When Jesus walked the highways and byways of the land of Israel preaching the coming Kingdom of God he caused quite a stir. The religious establishment were generally suspicious and increasingly hostile to His message. His reception by what were known as the ‘common people’ was quite different. He was a breath of fresh air. Apart from John the Baptist whose ministry was quickly cut off by King Herod, there hadn’t been a prophet for several hundred years. Very quickly, Jesus got a reputation for bringing new hope to a people who were fed up with years of Roman oppression and the uncaring attitude of their spiritual leaders.
The crowds who followed Jesus thought a new and exciting era was about to dawn. In their enthusiasm for the promised Kingdom just over the horizon, they were often selective in believing what Jesus was saying. The result was that they mislead themselves as to the nature and timing of the coming Kingdom. Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem raised expectations of an immediate climax, the coming of the Messianic Kingdom.
Jesus could read the minds of His followers. They expected the Kingdom to come when He entered the capital. He recognised what the trouble was and He introduced corrective teaching to counter the error. He did this by telling several parables to make it clear that He wasn’t about to begin His reign as Messiah immediately. He was going away and would later return to reign. These parables are known as “The Talents” recorded by Matthew (25:14-30) and “The Pounds” by Luke (19:11-27), both very well known. They have common features but there’s no reason why He shouldn’t have used the same story-line on more than on occasion, to make slightly different points.
The basic plot of “The Talents” is that each of three servants was given a different sum of money. Each clearly knew what was expected of him while the master was away, but was free to use his own initiative. The first two increased the value of what had been entrusted to them and when the master returned he strongly commended their actions, reliable characters and diligent work. The third servant, however, was too lazy or afraid to risk loss and so achieved nothing, to his master’s great displeasure.
The parable of “The Pounds” differs in that each servant is given the same resource to deploy until his master returns from a distant country. Again, two of the servants acted as faithful stewards, using their resources effectively to extend the kingdom. But the third servant was of the same breed as in the first story and had done nothing with the assets entrusted to him and was punished accordingly. Jesus clearly defines the role of master and servant in His Kingdom. We are duty bound to obey His orders. Christians have been “bought at a price” (1 Cor 6:20). We have no claims upon God by any natural right. He is sovereign over our lives.
What can we learn from these fascinating stories? In the first place they teach the:
COMING OF THE KINGDOM
The central theme of Jesus’ preaching was the “kingdom of heaven” or “the kingdom of God”. Both have the same meaning and it would seem that the terms were used by the Gospel writers according to whether they were addressed to the Jews as was Matthew’s, or to non-Jews by Luke. If you look at a concordance you’ll find scores of references to “the Kingdom”.
It’s an interesting question as to when it would arrive: was it at the time when Jesus was on Earth, or in the future? In fact it’s clearly both. It was present in Jesus Himself when He in the synagogue at Nazareth He read from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor … freedom for the prisoners … recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Luke 4:18,19). In Him the great future has already beginning.
Luke tells us that Jesus told the parable of “The Pounds” because “the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once” (19:11). The story was founded on fact. At the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C., his son Archelaus, like the nobleman in the parable, had to undertake a journey to Rome for his succession to be ratified by Caesar. A petition was raised against him and it took a long time to sort things out before he returned in kingly power. In the parable, the nobleman’s servants were told “to work … until I come back.”
This tells us of the future aspect of the Kingdom. It was yet to appear in its fullness at the Lord’s Second Coming when history as we know it will come to an end. But one thing is sure: God’s Kingdom will come. It began in Israel but will embrace all nations and fill all ages until the end of the world. The Coming of the Kingdom was certain but Jesus was insistent on telling His followers about:
WAITING FOR THE KINGDOM
There was to be an undefined “infill time” when the Son of Man and His disciples down the centuries, would sow the Word of God. The Kingdom must be proclaimed to every creature and its fulfilment still recedes into the future. Luther once said that we should be ready as if Jesus were coming today but working as if He were not coming for a thousand years. Whilst waiting expectantly for the King, we’re to keep active in extending His Kingdom.
The sub-plot of the parable of “The Pounds” tells of some of the nobleman’s subjects who were hostile to him stating, “We don’t want this man to be our king” (19:14). This is certainly true of the vast majority of the world’s population. Jesus, the Christian’s Lord and Master ascended to heaven. We know that, in the words of Scripture, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil 2:9,10).
That glorious day has yet to dawn, so what are his faithful servants to do while they wait for Jesus’ authority to be finally confirmed to all creation at His Second Coming? It’s simply that they are to get on with the job of making Him known, acting as His representatives here on Earth. In the lovely words of the King James’ Version of the parable, “Occupy till I come.”
Jesus was aware that His proclamation of The Coming of the Kingdom produced an “end of the world” fever. When people are obsessed with a “date-setting” approach to prophesy they tend to neglect their immediate tasks. The apostle Paul had to address the same problem when he wrote to the believers in Thessalonica. They had become over-excited at the promise of the Lord’s return that they were living undisciplined lives to such an extent that they were commanded “to settle down and earn the bread they eat” (2 Thess 3;13).
The parables speak to this failing. Jesus says, “Wait a minute! Let’s keep our eyes on the job we’re to do right now while we wait patiently for the consummation of God’s Kingdom.” He was instructing His followers what they were to do while they were waiting for His return. It involves:
WORKING FOR THE KINGDOM
In the parable of “The Talents”, each servant received a different portion of the master’s wealth to trade for him in his absence. A “talent”, in the time when Jesus spoke the parable, was a weight, which later became a large unit of money. They’re better seen as responsibilities which the Lord gives His people in the light of their abilities and opportunities. It’s not a gift, as if we control it. It’s not an ability, of which we might boast. There are some wonderfully gifted and able people and those who, like me, feel that we were somehow overlooked when these facilities were handed out, might well be tempted to be envious of the great and the good!
