Christ uses the Parable of the Ten Minas
in Luke 19:11–27
to teach
about the coming kingdom of God
on
earth
The occasion of the parable is Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. Many people in the crowd along the road believed that He was going to Jerusalem in order to establish His earthly kingdom immediately. (Of course, He was going to Jerusalem in order to die, as He had stated in Luke 18:33.) Jesus used this parable to dispel any hopeful rumors that the time of the kingdom had arrived.
In the parable, a nobleman leaves for a foreign country in order to be made king. Before he left, he gave ten minas to ten of his servants (Luke 19:12–13). A mina was a good sum of money (about three months’ wages), and the future king said, “Put this money to work . . . until I come back” (verse 13).
However, the man’s subjects “hated him” and sent word to him that they refused to acknowledge his kingship (Luke 19:14). When the man was crowned king, he returned to his homeland and began to set things right. First, he called the ten servants to whom he had loaned the minas. They each gave an account for how they had used the money. The first servant showed that his mina had earned ten more. The king was pleased, saying, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities” (verse 17). The next servant’s investment had yielded five additional minas, and that servant was rewarded with charge of five cities (verses 18–19).
Then came a servant who reported that he had done nothing with his mina except hide it in a cloth (Luke 19:20). His reason: “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” (verse 21). The king responded to the servant’s description of him as “hard” by showing hardness, calling him a “wicked servant” and commanding for his mina to be given to the one who had earned ten (verses 22 and 24). Some bystanders said, “Sir . . . he already has ten!” and the king replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away”
(verses 25–26).
Finally, the king commanded that his enemies—those who had rebelled against his authority—be brought before him.
Right there in the king’s presence, they were executed (Luke 19:27).
In this parable, Jesus teaches several things about
the Millennial Kingdom and the time leading up to it.
As Luke 19:11 indicates,
Jesus’ most basic point
is that the kingdom was not going to appear immediately.
There would be a period of time,
during which the king would be absent,
before the kingdom would be set up.
The nobleman in the
parable is Jesus,
who left this world
but
who will return as King some day.
The servants the king charges with a task represent followers of Jesus.
The Lord has given us a
valuable commission,
and
we must be faithful to
serve Him until He returns.
Upon His return,
Jesus will ascertain the faithfulness of His own people
(see Romans 14:10–12).
There is work to be done
(John 9:4),
and we must use what God has given us for
His glory.
There are promised rewards for those who
are
faithful in their charge.
The enemies who rejected the king
in the parable are representative of the
Jewish nation
that rejected Christ while He walked on earth--
and everyone
who still denies Him today.
When Jesus returns to establish His kingdom,
one of the
first things He will do is utterly defeat His enemies
(Revelation 19:11–15).
It does not pay to fight
against the
King of kings.
The Parable of the Ten Minas is similar to the
Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30.
Some people assume that they are
the same parable,
but there are enough differences to
warrant a distinction:
the
parable of the minas
was told
on the
road between Jericho and Jerusalem;
the parable of the talents was
told later
on the Mount of Olives.
The audience for the parable of the minas
was
a large crowd;
the audience for
the
parable of the talents was
the
disciples by themselves.
The parable of the minas deals with two classes of people:
servants and enemies;
the parable of the talents deals only with professed servants.
In the parable of the minas, each servant receives the same amount;
in the parable of the talents, each servant receives a different amount
(and talents are worth far more than minas).
Also, the return is different:
in the parable of the minas,
the servants report ten-fold and five-fold earnings;
in the parable of the talents,
all the good servants double their investment.
In the former, the servants received identical gifts; in the latter,
the
good servants showed identical faithfulness.
Members of the church in Rome
were united in their faith in Jesus Christ,
but the apostle Paul recognized a division
between the Jewish and Gentile believers
among them.
The two groups of Christians were arguing and
passing judgment on one another, and Paul
told them to stop
"quarreling over disputable matters”
(Romans 14:1).
The entire chapter of Romans 14 deals with the question of disputable matters.
Disputable matters can be summed up as
non-essential issues
in the Christian life,
or “gray areas” in which the Bible does not spell out clear guidelines.
While many things in the Christian life
are essential,
some are not.
The two specific disputable matters that Paul addressed in Romans 14
were chiefly regarding which foods were acceptable to eat (verses 2–3)
and the observance of certain holy days (verses 5–6).
