The Master’s Reward

As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away.

Therefore he said, “A nobleman traveled to a far country to receive for himself authority to be king and then to return. He called ten of his servants, gave them ten minas, and told them, ‘Engage in business until I come back.’

“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to rule over us.’

“At his return, having received the authority to be king, he summoned those servants he had given the money to, so that he could find out how much they had made in business. The first came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten more minas.’

“‘Well done, good servant!’ he told him. ‘Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over ten towns.’

“The second came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’

“So he said to him, ‘You will be over five towns.’

“And another came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina. I have kept it safe in a cloth because I was afraid of you since you’re a harsh man: you collect what you didn’t deposit and reap what you didn’t sow.’

“He told him, ‘I will condemn you by what you have said, you evil servant! If you knew I was a harsh man, collecting what I didn’t deposit and reaping what I didn’t sow, why, then, didn’t you put my money in the bank? And when I returned, I would have collected it with interest.’ So he said to those standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

“But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’

“‘I tell you, that to everyone who has, more will be given; and from the one who does not have, even what he does have will be taken away. But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.’” Luke 19:11-27 (CSB)

I’ve read this passage over a hundred times, and I’ve always missed the part in bold. He told them this story because they thought the Kingdom was coming right away. 

Interesting, as it was told to those as he is approaching Jerusalem. People assumed something big would happen once he got there. The whole triumphal entry, which we’ll see in the coming days, was an expectation of the coming Messiah to rule militarily. Here Jesus is not only tempering expectations, but also speaking of what the faithful should be doing in the meantime. 

Jesus wasn’t coming to kick out the Romans. He wasn’t coming with Angels and fanfare to destroy the occupying force. In fact, the type of revolution that he was bringing would likely not be recognizing by those looking for one. A suffering messiah is not the type of hero we’re looking for, and a Kingdom of God that starts in the hearts and spirits of his followers who will themselves be martyred and tyrannized for centuries is hardly the muscular religion that draws people to it. It’s one of the reasons most will abandon him in the end.  

I saw a survey recently about the number one characteristic that people are attracted to in their churches. Overwhelmingly, representative of our culture, people were drawn to winners, however you may define that. Successful churches, big programs, massive buildings, huge budgets and followings. Celebrity pastors are a real draw. They want victory. Just like our culture, these symbols of success are representative of a religion worth following. 

No one, and I mean no one expects or wants a church that is struggling to get by with volunteer staff and few to no programs. If they’re not successful, they must not have anything worth having. Who wants to go to that? The same is true of a suffering messiah. Who wants to follow someone who allows himself to get killed and humiliated. It’s the opposite of success. It’s not what we want.

Despite this, Jesus lays out the nature of the Kingdom as it is, not as they want it. It’s not the outward appearance of success, but what is taking place within it that matters. It’s not in kicking out the Romans, or Angels appearing out of nowhere, but in the small actions that we take. Are you still willing to serve him, even when it doesn’t look successful or grand? What you do matters. More so than you realize. And what we do will be acknowledged and rewarded. It doesn’t matter what you belong to. Whether your church is huge, or tiny, whether your community is rich or poor. That we approach the areas of life over which we have control and influence with zeal and energy for the Gospel, that is what matters. 

The Kingdom of God is not about size or appearance, or even about success. Rather, it’s about the lives we live in the midst of the conditions in which we find ourselves.

Said differently by Mother Teresa, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”