I rather like to go to classical concerts and marvel the virtuoso performances. I’ve also heard public speakers hold an audience enthralled by their eloquence for an hour without a note! There are some preachers gifted in this way but I’m not one of them! I read the biography of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones who certainly didn’t believe that an hour was too long for a sermon – I know it’s true because I heard him preach several times! The biographer reproduced one of his sermon notes which comprised of a small sheet of paper with handwritten notes that looked as unreadable as a doctor’s prescription!
The “talent” received by the servants is really actually the investment of opportunities. It’s the measure of responsibility in using what they’ve received by “common grace”, together with the mystical “anointing” of the Spirit, which God has seen fit to give us. Like as in the parable, God entrusts varying amounts to his servants. Not everyone is given the same responsibilities because we haven’t got the same skills, whether developed or not. Thankfully, God doesn’t expect of us more than He in His wisdom has given us, although greater privilege brings greater responsibility. But what we’ve received represents our working capital for God’s Kingdom.
In the parable of “The Talents” the assets for use in the Kingdom were unequally distributed: one servant was entrusted with ten, another with five, another with only one. Some, because of God’s grace, are given greater responsibilities because they are endowed with special ability. Jesus told His disciples how accountability would be judged: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48). God knows what we can do but He’s looking for a good return on His investment.
The parable of “The Pounds” is also about God’s investment in us but from the standpoint of equality. Jesus is conveying the idea that in some ways we all share equal responsibility. Kings and commoners, the privileged and the paupers, the influential and the obscure, all stand on the same footing. In what sense is this true? It’s in the area of the most precious thing that we possess, our life, that each of us is of equal significance in God’s sight. Whether we’re rich or poor in gifts or goods, high or low on social scale, what we do with our life matters supremely to God. As a citizen, we may feel that we’re just a social security number, but not so with God. No one is more important in His plans than you are.
The parables of “The Talents” and “The Pounds” have highlighted the Kingdom of God in its Coming, of Waiting for it, of Working for it, but the vital point in both that Jesus was seeking to make, was each person’s:
ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE KINGDOM
The whole thrust of these parables is that God has made an investment in you and me. What we possess is held in trust. In other words, we’re trustees; we’ve been delegated to administer God’s assets freely given to us. Yes, they’re ours in the sense that we have control of them, but only to be used for Him and not squandered or neglected. We need to remember that everything in this life is on loan and actually belongs to God. It follows from this that we’re accountable to Him.
Both parables feature a master, a king, who is absent in person for a time, but who one day will return and will want to know about the business of our lives. We came into the world with nothing and will leave with nothing but the investment returns God has judged we’ve made for His Kingdom. The apostle Paul saw it in terms of a building: it was either made of solid and valuable materials, “… gold, silver, costly stones” or that which would perish as “… wood, hay or straw” in the fire of God’s testing when our lives are assessed at the Last Day when the Kingdom of God is fully revealed (1 Cor 3:12,13).
Another of Paul’s profound sayings is: "I am a debtor" (Rom 1:14). What he is saying is that he has an obligation to discharge, a duty to perform and a debt to pay to all men. It wasn’t that he’d borrowed some money he must repay. It’s Jesus who has made Paul a debtor by committing the Gospel to his trust. A young medical student had graduated with the highest marks and accolades. Fellow students asked him about his future plans. When he told them his ambition was to be a medical missionary in a deprived area, they retorted by saying, "That’s no way to get on in the world." His reply to them was, "Which world?"
The people portrayed in these interesting stories varied in their approach to their responsibilities. Some were wise and diligent: “Master, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I’ve gained five more” (Matt 25:20); “Sir, your pound has earned ten more” (Luke 19:16). It wasn’t so much the percentage added but the faithful stewardship that gained the master’s warm approval. But it’s important to remember that even our best works don’t entitle us to anything from God. Jesus taught that even when servants “have done everything you were told to do” they “should say. ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’” (Luke 17:10).
But such is the grace of God, Jesus used the parables to tell us that if we maximise what He has entrusted to us, there will be rewards:
- there’ll be affirmation: “Well done, good and faithful servant”
- there’ll be promotion: “I will put you in charge of many things”
- there’ll be celebration: “Come and share your master’s happiness” (Matt 25:21).
These are the spiritual economics of the Kingdom. Our capitalist system, at its best, adopts these sound values. Nothing succeeds like success!
But there’s also a sober side in the Accountability of the Kingdom. In each of the parables there was one servant who neglected the assets entrusted to him. They had just “sat on their hands” and done nothing. They weren’t necessarily bad men. They hadn’t absconded with their master’s assets. They thought they would get away with just handing them back at the Day of Judgement - but with no return on the investment. The master wasn’t impressed! To neglect God’s trust, to let our gifts lie idle, to miss opportunities open to us, is nothing less than a breach of trust in God’s eyes.
Jesus states a principle of the Christian life in the judgements handed down in the parables. We can’t remain static: to do nothing is not an option. It’s a matter of “use it or lose it!” Exercise an ability, and it develops; neglect it and it withers. The sombre note in Jesus’ explanation is unmistakable: “I tell you,” Jesus said, “to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away” (Luke 19:26). Either we use our time and resources in order to advance God’s Kingdom, or we experience a form of spiritual paralysis, in danger of losing the good gifts with which we have been endowed.
Like the servants in the parables we know that our Lord will return to call us to account. It’s not a matter of “if” but of “when” – and that we don’t know. But until He returns we’re called on to live our lives fully for Him, using our God-given resources wisely and joyfully for the cause of His Kingdom.
