Bible Study series: Luke 19:11-27. The ones who were productive with the minas (a monetary amount) were rewarded. What about the unproductive and the rebels?
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In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Luke 19:11-27
11 While they were listening to these things, he proceeded to tell them a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately. 12 Therefore he said, “A certain man of noble birth went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and return. 13 He summoned ten servants of his and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business until I come.’ 14 But his subjects hated him and sent an emissary after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
15 And it happened that as he returned after receiving his kingdom, he said to summon to him the servants to whom he had given the money, so he would find out how they conducted business. 16 The first one approached, saying, ‘Master, your mina increased to ten minas. 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant. Because you were faithful in this smallest matter, you are to have authority over ten cities.’
18 And the second one came and said, ‘Your mina, Master, has made five.’ 19 And he also said to this one, ‘You are over five cities.’
20 And the other one came, saying, ‘Master, look at your mina which I was tucking away in cloth, 21 for I was afraid of you because you are a stern man; you take out what you have not put in and harvest what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘From your own words I judge you, wicked servant! You knew, didn’t you, that I am a stern man, taking out what I did not put in and harvesting what I did not sow? 23 Why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? When I came back, I would have collected it with interest!’ 24 And to those standing off to the side, he said, ‘Take from him the mina and give to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas—!’”
26 I tell you, “To everyone who has, more will be given. From the one who does not have (much) even what he has will be taken away.
27 However, those enemies of mine who did not want me to rule over them—bring them here and slay them in front of me.” (Luke 19:11-27)
Comments:
Three classes of servants are presented in this parable: (1) productive servants who are faithful and trust Jesus; (2) unproductive servants who associate with Jesus but don’t really know or trust him, and (3) rebels. These may be an indirect reference to the Jerusalem and temple establishment because their city and temple will be destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.
But let’s keep things focused on servanthood. And most importantly, let’s all ask for grace to belong to the first kind of servant.
The distant background to this illustration / parable is that Herod the Great asked Rome to permit him to rule as a client-king (a ruler under Rome). He was granted his request in 39 B.C. before he returned to Judea (province around Jerusalem). He ruled from 37 to 4 B.C. After he died, his son Archelaus left to petition Rome to succeed his father as king. However, his own subjects opposed him, since he had slaughtered three thousand Jews on Passover.
However, let’s not make too much of this distant historical background, interpreting the parable as a rigid allegory. Instead, Jesus has his own purposes, as follows:
(1). The kingdom of God will not be fully manifested when Jesus enters Jerusalem, contrary to his followers’ expectation that the kingdom would and must be. So, by this parable Jesus corrects their misconception and false hope. In fact, after his ascension, Jesus would be gone for a while. That’s the point of the king going to a distant country.
(2). Before the kingdom is fully manifested upon Jesus’s Second Coming, his disciples must be productive for the king and his kingdom. These are the first and second servants.
(3). Subjects who do not really know him will be unproductive and hide his gifts. These are represented by the third servant. The other seven servants are not mentioned because they are represented by these three. This is one of Luke’s omissions again (see v. 8). Luke expects his readers to assume this.
(4). Now, upon the king’s return (Jesus’s Second Coming), productive subjects of the king and kingdom will be rewarded at judgment (the first and second servants), and their rewards come in degrees.
More productivity → more rewards (the arrow means “leads to”).
(5). At the king’s return (Jesus’s Second Coming), in contrast, those who do not really know the king were proven to be unproductive (the third man). This misunderstanding of who God truly is brought him to his unproductivity. He will be judged negatively, but not thrown out of the kingdom. These kinds of disciples will receive no reward, and what little reward they think they have will be taken away from them and given to productive kingdom citizens. In the kingdom of God, after it is fully manifested, there will be countless numbers of men and women who will live without rewards and follow behind the productive, rewarded citizens.
(6). In a separate category, those who were enemies of the king and did not want him to rule over him will be slain—that is, will undergo the ultimate punishment—at the Second Coming. This class of servants is probably the Jerusalem establishment who officially rejected their true Messiah. However, thousands of ordinary Jews (Acts 2:47; 4:4; 21:20) and a great number of priests (Acts 6:7) converted to their Messiah after the ascension, so God’s judgment was not nationwide and entire. God knows those who belong to him, even when the leaders of a nation are to be punished at judgment and the people are to be spared.
Recall that Romans destroyed Jerusalem and killed many Jews who were loyal to the temple, from AD 66 to 70.
