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"A
Certain Nobleman"
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Jericho: The top of the Mound or Tell as it is today |
All the parables of
Jesus are characterised by great economy of words. These simple stories
powerfully convey many important aspects of his teaching in a way which
captures the imagination of the listener. The inquiring student will
discover hidden meanings and lessons to heighten his interest and
appreciation of the teaching of Jesus. Like a master artist Jesus could
paint graphic pictures to enforce his preaching of `the gospel of the
kingdom of God.' Mark 1:14
BACKGROUND TO THE PARABLE
Jesus spoke this
parable to the crowd as he left Jericho to journey up to Jerusalem for the
last time before his crucifixion. Luke is the only gospel writer to record
this parable (Luke 19:11-27), and he states that Jesus introduced it at this
juncture `because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that
the kingdom of God should immediately appear.' Luke 19:11 In the mounting
crisis, there was evidently a general expectation that Jesus would assert
his right to sit on the throne of David there and then, vanquishing the
occupying Romans and establishing the kingdom of God. Luke describes how
Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem riding a colt, accompanied by the loud
shouts of an enthusiastic crowd, `Blessed be the King that cometh in the
name of the Lord.' Luke 19:38
Within a week of his arrival, at his
public trial before Pilate, Jesus was to bear witness to his kingship, (John
18:33-37) foretold by the angel before his birth. (Luke 1:30-33) Later that
day he was crucified and over the middle cross outside the city, was
displayed the challenging title:
"Jesus of
Nazareth The King of the Jews" (John 19.19)
As the King of the
Jews, Jesus is identified in the parable with `A certain nobleman (who) went
into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.' Luke
19:12
Jesus never discounted the conviction of
his followers, that he would `restore again the kingdom to Israel.' Acts
1:6. The story of the nobleman enforces the truth that the kingdom of God
was not then imminent. A long interval had to elapse before Jesus returned
from heaven, the `far country' of the parable to accomplish all things at
his second coming. (Acts 1:10,11) Remember his promise that, `If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also' John 14:3.
THE
NOBLEMAN'S INSTRUCTIONS
Before the nobleman
left for the far country, he called his ten servants. Each was given a pound
and told to `Occupy till I come,' or as the New International version puts
it, `Put this money to work...until I come back.' Luke 19:13 In the
nobleman's absence the servants were expected to render faithful,
responsible service: not simply maintaining possession of their master's
property, but using it to gain by industry and trading, an increase and
profit on the original sum of money. At his return, the nobleman, having
received for himself the kingdom, makes a final reckoning of the trading
results achieved by each servant.
Unlike the parable of the talents, where
the number of goods given for trading varies (Matthew 25:14-30), in our
story each servant is given the same amount. The pound fittingly represents
the common blessing of the Gospel. Jesus, as the earth's future king, gives
to individual waiting servants equal opportunities to prove their loyalty
and diligence in his absence. It is now that those left behind, as obscure
traders, exhibit their true qualities, their fitness of character to qualify
for nobler positions of distinction and authority in the coming Kingdom.
The nobleman will be looking for growing
maturity, as the waiting servants make their calling and election sure.
The Apostle Peter wrote in his second
letter:
`...he (Jesus) has given us his very
great and precious promises...For this very reason (Peter says), make
every effort to add to your faith (to this basic one pound gospel asset
of the parable) goodness... knowledge... self-control... perseverance...
godliness... brotherly kindness... love. For if you possess these
qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ...Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your
calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never
fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' 2 Peter 1:4-11 NIV
THE
SERVANTS JUDGED AND REWARDED
The nobleman wished to
know from each servant in turn, how much he had gained by trading his
property. The command `Occupy till I come', is an individual charge and we
will be judged as individuals, on the basis of individual performance, as
the Apostle Paul wrote `every man shall receive his own reward according to
his own labour.' 1 Corinthians 3:8
It is a mistake to think that all
professing Christians will be saved `en masse.' Christianity is an
individual matter. We each have to work out our own salvation and are
answerable to Jesus at his appearing for the way we have managed our lives.
(2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:11,12) Entrance into his Kingdom is not
assured but depends on personal effort and identification with the teaching
and commandments placed on his servants by the nobleman, their future judge.
Paul wrote about the materials that can be used for building on the
foundation of Jesus Christ and he warned the builder that `his work will be
shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be
revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.
If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.' 1 Corinthians
3:13,14 NIV
TEN AND
FIVE CITIES
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The
Garden of Gethsemane as it is today |
When Jesus met with his
disciples in Jerusalem on the night of his arrest in the garden, he
encouraged them with the promise:
`...I appoint unto you a kingdom, as
my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table
in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'
Luke 22:29,30
Similarly, in the parable, the two
faithful servants are rewarded with authority over ten and five cities.
