Friends, for the last 10 chapters of Luke, we’ve journeyed with Jesus toward Jerusalem, where he’ll lay down his life—crucified, buried, and resurrected. At the end of Luke 19, just before his triumphal entry, Jesus tells a parable based on a historical event: the scramble for Herod the Great’s throne after his death in 4 B.C. His son, Archelaus, raced to Rome for Caesar’s approval, facing opposition from his brother and Jewish leaders. Jesus uses this familiar story to teach his disciples, tweaking details to avoid political controversy while still making his point clear.
This parable, found in Luke 19:11-27, tells of a nobleman going to a far country to receive a kingdom and then returning. He entrusts his servants with minas, instructing them to engage in business until he comes back. Upon his return, he assesses their stewardship. Some multiplied their minas, receiving authority over cities. One servant, however, hid his mina, fearing the nobleman’s harshness. This servant’s mina was taken and given to the one who had earned the most. Jesus uses this to illustrate the importance of faithful stewardship during his absence.
Jesus is doing three things in this parable: calibrating expectations, clarifying allegiances, and compelling investments. He’s reminding his disciples that the kingdom won’t appear immediately as they expect. Like Archelaus, Jesus will depart and return. He’s also clarifying allegiances, asking where our loyalties lie. Are we with him or against him? True loyalty is demonstrated before he returns in power, not afterward. Finally, he’s compelling investments. The minas represent the time, talent, and treasure God entrusts to us. How we steward these resources reveals our faithfulness and readiness for greater responsibilities in the kingdom to come.
The parable’s ending leaves us with a question: what about the other seven servants? Jesus brilliantly places us within the story, challenging us to consider our own stewardship. Are we antagonists, bold loyalists, private loyalists, secretly doubtful, or faithful servants? And if faithful, how are we investing what God has given us? This life is the proving ground for future assignments in God’s kingdom. We are called to get on with the King’s business.
So, friends, who are you living for? Is this life about you or about the kingdom? King Jesus has departed and will return. Get on the kingdom timeline. Decide where your loyalties lie. Invest wisely in the King’s business. Remember C.T. Studd’s words: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Don’t waste this precious life. Invest it for the sake of the kingdom. Surrender to God’s will and say, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”
