How is your life invested?
Luke 19:11-27
Matthew 25:14-46
I’m always fascinated about how many different conclusions people can come to about God’s word. This is especially obvious when you read and study the Parables of Jesus.
There is great temptation to take the words of Jesus and make them say what we want them to say instead of letting them speak for themselves.
Today we look at just such a parable in Luke 19:11-27. A similar parable is told in Matthew 25:14-46.
The parable told in Luke is distinctive because Jesus tells it just before He is about to enter Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.
If you look at verse 11 you will see that the followers of Jesus thought something was about to happen that was very different from what would play out over the next few days.
Luke 19:11
“11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.”
We human beings make a lot of wrong assumptions about God and Jesus that are just not true. We do this because we read into Jesus words things that are not there while we miss seeing the truth that Jesus is sharing in plain sight.
Sometimes we can be guilty of misunderstanding something that is very simple by thinking that it must be more difficult than it really is. Sometimes we can look into Jesus words and see the things we want to see instead of seeing the simple truth.
This happens a lot when we examine God’s words with our weak human eyes and minds. That is why we must rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth that Jesus speaks. Context is the important element in Jesus Parables.
The Dictionary says:
"The parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning The interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs: environment, setting"
What are the interrelated conditions that exist here?
The followers of Jesus now number in the thousands and both the Religious authorities and civil authorities have taken notice. Jesus followers want to proclaim Jesus King of Jerusalem but both the civil and religious authorities fear the results of such an action. Both civil and religious people reject Jesus and see Him as a misguided wandering teacher.
Not a Messiah and definitely not a king.
They have made wrong assumptions about Jesus. But by the same measure the followers of Jesus have made wrong assumptions about Him as well.
The Kingdom of God was not going to appear all at once by Jesus simply riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey. It is this “Context” that Jesus explains using the parable.
You will note that Jesus is talking about Himself in verse 12.
Jesus is of noble birth – The Prince of Peace – The only begotten Son of God.
Jesus has left Heaven to arrive in Jerusalem just one of the provinces of His realm.
Jesus has come to Jerusalem to be appointed King and will return.
In the parable the Nobleman calls 10 of His servants. You will notice a distinction between the servants and the subjects. The servants serve the Nobleman and the subjects hated Him. Nonetheless the Nobleman was made King despite the rejection of His subjects.
In calling His Ten servants the Nobleman entrusted them with Ten Minas.
A mina was equal to 1.25 pounds or 0.571 kilograms per mina 18.358 troy ounces of silver.
It is possible that the “Mina” was a single Gold coin worth 18.358 troy ounces of silver. At today’s rates that would be a coin worth $400.00 CDN. About ¼ of an ounce of gold.
Jesus is trying to explain to those listening that He is not going to be made King of Jerusalem at this time but He will return at another time as King.
But in the meantime… to His servants He has given a golden opportunity.
Each of us who has trusted Jesus as our Saviour have been given a golden opportunity.
Jesus will want to know what you have done with that opportunity when He returns.
God the Father has sacrificed His son so that you and I might be forgiven of our sins and have eternal life as servants of His Kingdom.
How are you investing what God has entrusted to you?
Salvation.
Have you shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone?
Have you invested by faith in the things of God?
Have you been a good steward and found ways to increase that which you have been entrusted with?
Has your faith grown?
Are you a Redwood Tree or are you a Deadwood Tree?
Saints Jesus will reward you for increasing that which He has entrusted you with. Not the material things alone but more importantly the spiritual things. What kind of investment return will you present for the Kingdom when you stand in His presence?
Will you have produced 100% return 50% return or 0% return? Verse 20
20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 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.’
We now hear from one of the ten servants yet another wrong assumption.
It is so incredulous that the Nobleman now returned as King repeats it back to the servant mockingly. There are those around us that assume that God is like this hard man, taking out what He did not put in and reaping what He did not sow.
My friends this is wrong thinking and is a lie out of the pit of Hell.
Our God has put into you and me the gift of Salvation so that there might be something more to take out. Salvation by its very nature produces a return in you and in those around you that is measurable and that is rightfully God’s to claim since He put in the seed money which was His Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
By the shedding of His blood Jesus will rightfully lay claim to the throne of Heaven and Earth as payment for all the sin of humankind. By His victory over Death Jesus resurrection has won for us eternal life and He will be proclaimed the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord’s.
Revelation 12:10
10 "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
Saints let us make the most of this precious golden opportunity that is before us.
Our Jesus is returning and with Him He will reward you for your faithfulness and stewardship. Bring to Jesus an increase in your faith and devotion, bring to Jesus a good increase in godly character. Let us make our Kings treasury rich by risking to invest this great salvation into the lives of those around us.
Amen.