He also touched on drinking wine in verse 21.
The Roman Christians had become partisan.
Love and unity
were being forgotten
amid their disputes.
Some of the believers in the church felt freedom in Christ to eat all kinds of foods without restriction. It is unclear whether these restrictions dealt only with kosher regulations as spelled out in the Jewish law, or also included eating meat that had been offered to pagan idols. Those who were weak in faith may have felt too much temptation when eating meat and thus gave up anything that reminded them of their pre-Christian life.
Likewise,
some Christians who had always worshiped God
on the required Jewish holy days
may have
felt hollow and faithless
if
they didn’t continue
to dedicate those days to God.
The problem was that the “strong” Christians
were looking down on the weaker ones,
and the “weak” believers
were condemning or judging
the strong.
How might this cause a Christian of weaker faith to sin?
Paul has said clearly that for anyone who believes
a specific food or drink to be unclean,
that thing really is unclean
for that person.
In other words, if they choose to follow the example of another
believer who eats or drinks freely, they might sin
by violating their own conscience.
Paul's bottom-line to those stronger-faith Christians is clear:
Don't do what is wrong. Instead, do what is good.
Even if it means "giving up" your freedom voluntarily for a specific time or purpose. Even if that means eating only vegetables, today,
for the sake of those of weaker faith.
If it shows love to a "weak in faith" fellow believer, it's worth that.
The church was caught
up in the
sins of
pride, legalism,
and
judgmentalism
Paul reminded them that,
as
servants of God,
they were
accountable to God alone:
"Who are you
to pass judgment on
the
servant of another?
It is before his own master that
he stands or falls.
And he will be upheld,
for
the Lord is able
to
make him stand”
(Romans 14:4, ESV).
God is our Master, and it’s up
to Him to judge us.
If we are busy serving our Master,
we
won’t be concerned with
trivial matters
like
investigating
the eating habits of
our brothers and sisters.
The overarching lesson of the chapter is that
harmonious relationships
in the body of Christ
are critical to God.
Unity in the church is more important than
agreement on debatable,
less significant matters
in
the Christian life.
Disputable matters should
not disrupt
Christian oneness
God calls Christians to
live
without judging each other
and
without causing others
to
violate their consciences:
"Therefore let us
stop passing judgment on one another.
Instead, make up your mind
not to put any stumbling block
or
obstacle in the way of a brother or sister”
(Romans 14:13).
Mature Christians who
have freedom in Christ in a certain area
should be careful not to influence weaker brothers and sisters
to stumble and
violate their conscience.
Even if -we believe- we are right,
if -our actions- will cause another believer
to -falter spiritually-
we are to stop what we are doing.
And weak or less mature believers who have
strong convictions
in an area must avoid
restricting or judging those who
have
discovered Christian freedom
Mutual respect and love
are the marks of
true Christian disciples
(John 13:34–35).
Paul said,
“Accept the one whose faith is weak”
(Romans 14:1).
He meant that the strong should consider the
weak as fellow believers and equals in
the body of Christ.
The lesson of Romans 14 still speaks forcefully today.
If Christians disagree on
non-essential, disputable matters,
neither side
should
condemn or judge the other,
but both should be allowed
to worship God as they are
“fully convinced
in
their own mind”
(verse 5).
Paul stressed a
critical concern in God’s kingdom--
that brothers and sisters act in love
(Romans 14:15).
Christians won’t be known for what they eat or drink,
but for their love, righteousness, peace, and joy
in the
Holy Spirit
(verse 17).
Paul longed to see the believers in Rome
living sacrificially
and
agreeing to disagree
despite their differences.
In this way, the
church could turn its focus away
from
insignificant matters
onto the
great commission
of
spreading the
gospel of Jesus Christ
to the world.
After the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon,
Jesus will establish His 1,000-year Kingdom on earth. In Jeremiah 30,
God promises Israel that the yoke of foreign oppression would be cast off forever, and “instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them” (verse 9).
Speaking of the same time, God says through the prophet Ezekiel,
“My servant David will be king over them,
and they will all have one shepherd.
They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees”
(Ezekiel 37:24).
From the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, some have concluded that King David will be resurrected during the Millennium and installed
as co-regent over Israel, ruling the Kingdom with
Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s prophecies should be understood this way:
the Jews would one day return to their own country,
their yoke of slavery would be removed,
their fellowship with God would be restored, and God would provide them with a King of His own choosing.
