S133P7 – Words to live by: good works are commanded
Lk. 19:20-27
Then another came, saying, “Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.” He said to him, “I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?” And he said to those who stood by, “Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.” And they said to him, “Lord, he has ten minas!” “I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will 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 before me.”
Verse 11 indicates that Jesus told this parable because He was near Jerusalem, and the people expected God’s kingdom to appear immediately. The parable, then, serves to correct that expectation. It is a way of explaining that this kingdom they expect now is yet to come. The nobleman for whom the servants worked was to go away, receive his kingdom, then return. It is in this context that he asked his servants to steward a portion of his fortune while he was gone by putting that portion to work. Then, upon his return, he called them before him to ask what they had gained from this work they were commanded to do. Here we see the result for the servant who did no work.
Let us first note that there were citizens of this nobleman’s territory who hated him and did not want him to establish his kingdom. We see here that they were slaughtered and never became part of this new kingdom. This is separate and different from what the disobedient servant suffers. The disobedient servant is not destroyed, but he certainly suffers loss. These minas are what God gives us to complete good works. They represent the gifts, talents, knowledge, and whatever else God gives us to steward as tools for our work. When Christ returns, He will ask us to show the fruits of our work. These works of ours will be tested on that day.
This parable is reminiscent of 1 Cor. 3. With these works of ours, we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. If those works are indeed good, what we have built on the foundation of Christ will survive the fire, and we will receive a reward. If we have built with anything other than the good works we are commanded to carry out, that which was built will be destroyed. The servant survives, but he will experience loss. He will be saved but without a reward. It is for the servant to be faithful in what he builds on the foundation of Christ, and he certainly is expected to build while waiting for his Lord’s return. Father, increase our faithfulness in completing good works that will withstand the fire and yield a reward.