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Big Idea: Waiting faithfully (or not) for the return of the King.
Dad, I thought Elvis was the King!
Confusion about the King.
In our parable today Jesus addresses some confusion about his Kingship. My abiding hope is that when I come before King Jesus I will hear the words, “Well done good and faithful servant.” That when Jesus returns he will assess the way I have lived my life and how I have used all that he has given me and say, “well done good and faithful servant.” And my prayer is that you would hear that too. Faithful servants. In our passage Jesus directs us toward that goal. Jesus tells this parable because as we read in v11 anticipation is building around his ministry and teaching.
Read v11
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.
Kingdom themes have been thick in the air. There is a great expectation and also confusion, people thinking that the Kingdom would appear immediately. In reality His Kingdom is coming but not immediately, there will be a time of waiting. So Jesus tells this parable about waiting. It’s a parable about faithful vs unfaithful waiting. It’s important for the crowd as Jesus addresses their expectation. The Kingdom of God will not come in all its fullness immediately, there will be a time of waiting. It’s good for us who are still waiting. The Kingdom of God will come in all its fullness, the King will return. There will be a day of accounting. The question for everyone is …
Are you a faithful waiter?
Whether there is an expectation for the Kingdom to appear quickly or for those getting weary … will you wait faithfully? The popular English Bible translations call this “The Parable of the Ten Minas.” The Minas actually play a minor role in this story. I’d prefer something like “The Return of the King.” Sounds very Lord of the Rings… but better. There is far more expectation and drama. And that is the nature of this parable. The parable starts with a long journey of one soon to be king. v12 A nobleman goes on a long journey to a faraway place to receive authority to rule a kingdom. We might think of the Governor General of Australia travelling to England to be sworn in. They don’t have to do that but you get the idea.
The original hearers would be thinking of a recent event where the son of a deceased ruler travelled from Judea all the way to Rome to be installed as governor and despite much protest he gained the rule and upon his return he set up his palace in Jericho, the very city where Jesus has just been as he tells this parable.
And Jesus is on the doorstep of Jerusalem where rejection and crucifixion await. But it is through this suffering that he will be exalted to the throne of the Kingdom of God and one day that Kingdom and He as its King will be revealed in all their divine glory.
Jesus is teaching us about His Kingdom.
v13 As part of his preparation for his journey the nobleman gives 10 of his servants a mina each.
A mina is about three months wages (c.$25-$30k).
“Put this money to work until I come back” he commands each of them.
Literally, engage in (strenuous) business until I return. This is important to the nobleman. He wants his kingdom to flourish while he is away. He expects his servants to be on about his business in his absence. The KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is faithfulness even when he’s not around. There is expectation and there will be a time of examination. While the nobleman is preparing to go v14 a delegation of protestors are gathering with their “Not my King” placards. Not everyone is onboard. Despite the protests v15 he is made king and returns home.
The first thing he wants to know when he finally arrives back is how did my investments go. That is the nature of investing. How is it going? When we were in Bible College we were assigned some shares. All of a sudden we were interested in the stock market pages of the newspaper. How are they going?
The king wants to know, how have my servants enriched my kingdom while I was away on my long journey. Two of the servants have done very well for the king. The first presents his mina and then ten more (v16). The second an extra five (v18). Well done! Well done! Smiles all round. You look after ten cities (v17) and you look after five (v19). This is an exceedingly disproportionate and generous reward. These two servants would be overjoyed and excited by this new kingdom responsibility. What an honour. Who would have thought that doing our duty for the master would result in such generous recognition and reward. The mood is upbeat, everyone is delighted.
On the day of accounting I want my experience to look like that, don’t you? And certainly not anything remotely like what comes next … Where the attention of the king falls on another servant. I wonder if you can picture the shift in mood?
Suddenly the music stops, the backslapping ceases and happy conversation evaporates. And everyone steps away from the other guy as he says, v20 “Here’s your mina I kept it in my hanky.” This is the stuff of nightmares. You’d wake up in a sweat wouldn’t you? You’ve just heard here’s your mina and ten more my king. Here’s your mina and five more my king. And you’ve witness rewards beyond your imagination. In the few short seconds you have to contemplate your choices during the master’s absence you are filled with irreversible regret. But all you can say is, I’ve got nothing! Nothing to show for the trust you put in me, the responsibility you gave! I think we are supposed to be horrified by the thought. No one wants to be that guy. Talk about the oxygen leaving the room. The servant feels it too and starts to make excuses by throwing shade on the king. v21 I didn’t feel safe. You’re a bully and you demand too much!
Now nothing reported in the parable supports the servants allegations. Quite the opposite. The king has proved very generous in his rewards for faithful service. Maybe this servant has had his view of the king coloured by listening to the protesters, reading their placards and believing their lies. But rather than defend himself the king replies, v22 I will condemn you with your own words. If you think I’m so demanding, so intimidating why didn’t you put my money with the money exchangers and at the very least earn some interest. You wicked servant. No reward for you, but dishonour, rebuke and shame –
v24 give his mina to the one with ten. While faithful service to this king gains uber rewards, unfaithful service leads to devastating loss.
26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what they have will be taken away. To everyone who has proved faithful with whatever I’ve given them more will be given. But from the one who has not been faithful, even what I have given will be taken away.
And then, as if to underline the reality and severity of judgment and to display the reach and authority of the king … v27 as for those protestors, kill them in front of me. It is a very violent and sobering conclusion. But it communicates that the issue of unfaithful service is more serious than what we might want to believe. A little kid being confused about Elvis being the king is a funny story. Confusion in our lives and servants of the true King is not.
In his book SERVE (one of our Growth Group resources) Steve Robinson says,
Unfaithful service is what happens when we don’t love our King, Jesus. We believe lies about him, we forget who he has made us to be, and we lose sight of the value of what he has given us.
In the verses just before the parable we meet a blindman healed by Jesus. This blindman uses his mina, the gift of sight, to follow Jesus to the glory of God and to the effect of other people joining in those praises.
Well done good and faithful servant.
We meet Zacchaeus, a traitor, a thief, a tree climber who accepts Jesus’ offer of salvation and in loving response uses his mina, inheritance in heaven, as he goes about redistributing his wealth.
Well done good and faithful servant.
The blindman and Zacchaeus are true life examples of men who know the value of what they have been given and who love their King and who engage in his business.
They do what they do from a response of love.
Jesus to Peter.
John 21.
Do you love me? … feed my sheep (x3).
Service flowing from a heart for, love for Jesus.
Part of Christian Maturity is waiting faithfully. Not always easy. Not always at the top of our to do list. Part of being a healthy church is having faithful leaders, who do have this at the top of their to do list.
As we think and pray about putting on some new elders be reminded from this passage that we need men who will lead us in faithful waiting. Men who will set the example, men who will encourage and correct us so that on that last day we will hear the words … well done good and faithful servants. Men who by their example and leading will challenge our love of comfort
Our temptation to do the bare minimum, serving in a way that maintains the most possible comfort for us and requires the least possible sacrifice.
Men who by their example and leading will challenge our… grumbling hearts.
Our temptation to make our serving all about us rather than about God or others. Men who are not confused about the King. Men who we will pray for and obey as leaders. So that with their help and our engaging in the business of the kingdom we will grow as a church who is not confused about the King. And on the last day we hear Jesus say to us those glorious words … Well done good and faithful servant.
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