to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him. Begin today to work for the Lord. Begin today to seek to advance His interests in this world.
- Do we have any faithful slaves here? Are you working for your Lord? Are you seeking to advance His interests? Work on! Remember that His rewards await you in glory. Look forward to His “Well done, good and faithful slave!” Look forward to the honor and commendation He will put upon you by putting you in authority over five or ten cities. And, if you are a five minas slave, seek to become a ten minas slave! Don’t be content with your present level of Christian growth. If you are a 30-fold Christian, seek to be a 60-fold Christian. If you are a 60-fold Christian, seek to be a 100-fold Christian. The Lord is worthy of your labor! If you love Him and trust Him, labor for Him. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).
C. T. Studd, a man who poured out his life for his master in China, and later in Africa as a missionary wrote these immortal lines:
“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And when I am dying, how happy I’ll be,
If the lamp of my life has been burned out for Thee.”
C.T Studd
Amen!
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