This King would, in some way, be like King David of old.
These passages can refer to none
other than the long-awaited
Messiah,
the “Servant of the Lord” (cf. Isaiah 42:1).
The Jews sometimes referred to the Messiah as “David”
because it was known the Messiah would come from David’s lineage.
The New Testament often refers to
Jesus as the “Son of David” (Matthew 15:22; Mark 10:47).
There are other reasons,
besides being the Son of David,
that the
Messiah is referred to as “David.”
King David in the Old Testament
was a man after God’s own heart
(Acts 13:22),
he was an unlikely king of God’s own choosing,
and the
Spirit of God was upon Him
(1 Samuel 16:12–13).
David, then, is a type of Christ
(a type is a person who foreshadows someone else).
Another example of this kind of typology is Elijah,
whose ministry foreshadowed that of John the Baptist
to the extent that Malachi called John “Elijah”
(Malachi 4:5; cf. Luke 1:17; Mark 9:11–13).
David will be resurrected
at the beginning of the Millennium,
along with all the other Old Testament saints.
And David will be one of those who
reign with Jesus in the Kingdom
(Daniel 7:27).
However, all believers will rule the nations (Revelation 2:26–27; 20:4) and judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). The apostle Peter calls Christians “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). In Revelation 3:21,
Jesus says about the believer
who conquers,
“I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.” In some sense,
then, Christians will share authority with Christ
(cf. Ephesians 2:6).
There is some biblical evidence, as in the Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11–27),
that individuals will be given more or less authority
in the Kingdom according to
how they handle
the responsibilities
God has given them
in this age
(Luke 19:17).
Jesus
is the
King of kings
(Revelation 19:16).
Humanly speaking, Jesus is from the Davidic dynasty;
but in
power, in glory, in righteousness,
and in
every other way,
He is rightly called the Greater David.
“The government will be on his shoulders”
(Isaiah 9:6).
The Old and New Testaments
reveal that
the
future King during the Millennium
and all eternity is Jesus Christ
and
Him alone
(Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 9:7; 33:22; Revelation 17:14; 1 Timothy 6:15).
in Luke 19:11–27
to teach
about the coming kingdom of God
on
earth
The occasion of the parable is Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem. Many people in the crowd along the road believed that He was going to Jerusalem in order to establish His earthly kingdom immediately. (Of course, He was going to Jerusalem in order to die, as He had stated in Luke 18:33.) Jesus used this parable to dispel any hopeful rumors that the time of the kingdom had arrived.
In the parable, a nobleman leaves for a foreign country in order to be made king. Before he left, he gave ten minas to ten of his servants (Luke 19:12–13). A mina was a good sum of money (about three months’ wages), and the future king said, “Put this money to work . . . until I come back” (verse 13).
However, the man’s subjects “hated him” and sent word to him that they refused to acknowledge his kingship (Luke 19:14). When the man was crowned king, he returned to his homeland and began to set things right. First, he called the ten servants to whom he had loaned the minas. They each gave an account for how they had used the money. The first servant showed that his mina had earned ten more. The king was pleased, saying, “‘Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities” (verse 17). The next servant’s investment had yielded five additional minas, and that servant was rewarded with charge of five cities (verses 18–19).
Then came a servant who reported that he had done nothing with his mina except hide it in a cloth (Luke 19:20). His reason: “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” (verse 21). The king responded to the servant’s description of him as “hard” by showing hardness, calling him a “wicked servant” and commanding for his mina to be given to the one who had earned ten (verses 22 and 24). Some bystanders said, “Sir . . . he already has ten!” and the king replied, “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away”
(verses 25–26).
Finally, the king commanded that his enemies—those who had rebelled against his authority—be brought before him.
Right there in the king’s presence, they were executed (Luke 19:27).
In this parable, Jesus teaches several things about
the Millennial Kingdom and the time leading up to it.
As Luke 19:11 indicates,
Jesus’ most basic point
is that the kingdom was not going to appear immediately.
There would be a period of time,
during which the king would be absent,
before the kingdom would be set up.
The nobleman in the
parable is Jesus,
who left this world
but
who will return as King some day.
The servants the king charges with a task represent followers of Jesus.
The Lord has given us a
valuable commission,
and
we must be faithful to
serve Him until He returns.