Theirs was to be a literal inheritance of the earth, rulership over
differing sized districts of this kingdom to be presided over by the
nobleman, the appointed king.
How the first two servants were rewarded
was in direct proportion to the accumulation of profit, gained from the
original pound. Both servants started out with the same one pound asset; the
first achieved the best possible improvement - a tenfold increase, while the
second gained five pounds. These different degrees of improvement, using the
same opportunities, are reflected in the gradations of the final reward,
varying ranks of honour and authority - rule over ten and five cities
respectively. [For similar teaching in the parable of the sower see Mark
4:20]
The Proverbs tell us, `Seest thou a man
diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings.' Proverbs 22:29 For
the initial pound to gain ten pounds by trading, it was necessary for the
first servant to work exceptionally hard. We can say that the gift entrusted
to him came to dominate his life. All other considerations were made
subservient to the prime objective, as Jesus put it, `seek ye first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness.' Matthew 6:33 Every trading
opportunity was turned to profitable account which met with the approval of
the nobleman who said, `Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.' Luke 19:17
His fidelity and perseverance in the
seemingly small matters of everyday living, showed that he was worthy to
receive the king's favour and was fit to be elevated from a mere servant to
high office and responsibility in the political constitution of the kingdom.
His example, commended by the nobleman, illustrates the need for continual
faithfulness, as the Apostle Paul writes:
`We want each of you to show this same
diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want
you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience
inherit what has been promised.' Hebrews 6:11,12 NIV
THE
WICKED SERVANT
The third servant,
condemned by the nobleman as `thou wicked servant' Luke 19:22, failed to
occupy properly the time spent waiting for his master's return. Not that he
had squandered the money in riotous living, after the example of the
prodigal son in another parable. (Luke 15:13). `Lord, behold, here is thy
pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin.' Luke 19:20 To avoid loss or
damage he had carefully concealed the money out of harm's way. The solitary
pound, secreted away in a napkin, became a `frozen asset' from a business
point of view and of little value. Neglected in this way it was impossible
for the servant to make any profit. Certainly, had the incident occurred in
inflationary times, the unused coin would soon drop in value from its
initial worth.
When he sought to justify his caution we
learn why the condemned servant out of a sense of duty, performed the bare
minimum. He gave a disappointingly negative response to the challenge
offered, by having custody of the nobleman's goods. He said:
`For I feared thee, because thou art
an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest
that thou didst not sow.' Luke 19:21
His excuse was a mistaken fear of what he
saw as the harsh, unreason-able austerity of his Lord. The alleged
exploitation of suppressed servants gave no encouragement for hard work, or
for proper business management.
The man stood condemned by the words of
his own self-defence. As the nobleman pointed out, even if such a harsh view
of himself was correct, surely basic prudence should have compelled the
servant to deposit the money in a bank, there to make at least a minimal
investment gain from interest earned. By disregarding the charge to `Occupy
till I come', he had refused to run any risk, or to inconvenience himself in
any way. Out of fear and indolence he did nothing, and at the finish he lost
all. The bystanders were told to `Take from him the pound, and give it to
him that hath ten pounds.' Luke 19:24 By already proving himself capable of
taking on even greater responsibilities, the first servant was further
rewarded with the gift of the unused pound.
LESSONS
FOR TODAY
The end of the wicked
servant emphasises the importance of having a balanced knowledge and
appreciation of the ways and character of both Jesus Christ, the nobleman
soon to return, and also his Heavenly Father, from whom Jesus receives the
kingdom. Right conduct will be our positive response to the privileges
bestowed on those who now serve in the nobleman's house, trading with his
goods. The nobleman inspires loyalty and diligence from his waiting
servants, because of their indebtedness to him for giving to them all, the
same priceless hope of elevation to an inheritance in his kingdom:
`For the love of Christ constraineth
us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.'
2 Corinthians 5:14,15
A useless, self-centred existence is not
what Paul means when he urges that we should live unto Christ. Like those
who used the money to good advantage in the parable, we need to make our
lives productive, `That (we) might walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge
of God.' Colossians 1:10. By diligent service and application, the first
two servants increased the original asset of one pound. We also gain the
same fulfilment in our lives, by total commitment to the challenge of
trading in the goods which belong to our Master. He says to his servants
today, `Occupy till I come.'
If we are lazy and complacent, if we do
nothing, then we shall finish up as failures, our lives showing a nil
profit, when the account of our service is reviewed by the judge. As the
nobleman tells those present at the final reckoning:
`I say unto you, That unto every one
which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath
shall be taken away from him.' Luke 19:26
All the prophetic signs tell us that the
kingdom of God will very soon appear. For this reason the parable of the
nobleman has a particular message for those awaiting the nobleman's return
today.
Wise are those who heed the instruction
of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians:
`See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming
the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is.' Ephesians 5:15-17
Are you
using your time and living your life wisely? |
