In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus told a parable of a nobleman who was to embark on a journey. Before leaving for His journey, He gave 10 of his servants 10 minas; that is, each servant received a mina from the Master. On giving each servant a mina, the Master said to them, "Occupy till I come”, "Do business with what you have received till I come.”
When the nobleman returned and was rewarding the servants who had occupied while He was away, the servants who had done business with the money received, the nobleman told them, "Well done, good servant; you have been faithful."
So, Jesus is coming back to reward faithfulness. "Occupy till He comes" is a parable Jesus gave on the importance of faithfulness. Another way of phrasing "Occupy till He comes" is: “Be faithful with what you have been given until He comes.” Or, “Be a diligent steward while you wait for Jesus' return.”
God has given each of us our own 'mina'. We have been given talents, gifts, skills, special abilities, resources, and the time to use what He has given us for His glory. We, therefore, have to prove ourselves as reliable and dependable servants, as Jesus is coming back to reward our faithfulness, commitment, and trustworthiness.
Today, we are considering the barriers to faithfulness as seen in this parable.
BARRIER 1: NOT STARTING WHERE YOU ARE
The servants were to put the money they had received to use at the level they were. They were not to wait for the next level of change or growth in their lives; they were not to wait until their present problem or challenge was resolved. They were not to wait for a pleasant, favorable, and conducive atmosphere before putting their mina to work. They were to be faithful at their present level, irrespective of what that level was. They were told to occupy till He comes at their present level, not when they moved to the next level (Luke 19:13).
Faithfulness is about being trustworthy, reliable, and dependable where you are, not where you hope, desire, or dream to be. It's about being faithful with what you have, not with what you hope, desire, or dream to have.
Many people wrongly believe that they will display a higher level of commitment and faithfulness once they start making more money, have a car, move to a bigger house, get married, or have a child. Or they would be more dedicated if they were head of their department or unit, or placed in the position of the CEO of their organization. What they fail to realize is that if you can't be faithful with little, you won't be faithful with much, as Luke 16:10 rightly puts it.
Joseph had a big dream before him, that he would one day be a great and influential leader, and his family would bow down to him. But Joseph didn't wait until his dream was fulfilled before he started being faithful. He started by being faithful with little things; he started by being faithful as a servant to Potiphar.
Don't let what you hope to be, achieve, and accomplish in life become a barrier to your being faithful. At your present level, with what you have right now, make yourself available to be used for God's glory. Stop waiting for "perfect conditions" before you are faithful. Be faithful whether you are in the ‘pit,’ ‘prison,’ or ‘palace.’
BARRIER 2: HIDING BEHIND OTHER PEOPLE'S FAITHFULNESS
The instruction to occupy until He comes is given generally to all, but the reward is given individually. In the parable, the Master gave the instruction generally to 10 servants to occupy until He returns, but when it was time to reward faithfulness, each servant had to individually say what he had done with the money he received (Luke 19: 13, 15-23).
Instructions to occupy until Jesus comes, serve God diligently, be faithful in prayer, walk in holiness, meditate on the Word of God every day and night, love your neighbor as yourself, and so many others in the Bible, are given generally; the rewards are given on an individual basis. Each person has to give an account for their life (Romans 14:12).
When the Master returned, the unfaithful servant couldn't hide behind the faithfulness of the faithful and trustworthy servants. He wasn't covered because his co-servants or colleagues had done the right thing and had been faithful, which is a mistake many people make. They think they will be covered by the faithfulness of their parents, siblings, Pastor, spouse, prayer partner, or best friend.
God does not reward group faithfulness or faithfulness by proxy. That is, you are not there, but you want to be covered by the faithfulness and diligence of others. That's not how it works in the Kingdom of God. Each person has to work out his salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). Each person has to run the race God has marked out for him or her (Hebrews 12:1). Another person cannot run your race for you; another person cannot run his race, and you will be rewarded for it.
Matthew 24:40-41 shows us the danger of hiding behind another person's faithfulness, the danger of thinking you will be covered by the faithfulness of those close to you. That passage says that when Jesus returns, “Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” This means that two workers will be in church; the faithful one will be taken, the unfaithful one will be left behind. Two best friends will be at school; the faithful one will be taken, the other, who wasn’t faithful, left behind. Two biological brothers will be at a program; the faithful one will be taken, the unfaithful one left behind.
