I'm going to focus on Luke 19:11-27 today. It's a passage that isn't recorded in any of the other gospels and it's a harsh-sounding passage. I have always felt this particular parable painted Jesus and the Kingdom of God in a rather negative light, but on closer study, I see that it really doesn't. Actually, I learned quite a few new things about this passage!
Have I mentioned before how much I love how this blog is encouraging us to dig deeper??! I feel like I have a whole new understanding and appreciation for the Bible after these last 9+ months. And what I love most is that I'm loving the Scriptures more. I think I'm finally beginning to grasp what an amazing privilege it is to be able to hold God's Message to mankind IN MY HANDS!!!
Think of how incredible it would be to be able to hold a treasure like the Dead Sea Scrolls in your hands. Can you imagine the reverence you'd feel? The sheer awe of such a moment is almost unfathomable. And WE HOLD SOMETHING FAR GREATER every time we open our Bibles!!!! I feel like each time I open it, a great hush should fall around me, as if all creation would collectively take a breath and hold it without making a sound until the first word is read...
I hope we are learning to truly revere God's Word.
Okay, so moving right along here...! Relying heavily on David Guzik's commentary, I discovered that this parable holds compelling historical relevance that Jesus' listeners would have picked up on. Apparently, Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, was such a man ~ hated and distrusted by the Jews, who travelled to Rome to receive a kingship. A group of Jews had gone to Rome at the same time to dispute his claim to royalty, but he was appointed their ruler anyway. So Jesus' audience here had possibly experienced this story to an extent, though one major difference is that the ruler in Jesus' story is hated by the citizens for no apparent reason. Archelaus? Well, there were reasons! (he was the reason Joseph needed to be convinced by angels in a dream that it would be safe to to return with Mary and their son, Jesus, from Egypt)
So this rich ruler distributes 10 minas evenly among 10 servants and leaves them in charge. They were expected to carry on his business in his absence, to use the resources he left them. This is the gospel. We've all been given different gifts and talents, but we've all been given the same gospel to spread around the world so that when the Master returns, He won't rebuke us for being lazy.
The first two servants, the ruler commends and congratulates. He rewards them for being faithful. Interestingly, he rewards them with more responsibility!! "The reward for faithful service is not rest, but MORE service! But this is entirely pleasing to the servant of God." The third servant gets everything taken away. He remained the ruler's servant, and in his house, but he was left with nothing.
The whole point of leaving the money in the care of these servants, Guzik says, is not because the ruler really needed more money, but that he wanted them to build character by giving them responsibility. The third servant missed the point. Similarly, we have unfaithful servants today who think that because our Master is so mighty, He doesn't need their help, and so they do nothing. But the issue is not God's need of our help; the issue is OUR need to help Him, our need to be a part of His work.
The servants all had to answer for their work in the master's absence, but at least none of them were guilty of treason. After dealing with the servants, the master deals with the citizens, the ones who hated him and tried to make sure he didn't become king. The world continues to try and deny the sovereignty of God, but He will rule over them one way or the other. The servants will have to answer to the Master, but so will all the citizens.
The phrase, "'Slay them before me' seems so severe; we might even think Jesus compels us here to a life or death decision.
And indeed, He does."
When our Master returns, will you be rewarded or rebuked? Will you be awarded with greater authority and responsibility or will you be stripped of whatever authority you had? What are we doing with the mina ~ the gospel message ~ that's been left in our care while Christ readies for His return as King of Kings?
Tomorrow's passages: Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:6-13, John 12:1-36, Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44.
2 comments:
Jesus is not exactly subtle in this parable is He?!
The parable of the owner who pays the worker the same amount of money for different amounts of work always strikes me, mostly because I find myself thinking like the grumbling employees that worked all day. But this isn't about our work at all. It's about God's grace. And that NONE of us deserve it. Not the ones that serve Him faithfully their whole lives, and not the ones that come to Him on their deathbeds. But He makes it available to us all!
Great post, Tammi. I've heard that parable used as a reference for a couple of different topics, generally for being good stewards of that which is entrusted to us. I don't know if I've heard it in terms of the responsibility to share the Gospel.
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