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.
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 servants. 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 servants 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 servant!’ 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 servant 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 servant 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 servant! 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 he has will be taken away from him. 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!’”
Read Luke 19:11-27 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Have you ever experienced a delay at some point in your life? Perhaps a flight was delayed, you were running late for a meeting or special event, or perhaps a traffic jam has eaten up more of your day than you’d like to admit.
When delays happen in our own lives, it is often easy to understand the cause and/or culprit for the delay, but what about when God is delayed? How could an all-powerful, all-knowing, and always-present God be delayed?
This question leads us into the big idea that we’ll focus on in this passage. We’ve touched on other ideas within this passage already, but in this entry, we will turn our attention to an idea that is hidden just under the surface of the text – and it has to do with the time where the master was gone.
Does this passage say, or give us any clues to how long of a time span took place between the parts of verse 15 where the man becomes king and then returns? Yes and no.
The verses don’t tell us anything specific about the length of time the master/king was gone, but it does lead us to believe that it was at least three months worth of time (since they were given three months worth of pay in advance), but that it could have been longer, since the most resourceful servant has multiplied this advance by ten times – in addition to having used at least some of it as living expenses.
However, what is more interesting than the length of time is what doesn’t happen. It seems that while the master is gone – he truly is gone and there is no communication between the master and servants between the time he has left and the time he returned. If there were delays, it probably strengthened the thought in the master/king’s enemies that he never was made king. In their minds, the longer something is out of sight, the less significant it is.
If this master-made-king represents Jesus, then we have an interesting parallel in today’s world. There has been very little credible direct communication from God since the time when Jesus left and was crowned king. It would seem that the longer His return is “delayed”, the more “out of sight, out of mind” takes hold and the more the world places less and less significance on Him. In a culture where focus shifts between headlines and popular trends, looking to past promises of God returning as a king is seen as ridiculous.
Since Jesus’ return to heaven, this “out of sight, out of mind” attitude has resulted in most people accepting the idea that God doesn’t exist. It took several hundred years following Jesus’ death and resurrection for this to happen, but it was just a matter of time before one of these thoughts to take hold.
When God is not clearly present, people are left drifting between conflicting beliefs and shallow trends. The longer Jesus’ return is delayed, the less the world will pay attention, and the easier it will be for us to forget His promise. The longer the delay, the easier it is for us to fall out of touch with Him.
However, we should remember that as we have been delayed, our delays have had their end. Eventually we have arrived, and the same is true with the master/king’s return. It may have been delayed, but a delay does not mean a cancelled trip. Jesus will return, and while His return has been delayed (for whatever reason), it is just a matter of time before He returns as King.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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