Saturday, December 13, 2008
Luke 19:11-27
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.
So He said to them, "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' 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. The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.' The second came saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.' And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.' Another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; 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.' He said to him, 'By your own words will I judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?' Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.' I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."
I've read over this parable many times, and gotten the general idea that we ought be be fruitful as we wait for Jesus' return. However, upon closer inspection, there are a couple of other key points that are relevant, especially to me personally.
First, notice how much leeway the nobleman gives his slaves. It's his money, but he essentially hands it over and lets them make choices about how to best invest and use it without any oversight or interference from him. How often do I refuse to move, especially in my physical life, unless I first see the hand of God going before me. Where is the initiative, the humble pressing forward even as I may not be certain of God's purposes? This point is further underscored when we look at the servant who didn't invest wisely, who rightly points out that the nobleman "reaps what he did not sow." It's a curious statement, especially since the nobleman did in fact make the initial investment by giving each servant a sum of money. It's not the money that he didn't sow, it's the creative thought and prudent judgment of the investor that he's referring to. The nobleman, and Jesus by extension, expects his servants to employ all of their abilities to bring profit (obviously not necessarily monetary profit when we unpack the parable).
Second, notice what it is that holds the worthless servant back from being a good servant. It's not a rebellious attitude - we see how the nobleman deals with those type of people at the end of the passage. It's not ignorance or stupidity - the servant is actually pretty perceptive when it comes to the character of the nobleman, and at any rate, it wouldn't have taken very much savvy to put the money in a bank. No, the servant himself tells us "for I was afraid of you," showing us that this failure was a result of fear. He could see all the harsh qualities of the nobleman, but none of the benevolent or fair qualities. Likewise he saw all of the risks of investment, but was blind to the rewards.
Finally, note what happened to the one mina. It was given to the slave with the best investment returns! God loves each of us, but is no fool. We have a responsibility to work well with what He's given us, and if we choose not to, God is perfectly willing to take our charge and give it to another who is more faithful. God is an equal opportunity God - the nobleman did give each slave the same amount of money. God does not guarantee however, an equality of results. That is, at least to some extent, our responsibility. And God is not shy to judge and reward us based on how well we've shouldered that responsibility.
We would do well to remember that we are made in God's image; that the same God who formed Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln and Billy Graham also formed us. We would also be wise to remember that, while God certainly fashions people differently for various offices, the vast majority of responsibility for who we are and who we will be falls squarely at our own feet.
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.
So He said to them, "A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.' But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' 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. The first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.' The second came saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.' And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.' Another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; 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.' He said to him, 'By your own words will I judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?' Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas already.' I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."
I've read over this parable many times, and gotten the general idea that we ought be be fruitful as we wait for Jesus' return. However, upon closer inspection, there are a couple of other key points that are relevant, especially to me personally.
First, notice how much leeway the nobleman gives his slaves. It's his money, but he essentially hands it over and lets them make choices about how to best invest and use it without any oversight or interference from him. How often do I refuse to move, especially in my physical life, unless I first see the hand of God going before me. Where is the initiative, the humble pressing forward even as I may not be certain of God's purposes? This point is further underscored when we look at the servant who didn't invest wisely, who rightly points out that the nobleman "reaps what he did not sow." It's a curious statement, especially since the nobleman did in fact make the initial investment by giving each servant a sum of money. It's not the money that he didn't sow, it's the creative thought and prudent judgment of the investor that he's referring to. The nobleman, and Jesus by extension, expects his servants to employ all of their abilities to bring profit (obviously not necessarily monetary profit when we unpack the parable).
Second, notice what it is that holds the worthless servant back from being a good servant. It's not a rebellious attitude - we see how the nobleman deals with those type of people at the end of the passage. It's not ignorance or stupidity - the servant is actually pretty perceptive when it comes to the character of the nobleman, and at any rate, it wouldn't have taken very much savvy to put the money in a bank. No, the servant himself tells us "for I was afraid of you," showing us that this failure was a result of fear. He could see all the harsh qualities of the nobleman, but none of the benevolent or fair qualities. Likewise he saw all of the risks of investment, but was blind to the rewards.
Finally, note what happened to the one mina. It was given to the slave with the best investment returns! God loves each of us, but is no fool. We have a responsibility to work well with what He's given us, and if we choose not to, God is perfectly willing to take our charge and give it to another who is more faithful. God is an equal opportunity God - the nobleman did give each slave the same amount of money. God does not guarantee however, an equality of results. That is, at least to some extent, our responsibility. And God is not shy to judge and reward us based on how well we've shouldered that responsibility.
We would do well to remember that we are made in God's image; that the same God who formed Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln and Billy Graham also formed us. We would also be wise to remember that, while God certainly fashions people differently for various offices, the vast majority of responsibility for who we are and who we will be falls squarely at our own feet.
# posted by roderickj10 @ 8:24 AM 
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