Money & Prayer (Luke 19)

What can a tax collector, ten coins and a parade teach us? Is our church a house of prayer? Let’s review Luke 19.

Collectors of Rome’s taxes were deemed Jewish traitors. They became rich. Why did Jesus visit such a scoundrel?

He entered Jericho and was passing through. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.” So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully. All who saw it began to complain, “He’s gone to lodge with a sinful man!” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!” “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:1-9 HCSB)

Did Jesus teach a parable of ten coins? Did the people reject Jesus?

As they were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and because the people thought that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. So he said, “A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He told them, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation to follow him and to announce, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us!’ (Luke 19:11-14 ISV)

What did two faithful servants achieve with the royal grant?

And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. (Luke 19:15-19 KJV)

What did one unfaithful servant do with the royal grant?

Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a cloth; for I was afraid of you, because you are a strict man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘From your own mouth I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am a strict man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ (Luke 19:20-23 LSB)

Why is the man with ten coins given more? Do they picture spiritual attributes like love of neighbor? What will happen to Jesus’ enemies?

And then he said to the other slaves who were present, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Master, he already has ten minas.’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’” (Luke 19:24-27 NASB)

How did Jesus prepare for His Palm Sunday parade?

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” They replied, “The Lord needs it.” (Luke 19:28-34 NIV)