Upon His return,
Jesus will ascertain the faithfulness of His own people
(see Romans 14:10–12).
There is work to be done
(John 9:4),
and we must use what God has given us for
His glory.
There are promised rewards for those who
are
faithful in their charge.
The enemies who rejected the king
in the parable are representative of the
Jewish nation
that rejected Christ while He walked on earth--
and everyone
who still denies Him today.
When Jesus returns to establish His kingdom,
one of the
first things He will do is utterly defeat His enemies
(Revelation 19:11–15).
It does not pay to fight
against the
King of kings.
The Parable of the Ten Minas is similar to the
Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14–30.
Some people assume that they are
the same parable,
but there are enough differences to
warrant a distinction:
the
parable of the minas
was told
on the
road between Jericho and Jerusalem;
the parable of the talents was
told later
on the Mount of Olives.
The audience for the parable of the minas
was
a large crowd;
the audience for
the
parable of the talents was
the
disciples by themselves.
The parable of the minas deals with two classes of people:
servants and enemies;
the parable of the talents deals only with professed servants.
In the parable of the minas, each servant receives the same amount;
in the parable of the talents, each servant receives a different amount
(and talents are worth far more than minas).
Also, the return is different:
in the parable of the minas,
the servants report ten-fold and five-fold earnings;
in the parable of the talents,
all the good servants double their investment.
In the former, the servants received identical gifts; in the latter,
the
good servants showed identical faithfulness.
Members of the church in Rome
were united in their faith in Jesus Christ,
but the apostle Paul recognized a division
between the Jewish and Gentile believers
among them.
The two groups of Christians were arguing and
passing judgment on one another, and Paul
told them to stop
"quarreling over disputable matters”
(Romans 14:1).
The entire chapter of Romans 14 deals with the question of disputable matters.
Disputable matters can be summed up as
non-essential issues
in the Christian life,
or “gray areas” in which the Bible does not spell out clear guidelines.
While many things in the Christian life
are essential,
some are not.
The two specific disputable matters that Paul addressed in Romans 14
were chiefly regarding which foods were acceptable to eat (verses 2–3)
and the observance of certain holy days (verses 5–6).
He also touched on drinking wine in verse 21.
The Roman Christians had become partisan.
Love and unity
were being forgotten
amid their disputes.
Some of the believers in the church felt freedom in Christ to eat all kinds of foods without restriction. It is unclear whether these restrictions dealt only with kosher regulations as spelled out in the Jewish law, or also included eating meat that had been offered to pagan idols. Those who were weak in faith may have felt too much temptation when eating meat and thus gave up anything that reminded them of their pre-Christian life.
Likewise,
some Christians who had always worshiped God
on the required Jewish holy days
may have
felt hollow and faithless
if
they didn’t continue
to dedicate those days to God.
The problem was that the “strong” Christians
were looking down on the weaker ones,
and the “weak” believers
were condemning or judging
the strong.
How might this cause a Christian of weaker faith to sin?
Paul has said clearly that for anyone who believes
a specific food or drink to be unclean,
that thing really is unclean
for that person.
In other words, if they choose to follow the example of another
believer who eats or drinks freely, they might sin
by violating their own conscience.
Paul's bottom-line to those stronger-faith Christians is clear:
Don't do what is wrong. Instead, do what is good.
Even if it means "giving up" your freedom voluntarily for a specific time or purpose. Even if that means eating only vegetables, today,
for the sake of those of weaker faith.
If it shows love to a "weak in faith" fellow believer, it's worth that.
The church was caught
up in the
sins of
pride, legalism,
and
judgmentalism
Paul reminded them that,
as
servants of God,
they were
accountable to God alone:
"Who are you
to pass judgment on
the
servant of another?
It is before his own master that
he stands or falls.
And he will be upheld,
for
the Lord is able
to
make him stand”
(Romans 14:4, ESV).
God is our Master, and it’s up
to Him to judge us.
If we are busy serving our Master,
we
won’t be concerned with
trivial matters
like
investigating
the eating habits of
our brothers and sisters.
The overarching lesson of the chapter is that
harmonious relationships
in the body of Christ
are critical to God.
Unity in the church is more important than
agreement on debatable,
less significant matters
in
the Christian life.
Disputable matters should
not disrupt
Christian oneness
God calls Christians to
live
without judging each other
and
without causing others
to
violate their consciences:
"Therefore let us
stop passing judgment on one another.
