"Minas And Me:" The Parable Of The Minas

Parables to Live By

“Minas and Me:” The Parable of the Minas

Luke 19:11-27

Watch on YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-c-AJNC0TU&t=11s

During the late 70s and early 80s, there was great expectation within the church that Jesus would be returning soon. The reason was because the generation when Israel became a nation in 1948 was ending. The excitement stemmed from the parable of the fig tree Jesus told Matthew 24:32-35. It says the generation that saw the Jewish nation, the fig tree, bloom and was ready to give fruit would also see the second coming of the Son of Man. In the Scriptures, figs were often symbolic of the Jewish people and the fig tree was symbolic of the nation of Israel.

Everyone, therefore, was getting ready for Jesus’s return. Shelves were full of  books about the signs of the second coming, and that it would be soon. ??The Scriptures, however, were very clear that the while we may know the season of Jesus's return, only the Heavenly Father knows the day and hour. We must therefore be busy doing Kingdom of Heaven business until that day. And this is what this parable reveals.

But some people did baffling stuff, like selling all their possessions. Now, I never understood that thinking. Not that I’m into stuff, but why bother selling our possessions if Jesus was returning soon? We can’t take the money with us! Consider as well that if we’re selling it, was it something we shouldn’t have had to begin with? Was it something Jesus wouldn’t approve of, as if He didn’t know already? 

Realizing that, their motives may have been more towards getting right with God, no matter what they were doing was more works oriented acceptance. This comes from when Jesus said to the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and follow Him (Matthew 19:21).

But as we know, our getting right with God is more about God’s grace towards us than our works in trying to get there. As Paul said, that it is by grace through faith and not of works lest we boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Later, millennial fever took over, which saw people prior to the year 2,000 flocking to Jerusalem for the end to come. And again, that made little sense, because Jerusalem is going to be the center of where everything would happen, like when the Antichrist would overrun the city, killing many people prior to Jesus’s return.

If we’re still here on earth during this time, why not just wait until the fighting is over when Jesus would be king sitting upon His throne?

What I found even stranger is that on the eve of year 2,000, one hotel in Jerusalem had listed several apostles, Peter, and Paul, on their guest register, along with one King David, the angels’ Michael and Gabriel, and two messiahs. What ever happened to sanity?

Expecting the Messiah to come isn’t some recent phenomenon. It has been around for quite some time. It was such expectations that had Jesus telling the story, or parable, we’ll be exploring.

Jesus just announced salvation coming to the life and the house of the tax collector, Zacchaeus. He said the purpose of His coming was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:9-10).

With those words Jesus launches into this parable, but notice Jesus's stated purpose.

“Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.” (Luke 9:11 NKJV)

The word “appear” is a powerful word. It means something was to become clear and out into the open for all to witness. Luke also makes sure we know how significant it was that Jesus was near Jerusalem as well.

When the people saw Jesus’s proximity to Jerusalem, and that many were hailing Him as the coming Messiah, that now was the time for the coming Kingdom of God. They believed now was the time Jesus would conquer the Roman empire setting the people free.

But instead of getting all worked up about the Messiah’s coming, Jesus said they should get all worked up on furthering the Kingdom of God.

“Therefore, He said: ‘A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ 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 19:12-15 NKJV)