Stewarding True Riches (Luke 19:11-27)
Christ is traveling to Jerusalem. As he travels to Jerusalem, he tells a parable that parallels the story of Herod Archelaus, who is a harsh and unpopular ruler. Jesus recounts the story of a man who goes away, he charges his servant to take the one mina and invest the mina. He returns and ends up slaughtering those who undermined his reign. This recalls Archelaus’ reaction to the delegation that protested his reign.
Christ tells us that when the king returns, he gives out his reward. This is a strange and puzzling scene when we read about it. The servant who preserved his mina to honor the king is rebuked. He loses his mina only to have it be given to the servant with ten minas. The people who witness this judgment are puzzled because the servant already has ten minas, has received ten kingdoms, and does not need the extra mina.
When we draw closer to the third servant, we can have some sympathy for the servant. This slave said that the master is a severe man who reaps where he does not sow. The servant is scared of the master and his return. He takes his mina and buries the mina. The banking industry at the time was more like loan sharking today. Israelites are not allowed to charge interest, and the safest thing to do to preserve wealth is to bury the money. Why get in trouble with a loan shark and do something that might seem unethical?
One would think that the servant is commendable. Rather, the servant is rebuked because he should have given the money to a loan shark. The servant should have loaned the money and charged interest, violating Leviticus 25:36, 37. His mina is taken from him and given to the servant who earned 10 minas and already has 10 cities. The parable is absolutely shocking when Christ reveals the nobleman’s assessment.
The nobleman in the parable is not a direct representation of God, but serves as a picture to highlight the responsibilities and risks of discipleship. Jesus makes it clear that God’s expectations for his followers are not about rigid safety or passive preservation but about faithfully and actively using one’s gifts to advance God’s kingdom. Even though the world’s rulers can be corrupt or self-serving, God’s kingdom operates on different principles. The kingdom might not appear to be here, and we might doubt the Lord’s return. However, our call is to live as if Christ died yesterday, rose today, and is coming tomorrow.
We need to see ourselves on a sojourn to Zion, having been secured by the true Joshua, or Jesus Christ. We will currently face tests that refine our confidence and union with Christ. This means we might live dangerously, rather than finding security or significance in worldly measures. We are called to continually discern what is pleasing to the Lord. We are to listen, heed, and perceive our Savior’s wise voice as he works in us by the Spirit. Ultimately, true wealth is found not in what we possess but in our identity and purpose in Christ, who has conquered death and invites us to live as faithful stewards, realizing the resurrection power of the kingdom today, and living sacrifices until he returns in glory.
We are not living to attain significance, but to serve our risen master who empowers us in His Spirit. This might mean we have to live “risky” lives in Christ as a wilderness people.