It says two women will be at the grinding mill, two colleagues will be at work; the faithful one will be taken while the unfaithful one is left behind. Two business partners will be at a board meeting; the faithful one will be taken, the unfaithful one left behind.
It is clear from this parable and so many others Jesus told, like the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), that there will be two sets of people when Jesus returns: the faithful and the unfaithful. We are to pray and work towards being counted amongst the faithful when He returns, or we meet with Him. Not to relax and be complacent because we are surrounded by people close to us who are being faithful. No one will be able to hide behind the faithfulness of those close to you when we stand before God to give an account of our lives.
BARRIER 3: NOT VALUING WHAT YOU HAVE
In Luke 19:26 NIV, after the unfaithful servant told the Master that he hadn't done anything with the money He gave him, the Master said, "...to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away." He said if you have nothing, it will be taken from you. If there's nothing in my hands, for instance, there's nothing to collect from my hand.
So, when the Master said the ‘nothing’, the servant had would be taken from him and given to another; it wasn't that the servant had nothing; it was that he treated what he had like nothing. He didn't value the money that was given to him.
YOU CAN'T BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT YOU DO NOT VALUE
If we read through Genesis 39:1-6, we will see that Joseph occupied 3 different positions while at Potiphar's house. Joseph entered Potiphar’s employment as a servant whom Potiphar bought from the Egyptians. That was the first level, being just one of Potiphar’s servants. If Joseph didn't value his job at this level, he wouldn't have given his best. It was when Potiphar saw his faithfulness at this level of being a servant that he promoted him to his personal servant or assistant. From being faithful as his personal assistant, Potiphar made him the overseer/manager of his house, estate, and all his possessions.
At every level, Joseph gave his best to his work. He proved himself to be faithful and trustworthy because he valued every role, position, and assignment that was given to him. Even that of being in charge of all prisoners when he was unjustly thrown into prison.
YOU CAN'T GIVE YOUR BEST TO WHAT YOU DON'T VALUE.
YOU CAN LOSE WHAT YOU HAVE AND DON'T VALUE.
This was what happened to the unfaithful servant. He lost his mina, which he didn't value; he lost the opportunity to receive something greater because he didn't value the little he was given.
Even if all you have right now is a job where you feel you are underpaid, be grateful for what you have, value what you have, and give thanks for what you have. Because no matter how bad you think your situation is, there are people who are going through worse. Thank God for what you have and where you presently, give Him your best, and watch what God will do in your life.
BARRIER 4: PLANS WITHOUT ACTION
Faithfulness starts with a plan; faithfulness can't remain as a plan. I can imagine that when the Master gave his ten servants their mina and told them to use this money to do business, the faithful servants started thinking and planning what business to do. The first servant may have thought of selling clothes, hats, and perfumes. He put plans in place to start his business, went into action, and saw his business grow and make a profit. The other servant thought of going into yogurt business. He put plans in place, started his business, and saw it grow and make a profit.
The faithful servants not only had a plan on how to use the money they were given, but they put their plans into action; they did business with the money they had; they occupied themselves with what they had been given until the Master returned. That was why they had something to show the Master when He returned.
If you have great plans but you do nothing, you won't be rewarded, no matter how grand your plans or brilliant the strategies you have. There's no reward for "I plan to spend one hour in prayer every day this year". There's no reward for "I plan to help the poor and needy this year". There's no reward for "I plan to be punctual for every church service, meeting, program, or event I have to attend this year". There's no reward for "I plan to release my album this year".
Many of us get stuck in the Planning Trap, where we have all the plans but no action; where we have good intentions, but no action to back our intentions. It is those who move from thinking and planning to action that experience growth; they see the reward for their labor, not those who remain in the planning stage.
It takes discipline, hard work, and sacrifices to be faithful. Faithfulness means you keep showing up against all odds; it means that even in the face of hardship and difficulty, you have an unwavering commitment. And God has a comforting and encouraging way of rewarding faithfulness, not plans to be faithful. See how from one mina, the first servant was put in charge of 10 cities. Note 10 cities, not 10 houses. In addition to this, he was given the mina of the unfaithful servant. This was a major lifting and promotion. This was something much bigger than what he initially received from his Master. This was a much higher level than where he initially started. But he wouldn’t have gotten all this if all he had going for himself were wonderful plans. He was elevated to a 'big man', in charge of 10 cities. Many people want to be a big ministry, a big brand, a big business, but all they have are plans with no action. They don't have a track record of faithfulness, which is what brings about growth, increase, and progress.
