Luke 19 - The Reward for Faithfulness!

Luke 19 - NIV 

Luke 19 - Enduring Word Commentary

The Parable of the Minas

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.’22 “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 “‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ 26 “He 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. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Commentary 

This story is very similar to the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. In Matthew, the master gives his servants differing amounts of talents (5,3,1). In Luke, the newly appointed King gives ten of his servants, one mina. A talent was worth 60 more times than a mina, but they were both a rather large sum on a money. A mina equalled 3 months of wages. 

But the principle in each parable is that servants were given a large amount of money and told to put it to work. In each case when master came home, he asked them to give an accounting of what they did with the money he had given them. 

Of the three who are mentioned, one was very resourceful taking the one mina and turned it into ten minas. Another man took the one mina and turned it into five minas. That is a pretty good return on what they were entrusted with. The reward for their faithfulness was tha the king gave them a city for each mina they earned. Obviously a city was worth a lot more than a mina. 

The question is what do the cities represent? 

Most interpret these are cities are in the coming kingdom of heaven. The king initially was rejected by the people, which represents the Jewish people rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. But he was appointed King anyways. Then, it says the "king returned". This would represent Jesus' return to set up his eternal kingdom. This is where these faithful servants would rule their cities. Note it says, "He who is faithful in small matters will be entrusted with MUCH MORE." 

Finally, there was man who did nothing with what the king gave him. In hear he hid it in a cloth with his apparent excuse being the King was a strict man, and he didnb't want to lose what he had given him. 

But this servant forgot one very important thing. The King told all ten men who he gave a mina, "Put this to work." He didn't say hide it, so you don't lose it. The expectation was that the servants would invest what they had given and bring back more then they had been given. 

Despite his excuses, his mina was taken from him and given to the man who obeyed the king and turned his one mina into ten minas. 

Appliication for Life

In the parable of the talents, each person is given a differing amount according to their ability. They are only accountable for what they were given not someone else. But in the parable of the minas they are all given the same amount. I think this represents that we have all been given one thing that is the same. We have all been given the gospel. 

The gospel is given to us as a gift. It is the same for everyone of us. It is not only a gift but something we have been called to share. The man who hid the mina is like the person who has received this gospel of grace and never shared it in fear. The other two servants took the gospel and reached others with it.  

What have you done with the gospel you have been given? Have you shared it, or kept it to yourself? Or, have you hidden it in fear? We all have an equal responsibility to share Jesus with others who don't know him. 

I believe one of the greatest joys we will receive in heaven is when we see the people we have led or had a role in leading to Christ!

Father, thank you for sending Jesus into the world to save us from our sin. We didn't earn it, we didn't deserve it, but you gave Your love away. Help us to be faithful servants, as we share this gospel wherever you have planted us. We know one day when you return, and we want to hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant!" Amen.