Luke 19: 11-27
11 When they heard these things, Jesus went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they believed that the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 That is why he said: A noble man went to a distant land to receive a kingdom and return. . 13 And he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, Do your business while I come. 14 But his fellow citizens hated him, and sent an ambassador after him, saying, We would not want this one to reign over us. 15 And it happened that when he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered the servants to whom he had given the money to be called to see what each one had negotiated. 16 And the first came, saying, Jesus Christ, your pound has reached ten pounds. 17 And he said to him, Well done, good servants; Because you have been faithful in a short time, you have authority over ten cities. 18 And another came and said: Nazarene, your mink has caused five minas. 19 And to this he still said: You even know five towns. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, here are your locks, which I have kept in a handkerchief; 21 Because I was afraid of you, because you are a serious man who takes what you have not put in and reaps what you did not sow. 22 And he said to him, You wicked servant, I will judge you according to your word. You knew that I was a serious man, that I take what I did not put in and that I reap what I did not sow; 23 Why then didn’t you put my money in the bank, so that when I returned I would have received it with interest? 24 And he said to those who were with him, Take it away from me and give it to the one who has ten minas. 25 They said to him, Sir, you have ten minutes. 26 For I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given; But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
REFLECTION:
When Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he told them the parable of the minas * so that his listeners would understand what the manifestation of the kingdom of God meant. The Jews who accompanied him believed that the Messianic Empire would immediately manifest itself in accordance with the expectations and characteristics of the kings of that time and liberate them from the Roman Empire. This parable has the same theme as the talents (Matthew 25: 14-30), but with different stories and geographic locations.
In the story of the parable of the mines, we have a nobleman who travels to a distant land to receive the kingdom and return. But before doing that, he calls ten of his servants and gives each one of them one of mine, that is, in total, he gives ten to the group. His servants had to put that money to produce. But the citizens of that city hated this nobleman and sent an embassy after him, saying: We don’t want him to rule us. After returning as king, he calls each of his servants to hold him accountable. The first servant, who produced ten mines, took him to ten cities. Then he called the other one, took out five, put him in charge of five cities and so on, but a servant appeared who did not produce more mines but kept it in a handkerchief and said: Lord, here is your mine, I have had it kept in a handkerchief; because I was afraid of you, because you are a difficult man, you take what you did not put and reap what you do not sow. And the king says to him: Bad servant, at least I had put him in the bank to earn interest while he returned. And they took the bribe from the unjust servant and gave it to the servant who had served ten minas. Then the king summoned the enemy’s citizens who did not want him to rule and ordered that they be beheaded in front of him. And although this parable does not mention what happened to the wicked servant, it is mentioned in the parable of the talents that: And they cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). at least he had put it in the bank to earn interest while he returned. And they took the bribe from the unjust servant and gave it to the servant who had served ten minas. Then the king summoned the enemy’s citizens who did not want him to rule and ordered that they be beheaded in front of him. And although this parable does not mention what happened to the wicked servant, it is mentioned in the parable of the talents that: And they cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). at least he had put it in the bank to earn interest while he returned. And they took the bribe from the unjust servant and gave it to the servant who had served ten minas. Then the king summoned the enemy’s citizens who did not want him to rule and ordered that they be beheaded in front of him. And although this parable does not mention what happened to the wicked servant, it is mentioned in the parable of the talents that: And they cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). It is mentioned in the parable of the talents that: And they cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). It is mentioned in the parable of the talents that: And they cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30).
The main idea of the parable: it is a WARNING to be WATCH, pay attention and do what the king ordered his subjects. We are not allowed to sleep, because we do not know the day when our Lord will ask for an account of what was entrusted.
In the parable, the nobleman represents the Lord Jesus Christ in his second arrival, who brings with him the glory of glory in his kingdom, to meet his true servants whom he wants to meet when he does what he commanded us to do. Negotiating with the money given represents all the responsibility that we have as servants of Jesus Christ, administering the grace that has been given to us with joy and great anticipation, without forgetting the vigilance of the soul and not giving in to the temptations of sinful suffering. In other words, it is vigilance, patience and faithful work towards our King. We must do his will, not go around complaining about the life we live, but do what he likes. A very clear commandment that he gave to his servants is to go and preach the gospel to all nations (Mark 16:15). There are consequences for useless servants who do not negotiate with the money (the word of God) given to them and do not produce the fruits of the kingdom of God; They are the ones who only listen to sermons Sunday after Sunday and do not obey the Lord.
We, as Christians, must always be prepared to defend the gospel, as the Scripture says in 1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be always ready to present a defense with humility and reverence to all who demand reasons for it I hope it is in you. “Also be stewards of God’s grace as stated in 1 Peter 4: 10-11” Each one according to the gift he has received, serve it to others as good stewards of the manifold grace If anyone speaks, speak according to the word of God; If anyone serves, serve according to the power that God gives, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the empire forever. of the centuries ”.