Author: Bill Hall

“Why then would you not have given my money to the bank, that when I came I might perchance have it with interest?”

Luke 19:23

The bank would have been a relatively safe place to keep the money as well. Yet, the benefit of the bank was the potential for interest. The servant hardly would have produced exponential gains, but some profit would have been likely.

This servant went to some trouble to justify himself in not doing anything with his master’s money. And yet an easier and better option was readily suggested by his poor excuse for his lack of performance.

Very often we find those who never ‘throw in’ with others in the work of the gospel because they have concerns about the methods or fellow ministers. Though wise use of our resources is good, these folks end up squandering any opportunity they might have to further the kingdom.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making Your Word known to us. You have blessed us with many spiritual blessings. We must not hold ourselves with both hands as tightly as possible. We can proceed with wisdom and in the constant desire for Your glory. Your grace can be shed abroad by us because that is what You have chosen. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And he said, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, evil servant. Because you had known that I am an austere man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow;’

Luke 19:22

This servant’s knowledge only made him that much more culpable. It revealed the effort he went to in order to justify himself in doing nothing. The master does not here deny what the servant had said. This indicates that this servant did have an accurate picture of his master. And yet, he still failed miserably in his service.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great love and care! You know our needs and our weakness. You understand our thoughts, but Yours are so much higher and more wonderful than ours. Thank You for Your truth! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

For I was afraid of you because you are an austere man, taking up what you did not lay down, and reaping what you did not sow.

Luke 19:21

This is one of those verses that can cause confusion if one is not careful. To be austere did not necessarily imply that this master was a crook. What this servant is saying is that he knows his master is going to expect a return on his investments. The servant would have to assume some risk as well.

This master might have planned to come back later to take everything back, without choosing to reward the servants. Or, he may have chosen to demand the full Mina if any part was lost in the attempt to gain by it. Thus, this servant was focused on how his master might be planning to end the arrangement. He did not, however, give thought to how to use his master’s money for good purposes, as did the other servants.

Heavenly Father, thank You for what You have supplied to us. You give us truth and power and peace. We know and see the impact of sin, and that it has not disappeared. But we also know and see the impact of the Son upon this old world. We know that this present darkness is temporary and shall be shattered. We see already the power of Your work among Your people, and we rejoice! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then another came and said, ‘Lord, look, this is your Mina, which I have reserved in a cloth.’

Luke 19:20

There are those times in our lives when we say things that do not even make sense to us when we say them. But there are also those who think their own intentions are always best regardless of any advice to the contrary.

This servant addresses his ‘contribution’ by first assuring his master that the Mina in question was the same one he had been entrusted with. He reveals that he had gone to some effort to ensure that there had been little chance of loss of his master’s money. Of course, by minimizing the chance of loss, he had also completely removed any chance of gain by way of this grant.

Heavenly Father, thank You for all of the wonderful things You have blessed us with. And may we never miss those blessings by seeking for things we do not need. Godliness with contentment is indeed great gain. I will praise You by risking wealth to gain good fruits. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And also he said to this one, ‘You will be over five cities.’

Luke 19:19

Authority is an interesting concept in Scripture. Here this servant is given the five cities to have ‘authority’ over. Does this mean dictatorial / monarchical type rule? No, that is not consistent with what we know of Scripture. Instead the authority in view is representative more than anything. This master knows he can trust this servant to be his representative.

In spite of the smaller number of cities, this servant is given a lot to be responsible for. The trust is no less real.

Does this mean that in the future kingdom of heaven we will rule over cities? Well, we do not know as much as we think about the future. But what we do know is that the kingdom of Christ is not the same as the kingdoms of this world. They are but a pale shadow in comparison. Thus, the servants of Christ need not focus on dreams of grand rule, but of humble service.

Heavenly Father, thank You for working in our lives even when we cannot see the next step as clearly as we would like. We see that You are active in this world, but also in our lives. The comfort we must take, is not in the next step, but Who will take it with us! Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your Mina has earned five Minas.’

Luke 19:18

In our human thinking we will read this passage and say, ‘Too bad the second servant only earned five minas.’ But Jesus doesn’t say that. Yes the master gives this servant less responsibility. But he is still happy with the servant’s work.

In our lives we tend to look at others and judge our own performance that way. But Christ is the judge. And when we compare ourselves to Him, it keeps us humble. Humility does not make us think little of ourselves and put ourselves down for our five Minas compared to another’s ten. It makes us remember that it is all for Christ, and that becomes our focus rather than performance.

Jesus could have left this man out. Why tell us about the ‘five minas’ servant? He wanted us to understand there will be those who do more, and those who do less. But both are His servants. We should learn from this. Spiritual elitism or inferiority is not acceptable in the kingdom of God. All are equally under the eye of the Just Judge.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your love and power! We are so frail and we worry about every little thing. But we know You understand all that we are and all that we do. You know our efforts and see our desires. You judge the inner man. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant. Because you have been faithful in the trivial, you will have authority over ten cities.’

Luke 19:17

As humans we find it difficult to be faithful in the most mundane of circumstances. Glamor and popularity can make it easier to be consistent. But it is in the ‘unimportant’ things that we find a challenge. Faithfulness just for the sake of being faithful to your Lord, and not because of what you are actually doing, that is the secret to contentment. And, the Lord can then trust you with more.

Heavenly Father, thank You for leading our lives. We are so easily content to live in death with no abundance to our life. But You call us out of that to a life that is full and free. You are truly wise and good. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The first came, saying, ‘Lord, your Mina has earned ten Minas.’

Luke 19:16

This is meant to be understood as a lifetime of earning. This servant had not produced such a return overnight. But with careful and studious attention over the course of time, the benefit was earned.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts You give us for life. Your investment in us is for our blessing and is so wonderful. I cannot thank You enough. May everything we do bring glory to You in this life and in the life to come for all eternity! You are the LORD of all! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And it happened upon his return from receiving the kingdom, that he commanded these servants to be summoned (the ones he had given the silver to) so that he might thoroughly examine them to know how they had faired.

Luke 19:15

This is a perfectly reasonable course of action. There is nothing here to indicate it was his plan to take anything back. He was interested in their performance, not the money. He wanted to hold them accountable for the purpose of potential promotion.

Heavenly Father, we so easily rush to judgement. We are afraid of everything and the slightest thing can worry us. But in You we can have safety, peace, and a fair eye. Thank You for how Your Word influences our minds for the best. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassador after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man as king over us.’

Luke 19:14

These citizens would represent the Jewish people. Though a great number of Jews individually accepted Christ, the nation as a whole rejected Him. This is a sad commentary, but the Jewish people are not alone in this failure to genuinely turn to Christ at a national level.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithful and genuine love for us in Your Son. You are the One we can look to for a true example of selflessness. In spite of all the glory You deserve, You have condescended to rescue us. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.