Right before the events leading up to the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Luke’s gospel shares a fascinating parable that shares some similarities with another parable that Jesus shares with His followers during the following week. I thought about grouping these two parables together, but since there are enough details between each event that are different, I figured we could focus on them separately, letting each land where they are written about in the gospels.
Similar to some of our more recent illustrations, a phrase in Jesus’ opening stands out in my mind. Well, in the case of this particular parable, several phrases stand out in my mind.
Let’s read this parable and discover what we can learn from it. Our parable and passage are found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 19, and we will read it from the New International Reader’s Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 11, Luke tells us that:
11 While the people were listening to these things, Jesus told them a story. He was near Jerusalem. The people thought that God’s kingdom was going to appear right away.
Let’s pause here briefly, because in this opening, before the parable even begins to be shared, a key phrase stands out to me.
This phrase is what we just finished reading, where Luke tells us that “the people thought that God’s kingdom was going to appear right away.” This frames everything that follows in this parable. While on one hand, Jesus had previously taught that God’s kingdom had arrived, this is because Jesus was present. God’s kingdom has been present and working in the world throughout history, but it has done so behind the scenes, only periodically coming into the spotlight through prophets, messengers, and specifically through Jesus, the Messiah. From even before Jesus starts sharing the parable, we discover that the parable about to be shared will emphasize a delay before the kingdom of heaven will appear.
Let’s continue reading, starting in verse 12, to discover the parable:
12 Jesus said, “A man from an important family went to a country far away. He went there to be made king and then return home. 13 So he sent for ten of his slaves. He gave them each about three months’ pay. ‘Put this money to work until I come back,’ he said.
14 “But those he ruled over hated him. They sent some messengers after him. They were sent to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
15 “But he was made king and returned home. Then he sent for the slaves he had given the money to. He wanted to find out what they had earned with it.
16 “The first one came to him. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned ten times as much.’
17 “‘You have done well, my good slave!’ his master replied. ‘You have been faithful in a very small matter. So I will put you in charge of ten towns.’
18 “The second slave came to his master. He said, ‘Sir, your money has earned five times as much.’
19 “His master answered, ‘I will put you in charge of five towns.’
20 “Then another slave came. He said, ‘Sir, here is your money. I have kept it hidden in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you. You are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in. You harvest what you did not plant.’
22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you evil slave! So you knew that I am a hard man? You knew that I take out what I did not put in? You knew that I harvest what I did not plant? 23 Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’
24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his money away from him. Give it to the one who has ten times as much.’
25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten times as much!’
26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more. But here is what will happen to anyone who has nothing. Even what they have will be taken away from them. 27 And what about my enemies who did not want me to be king over them? Bring them here! Kill them in front of me!’”
This parable is challenging on many levels, and more levels than we have time to fully cover in our episode. However, in this parable, two details are distinctly different from Matthew’s version of a similar parable, and in our few minutes left, it might be good to focus in on these two distinctly different details.
The first detail that is distinct to this parable is that three months of pay is given to ten slaves. This tells us that this man from an important family was very wealthy. This man had enough reserves to pay ten slaves three months of pay at once. This detail is interesting in my mind because only in this opening do we see ten slaves. For the rest of the parable, except for the end, the focus is on just three of the ten, which makes this parable sound similar to a different parable of Jesus.
However, in this parable Luke includes, every one of the ten slaves is given the exact same amount, and they are given the exact same instruction. They are told to put this money to work until the man returns as king. It is unclear if this money is also to be used to live from, or if the king has a manager who will continue paying the slaves their regular amount, leaving the three months pay as test money to discover how resourceful each of these ten slaves are.
However, only three of the ten actually do anything worthy of mention. Two are rewarded, and one is clearly punished for doing nothing. Aside from these three who are mentioned, we know nothing of the other seven. We can assume that the seven remaining slaves were those who sent the message saying that they did not want this man to become their king, however, that isn’t shared conclusively one way or another.
With the way this parable is worded, some of these remaining seven may have been part of this group of the king’s enemies. But with the way this parable is worded, the king’s enemies might have been other slaves not included in the ten. Also, the king’s enemies might not have been slaves, but simply people who lived in the region who did not like the man destined to become king.
Because there are many options for who the king’s enemies are, with no real clear direction from the passage, let’s conclude that some of the king’s enemies were part of the group who received money, some who lived nearby, and some who were slaves who didn’t receive any money.
What becomes fascinating then is that the king either doesn’t know he has enemies or he chooses some potential enemies because he wants to give them the chance. With enemies among those who received the master-to-be-king’s money, we see the future king being more interested in seeking out quality help, even if he is certain that most of the money will be wasted or squandered.
This detail says a lot about God and about Jesus. God is willing to bless everyone regardless of whether they are His allies or His enemies because He wants to find those who He can trust with true riches and responsibility. When we use and grow what God has blessed us with, we show God that we are being responsible and that we can be trusted with more.
There is no question in this passage whether Jesus will become king. The question we have is whether we will ally with Jesus who becomes king, or be counted among the future King’s enemies.
As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:
As I always challenge you to do, continue to seek God first and to intentionally ally yourself with God and with Jesus. Choose to grow and be responsible with the blessings God has given to you so that you can be rewarded with more blessings and more responsibility. God is looking for those He can trust to use His true riches for His glory and His purposes.
Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow personally closer to God each and every day. While other people can give you ideas to think about, don’t let anyone come between you and your relationship with God. God wants a personal relationship with you without anyone else getting in the way.
And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, or drift away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!