Christian Living
And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading (Luke 19: 15 NKJV).
I am convinced that every human being is capable of being motivated by one form of reward or another. Our preferred rewards may differ and may even be difficult to identify, but deep down, every one of us has an innate desire to be compensated—by self or others—for the efforts we make.
Parents, friends, and organizations recognize this fact about human nature and use it as a basis for influencing behaviour. More importantly, God has used it from the days of the Hebrew patriarchs to guide His people into right paths. He offers tangible and intangible blessings as rewards for righteous living. He compensates His own for faithfulness to His purposes. True significance, recognition and authority are some of His rewards and He encourages us to seek after them.
Of the many parables that our Lord Jesus Christ told His disciples, there are two that provide an overarching view of what a Christian’s life should be about. One is the parable of the ten virgins found in Matthew 25:1-13. This parable speaks to spiritual wakefulness and to the transformation of our souls[1] into the image of Christ in preparation for His coming. It covers what should be the paramount preoccupation of every Christian in this lifetime. The other parable is the parable of ten minas found in Luke 19:11-27. It speaks to faithfulness in God’s service and covers what should be the second key preoccupation of every Christian in this lifetime.
Using the parable of the minas, the Lord Jesus unveiled to His followers the plan for the establishment of His kingdom here on earth. His revelation applies to us, as well. Like a good teacher, He has given us a “review sheet” before our impending exam, and if we prepare according to the information we’ve received, we will pass with flying colors.
Although the parable of the minas is a story that’s read, preached, and quoted by many Christians, there are important implications from it that we often overlook:
First, we are in a critical time period and our activities now will determine the part each of us will play when Christ’s kingdom is established on earth. Although we may be engaged in service to God today, we are not yet playing our ultimate roles. Rather, our performance now will be used to determine our significance and authority in the time to come. Reading the parable of the minas, we observe that the master gave his servants money with which they traded (occupied) while he was away. But their occupations while he was gone were not their final roles in his kingdom. Rather, their occupations were like "exams" that qualified them for leadership and dominion when he returned. If they did well—by the master’s assessment—they received authority over cities in his kingdom. But if they did poorly, they were given no responsibility or authority when he returned.
The second implication of Jesus’s parable is that recognition, accolades, and rewards obtained in this world do not hold any value beyond this present age. To the servants who did well, the master said, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over … cities.” Faithfulness qualified these servants, not how esteemed they were in the eyes of their fellow servants or the citizens of the country. This is an important lesson, and to ensure His disciples did not miss it, the Lord conveyed it to them on several occasions. For example, He said: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1 NIV). Striving for human recognition is a distraction faced by many Christians who serve God in visible roles. But realizing that accolades so received have no bearing on God’s assessment of us, we should expend our energies and time in this age serving the Lord with diligence and faithfulness (in whatever capacity He appoints) so that we may qualify for true recognition. For a watchword, we should adopt Jesus’s counsel to His disciples: “when you have done everything you were told to do, [you] should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10 NIV).
The third implication of Jesus’s story is that identifying our God-given abilities and knowing how to use them is vital. Just as every servant in the story received money and had opportunities to trade, every child of God has received gifts and abilities for the furtherance of God’s purposes here and now. The third servant mentioned in the story did not use his money nor did he do anything about his calling. Rather, he gave excuses—excuses that were based on inaccurate views of His master. This slothful attitude displeased the master, who rebuked him sternly and gave his talents to the faithful ones. From this servant’s experience, we learn that if we do not pursue an accurate knowledge of the Lord so as to draw strength to fulfill His purposes, we will have ourselves to blame in the end. Learning what we must know about Him comes through intimacy. And as we draw close, we see His might more clearly and become aware of the provisions He’s made to help us fulfill His purposes.
The fourth implication of the parable is that the world’s rebellion against Christ does not hinder His agenda in any way. In the story, the citizens detested the master and rejected his rulership even before he left on his journey—just as we’ve seen the world do. But this did not deter him nor did it affect the establishment of his kingdom. When the time came for him to rule, the king simply got rid of his enemies. The world’s rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ does not affect His plans. Therefore, we should not be daunted by it. Let’s rather focus on what we’re called to do, for this is of greater consequence to His kingdom.
After the Lord spoke these things, He continued His journey toward Jerusalem, the place where He was to lay down His life to initiate the realities described in the story. He laid down His life, rose again, and has “gone to receive a kingdom.” He has blessed you and me with gifts, opportunities, and His Holy Spirit. He has done His part; now it’s our turn to do ours.
[1] The soul consists of the mind, emotions, will and desires.
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