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In Chapter 19, Jesus tells the parable of the ten minas. A mina was 1/60 of a talent and would have come out to around 3 months of wages. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to tell this parable to his disciples, and this was significant because his followers would have thought He was preparing to crown Himself king there. The timing and geographical location could not be any better for this parable to be told.
So He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. 13 “And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back.’ 14 “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’
Luke 19:12-14 NASB
The kingdom Jesus is speaking of is spiritual, but the Jews were thinking in terms of their nation. Because they (the citizens) rejected the spiritual reign of Christ, they eventually lost their earthly kingdom. The people were impatient in expecting the kingdom rule to be 1) the way they wanted 2) at the time they wanted. In the opening verses, Jesus designates his slaves to take care of business while He is away. When He returns, He checks with his slaves to see what they have done. One slave took the single mina and made ten more. He was given ten cities in reward. Another took his mina and made five more. He was given five cities in reward. Then we read this…
“Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 “He *said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?
Luke 19:20-22 NASB
What is the application? Christ gives to his “slaves” (those who receive His Word) the same glorious mina. Each slave received Salvation in the form of one mina, yet, that was not the end of the story was it? Jesus did not leave and instruct them to stay comfortable and complacent. He expected a return on investment. He expected growth. The principal characteristic here is not some kind of business-savvy profiting scheme. What was the difference between the obedient slaves and the selfish one?
The obedient slaves loved their master. Note that the foolish slave thought the master was an exacting man. This word means challenging or demanding. To ask this slave to grow personally or grow the Gospel was simply too much effort for him. This slave did not value the master, therefore, he did not value the mina. He selfishly clung to it refusing to invest it even though he had been commanded to.
This is a convicting principle for our world today. How many are simply content to make a profession of allegiance to Christ and then go on living their life however they want? The sobering reality is that the master is coming back to check on slaves, and just like the story, that reward will be taken and given to someone else. We must always remember that to whom much is given, much is expected and required.