BARRIER 5: DISOBEDIENCE TO SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS
God rewards faithfulness to divine instructions, not the good things we do that He didn't tell us to do. The unfaithful servant said, "Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief" (Luke 19:20). He was saying, here's your money; I hid it and kept it safe. It's a good thing to save money; it's a good thing to keep money neat and clean, not squeeze it, squash it, write on it, or tear it. Which was what the servant was saying. He did a good thing, but he didn't do what His Master told him to do. The instruction wasn't to save the money or keep it clean and neat. The instruction was to use it to do business.
Many people are busy doing a lot of good things, but not the things God has told them to do. God rewards faithfulness to His instructions, not the good things we do that He didn't tell us to do.
In 1 Samuel 15:3, God instructed King Saul to go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they had. Not spare anything or anyone - this was the instruction. But what did Saul do? He and his men spared Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and the best of the sheep, oxen, and lambs. All that was good, they kept for themselves.
If you didn't know the instruction God gave Saul, you would say this is a good king; see the rich plunder he has given his men; see the big welfare packages and palliatives he has given his men after going to battle. But the instruction wasn't for Saul to go and enrich himself and his men. Someone may appear as a very good person to you, while in God's eyes, the person is living in disobedience (1 Samuel 15:9).
The instruction was not to bring a sacrifice to God, which was what King Saul told God when God asked him why he didn't destroy everything and everyone in Amalek (1 Samuel 15:15, 20-21). Saul thought he was being smart by telling God that the things that weren't destroyed were kept as a sacrifice to Him.
No one can outsmart God, nor can we use good things that He didn't send us to do to bribe Him. You can't remove obedience from faithfulness. Faithfulness is about faithfully obeying God.
I pray God gives us a heart of obedience, so we can occupy till He comes and are not found wanting when He returns, or we meet with Him. May we not be busy doing what is in our mind to do, while ignoring what God has given us to do.
BARRIER 6: NOT UNDERSTANDING THE MASTER
In Luke 19:21, everything the unfaithful servant told the Master was untrue. The Master in the parable represents Jesus. So this was what the servant said about Christ, "...You are an austere man. You collect what You did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow." That's an untrue and unfair statement to make of Jesus, who has given His all for us.
But how come this servant was so bold and confident to make this untrue statement to his Master's face? It was because he was genuinely wrong. People are genuinely wrong when they have limited, incomplete, or incorrect information about a person, place, topic, or issue.
For example, some people believe that God is too loving, kind, and merciful to send anyone to hell. They are genuinely wrong because they have incomplete information about God. They only know about the compassionate and merciful attributes of God; they don't know that God is also a Judge, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and a consuming fire.
People who are genuinely wrong lack understanding. The unfaithful servant didn't understand who his Master was. Lack of understanding can lead to poor or wrong choices. The lack of understanding of the unfaithful servant led him to make a wrong decision to keep his money instead of using it to do business.
Just like people who believe God is too kind to send anyone to hell, make wrong decisions; they live their lives anyhow, not thinking of the day they will stand before the Judgement seat of God.
Lack of understanding can lead to missed opportunities. When the Master gave the servant one mina to do business, it wasn't an unnecessary burden he placed on him. It was actually the key to his growth, increase, progress, and prosperity that the Master put in his hands. But because he didn't understand his Master's intentions, he missed an opportunity of a lifetime.
The only way you can know and understand a person is by getting to know the person. The only way we can know and understand God is by spending time in His presence and in His Word.
It's so important that we spend quality time in God’s presence and the Word of God so that we aren't genuinely wrong about God, so we have a better understanding of our Lord, Saviour, and Master. I want to commend the prayer Paul kept praying in Colossians 1:9-10 to us. This is a prayer to pray regularly for ourselves. I pray as this Bible passage says that we will be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, have wisdom, and insight into His plan for our lives, and have understanding of God’s Word, understanding of spiritual things, understanding of how God works, so that we can please God, walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, and be fruitful and faithful stewards.