Luke 21:5-33 Predicts Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
11:
Now Luke tells us clearly why Jesus tells this parable. They were hearing these things, so Jesus is still continuing with the audience at Zacchaeus’s house.
In the bigger picture, they were nearing Jerusalem, and the disciples expected some sort of military coup in a full and powerful manifestation of the kingdom of God. They had to be told, however, that this was not the plan. In fact, the king would be gone for a time, but he gave them gifts, and how would they use the gifts? This is the secret kingdom, which would spread all over the globe through the lives of people. The full manifestation of the kingdom will appear when the king returns.
12:
We are already looked at the distant historical background of this parable. Jesus leaves most of those elements behind and puts his new spin on it. Jesus has gone to the heavenly seat of authority until the time of his return. In the meantime, though his qualifications for kingship are impeccable, he has been rejected by those who serve him as subjects (v. 14).
13:
“ten”: this means that not only the twelve disciples are in view here. It many “any disciple.”
“servants”:
Slavery and Freedom in the Bible
“minas”: (pronounced mee-nass or my-nass or my-nuhss in American English) it was worth about 100 denarii or about four months wages of an agricultural worker based on a six-day work week, if he could find the work for six days a week.
“do business”: it is the verb pragmateuomai (pronounced prah-mag-tew-oh-my), and it used only here in the entire NT. It means to “conduct business” or “be engaged in business.” (The word pragmatism comes from it.) It means to do the practical things of life, in this case business. Here it means to exercise your gift to do the work of the kingdom. If it means you are in the business world, always keep the kingdom of God in the front of your mind, while you do business. If you are a soccer mom, always keep the kingdom first, while you are a mom. If you take care of your grandchildren, put the kingdom first, while you take care of them. Don’t neglect the business side of life while you live for the king.
14:
This verse introduces the class of citizens who hate the king and become his enemies. They will receive the ultimate punishment when the king (Jesus) returns. They are surely the Jerusalem establishment who denied and rejected and ordered the execution of their rightful King and Messiah. But they also represent many millions of people over the centuries who set themselves against King Jesus and became his enemies.
“this man”: it could be translated as “this fellow” or “that man” because it is a put-down word in this context. If you read it aloud, say it with a condescending sneer in your tone of voice.
15:
“summon”: this speaks of the king summoning all of us at judgment.
“servants”: see v. 13 for more comments.
The judgment is about what we have done with the gift of a mina given to us. How did we conduct business in the kingdom with our gift? He means to find out what the results were. So Christian idealism—contemplating only abstract doctrines and heavenly things—is not the only purpose of the believer. He must do practical work for the kingdom, down here on earth.
16-17:
At judgment, results matter to the king. In other words, did you use your gift effectively and then allow God to increase and bless it? When we are faithful in the least or smallest matter, then we will get promoted and receive more practical gifts. This productive servant gets ten minas more. He can be trusted.
See my post about faithfulness:
Word Study on Faith and Faithfulness
“Well done, good servant”: It should be the goal of each disciple to hear this truthful compliment and praise from the king. Note how the king called him good. Contrast this term with Jesus’s deflection of the compliment from the rich ruler when the ruler said “Good teacher” (Luke 18:18). So of course Jesus does not deny that some people behave well (good) or do good things. In fact, some people are good—but not good enough to strut into heaven by their own good works. We must be invited, and that invitation comes from and goes through Christ Jesus.
Will we rule over cities in the eternal kingdom? Though this is not clear literally, I like to believe that somehow productive subjects of the kingdom right now will be given more authority in the everlasting kingdom. Will we live in separate communities in the new-age kingdom? Unclear, literally, because we must not read this parable as a rigid allegory. Yet Rev. 2:26 says that believers who overcomes will rule over nations. So maybe it is literal.
“authority”: it is the noun exousia (pronounced ex-oo-see-ah), and it means, depending on the context: “right to act,” “freedom of choice,” “power, capability, might, power, authority, absolute power”; “power or authority exercised by rulers by virtue of their offices; official power; domain or jurisdiction, spiritual powers.”
The difference between authority and power is parallel to a policeman’s badge and his gun. The badge symbolizes his right to exercise his power through his gun, if necessary. The gun backs up his authority with power. But the distinction should not be pressed too hard, because exousia can also mean “power.” In any case, God through Jesus can distribute authority to his followers (Matt. 10:1; Luke 10:19; John 1:12).