Instead, make up your mind
not to put any stumbling block
or
obstacle in the way of a brother or sister”
(Romans 14:13).
Mature Christians who
have freedom in Christ in a certain area
should be careful not to influence weaker brothers and sisters
to stumble and
violate their conscience.
Even if -we believe- we are right,
if -our actions- will cause another believer
to -falter spiritually-
we are to stop what we are doing.
And weak or less mature believers who have
strong convictions
in an area must avoid
restricting or judging those who
have
discovered Christian freedom
Mutual respect and love
are the marks of
true Christian disciples
(John 13:34–35).
Paul said,
“Accept the one whose faith is weak”
(Romans 14:1).
He meant that the strong should consider the
weak as fellow believers and equals in
the body of Christ.
The lesson of Romans 14 still speaks forcefully today.
If Christians disagree on
non-essential, disputable matters,
neither side
should
condemn or judge the other,
but both should be allowed
to worship God as they are
“fully convinced
in
their own mind”
(verse 5).
Paul stressed a
critical concern in God’s kingdom--
that brothers and sisters act in love
(Romans 14:15).
Christians won’t be known for what they eat or drink,
but for their love, righteousness, peace, and joy
in the
Holy Spirit
(verse 17).
Paul longed to see the believers in Rome
living sacrificially
and
agreeing to disagree
despite their differences.
In this way, the
church could turn its focus away
from
insignificant matters
onto the
great commission
of
spreading the
gospel of Jesus Christ
to the world.
After the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon,
Jesus will establish His 1,000-year Kingdom on earth. In Jeremiah 30,
God promises Israel that the yoke of foreign oppression would be cast off forever, and “instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them” (verse 9).
Speaking of the same time, God says through the prophet Ezekiel,
“My servant David will be king over them,
and they will all have one shepherd.
They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees”
(Ezekiel 37:24).
From the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, some have concluded that King David will be resurrected during the Millennium and installed
as co-regent over Israel, ruling the Kingdom with
Jesus Christ.
Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s prophecies should be understood this way:
the Jews would one day return to their own country,
their yoke of slavery would be removed,
their fellowship with God would be restored, and God would provide them with a King of His own choosing.
This King would, in some way, be like King David of old.
These passages can refer to none
other than the long-awaited
Messiah,
the “Servant of the Lord” (cf. Isaiah 42:1).
The Jews sometimes referred to the Messiah as “David”
because it was known the Messiah would come from David’s lineage.
The New Testament often refers to
Jesus as the “Son of David” (Matthew 15:22; Mark 10:47).
There are other reasons,
besides being the Son of David,
that the
Messiah is referred to as “David.”
King David in the Old Testament
was a man after God’s own heart
(Acts 13:22),
he was an unlikely king of God’s own choosing,
and the
Spirit of God was upon Him
(1 Samuel 16:12–13).
David, then, is a type of Christ
(a type is a person who foreshadows someone else).
Another example of this kind of typology is Elijah,
whose ministry foreshadowed that of John the Baptist
to the extent that Malachi called John “Elijah”
(Malachi 4:5; cf. Luke 1:17; Mark 9:11–13).
David will be resurrected
at the beginning of the Millennium,
along with all the other Old Testament saints.
And David will be one of those who
reign with Jesus in the Kingdom
(Daniel 7:27).
However, all believers will rule the nations (Revelation 2:26–27; 20:4) and judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). The apostle Peter calls Christians “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9). In Revelation 3:21,
Jesus says about the believer
who conquers,
“I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.” In some sense,
then, Christians will share authority with Christ
(cf. Ephesians 2:6).
There is some biblical evidence, as in the Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11–27),
that individuals will be given more or less authority
in the Kingdom according to
how they handle
the responsibilities
God has given them
in this age
(Luke 19:17).
Jesus
is the
King of kings
(Revelation 19:16).
Humanly speaking, Jesus is from the Davidic dynasty;
but in
power, in glory, in righteousness,
and in
every other way,
He is rightly called the Greater David.
“The government will be on his shoulders”
(Isaiah 9:6).
The Old and New Testaments
reveal that
the
future King during the Millennium
and all eternity is Jesus Christ
and
Him alone
(Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 9:7; 33:22; Revelation 17:14; 1 Timothy 6:15).