As noted, Jesus will give us authority even over the nations, if we overcome trials and persecution (Rev. 2:26). That’s a remarkable promise. And he is about to distribute his power in Acts 2. Never forget that you have his authority and power to live a victorious life over your personal flaws and sins and Satan. They no longer have power and authority over you; you have power and authority over them.
Here in this parable, it is the authority exercised in the new kingdom after judgment, but again let’s not rigidly read this parable as an allegory.
18-19:
And the second servant was productive enough to earn five more minas, and he received authority over five cities. So rewards are in proportion to the results of doing business in and for the kingdom.
Why doesn’t Luke cover the other seven servants but stops at three? Luke frequently omits details and expects us to fill in the gaps (see v. 8). He expects us to assume that the other seven servants were like these three—some were very productive, others moderately productive, while still others were unproductive. I nickname him Luke the Omitter, just like I nicknamed Matthew the Abbreviator.
20-21:
This “other” servant (“other” in the sense of a different kind of servant) hid the mina in a cloth. He hid it away. We should never neglect God’s gift from God so that we just sit around and do not engage in kingdom business. Worst of all, this servant did not truly know the king, without a personal relationship. Recall that Matt. 7:21-23 says that some people claimed to do some works for the kingdom, like prophesy in his name, cast out demons, and do mighty works in Jesus’s name. But Jesus will tell them that he never knew them. Apparently this “other” servant did not really know the king, either.
22-23:
The king acknowledges that he is a stern man and takes out what he himself did not personally accomplish but employed servants to do the work for him. The lesson is that Jesus, while he is currently away in heaven, commissions us to do the work of the kingdom. He won’t come down here, appearing personally at every turn, and do the work while we just stand by and gawk with our mouths open. No, he employs us to do the work. The good news is that he empowers us with his Spirit to work through us. We don’t act in our own strength.
The king calls the servant “wicked.” This is the opposite of calling the first servant “good.” This further proves that the servant did not know the king and misread his character in part.
The master: On the assumption that I am as you described, you should have done more! (see Craig Keener’s comment in Matt. 25:24: “On the assumption that I am hard and merciless, you should have been all the more diligent!” (A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. (Eerdmans 1999), p. 601, emphasis original).
Bock: “The master repeats the servants categories (take, set down, reap, sow) to make the case that if he had really thought this way about him, then he should have made some effort to do something beneficial with the money. If the servant really felt this way, he is a fool since he knew the king to be a hard master” (p. 1539).
24-25:
The punishment is not to be thrown out of the kingdom, but to be stripped of any reward. Sad to speculate, but how many Christians will be lost in a great crowd of people who essentially did not do anything but write snarky comments online and watch television?
Other people standing nearby started to object because the servant with ten minas was destined to get the mina from the unproductive servant. “Ten refers not to his total possession, but to his profit” (Bock, p. 1540).
26:
Now Jesus announces the general principle. If you are productive, you will receive more. And if you are unproductive, then what little you think you have will be taken away.
27:
Jesus calls this class of people “enemies.” They are outside of the kingdom and oppose him. They refuse to come to him, but in fact rebel against him.
This slaughtering is not literal, but it does speak of the final judgment, when people outside of the kingdom of God and opponents to it will be sent to their punishment. If anyone opposes God’s appointed king so often and vehemently and therefore turns into his enemy, the enemy will receive punishment.
“Jesus now brings the opportunity for forgiveness; but when that opportunity is spurned, he will bring judgment. It is on this note that Jesus prepares to enter Jerusalem. There is no neutral position in relationship to Jesus: one chooses for him and sees his generous work as unique, or one aligns against him (whether in outright rebellion or by faithless association to him)” (Bock, p. 1543).
“The nobleman’s anger is not intended to attribute such behavior to Jesus himself; rather, it pictures the kind of response one might have expected in Jesus’ day, especially from the Herodians. It also reveals the seriousness of flouting the orders of the King whom God has appointed as Judge (Jn 5:22; Ac 17:31; cf. 1 Pe 1:17)” (Liefeld and Pao, comments on vv. 26-27).
Judgment is coming, and people need to be warned. Christians also will be judged, but only to receive rewards or no rewards; they will not be judged to determine whether they are part of the eternal kingdom after the Second Coming.
Are There Degrees of Punishment, Rewards after Final Judgment?
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
GrowApp for Luke 19:11-27
1. What is the commission God has given you?
2. How productive have you been for the kingdom of God, by his power and grace?
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3. Church Fathers and Luke’s Gospel
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND MORE
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom. You will also find a “Summary and Conclusion” for discipleship.
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