Luke 19:11-27
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
The Grace New Testament Commentary - Luke 19:11-27
19:11 Luke reports that as they (Zacchaeus' household and the multitude of disciples and detractors) heard these things, Jesus added another parable. His proximity to Jerusalem coupled with the expectation that the kingdom would appear immediately set up both the parable and His entry into the city (vv 28-40).
19:12 Jesus' parable extends all the way from Israel's rejection of Him at His First Advent - through the intervening period of His physical absence and corresponding responsibility of His servants - to His return to reward His own and judge His enemies. The nobleman represents Jesus. The "far country" here refers to heaven (cf. Luke 15:13 for a different use), and the kingdom to the universal inheritance which the Lord Jesus won by faithful obedience to God the Father (See Ps 2; Phil 2; Heb 1).
19:13 The "ten servants" represent the totality of His servants during this present age. He charged them: "Do business till I come." This both clarifies their responsibility and assures them of a future reckoning. At the outset no servant has any advantage over any other - all receive precisely the same amount and assignment.
19:14 Whereas the servants do business after the nobleman departs, in contrast, "his citizens hated him." The citizens naturally refer to inhabitants of Jerusalem. They sent a clear message to God the Father of their continued rejection of Messiah.
19:15 The nobleman's return pictures the return of Jesus to set up the Messianic Kingdom promised in the OT (cf. Ps 2, 110). At that time He asks that His servants give account for "how much every man had gained by trading." The scene here deals with the evaluation of believers. At that time the faithful servants receive their recompense - responsibility over cities in Messiah's kingdom.
19:16 The evaluation proceeds in descending order of the servants' faithfulness. The parable only reports on the assessment of three - each one symbolic of high praise, praise, and no praise, respectively. Because ten represents completeness, "the first" servant possibly represents the highest attainable yield. He utilized his resources to the fullest and so gained a commensurate return.
19:17 This first servant receives singular praise from his Master: "Well done, good servant." In addition to superlative verbal praise the especially faithful servant is granted authority in the Kingdom of His Master (cf. Luke 16:10-12).
19:18 Consonant with the descending order of faithfulness, "the second" servant reports: "Master, your mina has earned five minas." The decreased yield indicates less fidelity on his part. Having begun with the same amount as the first servant, he gained half as much.
19:19 The Master places this second servant "over five cities." However, this one does not hear the superlative praise accorded to the first servant evaluated (see v 17).
19:20 The final servant in the series then approaches. His response differs dramatically from the others'. He acknowledged that the mina ultimately belonged to the Master (note: "your mina"), but did nothing profitable with it.
19:21 This servant's fear led him to disobey his Master. But that same fear testifies to the servant's knowledge of the Master's will and disposition. He knew that his Master would come to collect from his own efforts.
19:22 The servant's excuse/explanation serves as the very basis for his negative evaluation. He knew the Master as "an austere man" who collected what He "did not deposit" and reaped what He "did not sow." His knowledge sets up the consequence meted out to him - loss of rulership privileges in the Kingdom (not eternal condemnation). The characterization of this servant as wicked refers to his unfaithful handling of the mina entrusted to him and not to his nature as unregenerate or unsaved. He qualifies as a servant evaluated along with the others - clearly believers. The master afterwards deals with unbelievers described as enemies rather than servants (cf. Luke 19:27).
19:23 The Master then questioned the servant's decision making. The money - and whatever it potentially gained - belonged to the Master.
19:24 The returning Master instructed "those who stood by" - a possible reference to angels: "Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas." This servant should have deposited or sown what his Master entrusted to him. As a consequence befitting his knowledge and mismanagement he would now lose what he did not sow and they would deposit the mina in the account of the first servant.
19:25 The ones who stood by responded with evident surprise. Apparently, the first servant deserved the additional mina because he earned more than the second with the same initial amount.
19:26 Jesus then reveals a general principle undergirding His future judgment of believers. In the case of the first and second servants - "everyone who has" - refers to the initial investment plus the earnings. In the case of the unfaithful servant "what he does not have" refers to the potential gain he could have accrued. Further, in his case "what he has" refers to the initial amount he mistakenly thought he could retain despite his irresponsible handling of it.
19:27 After recompensing His servants, the Master then turns his attention to the citizens who initially rejected Him (see v 14). The enemies refer to unbelievers who rejected Messiah and His reign. This fits the evaluation of believing servants in connection with Kingdom responsibilities (vv 19-26) as well as the end of the age scenario pictured in Matt 13:41-42, 49-50.
Charles Bing - Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship - Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30 (cf. Luke 19:11-27)
(Salvation) Interpretation: When Christ returns, those people who are not faithful stewards prove they are not saved and will not enter the kingdom, while faithful stewards prove they are saved and will be rewarded in the kingdom.
(Discipleship) Interpretation: When Christ returns, those believers who are not faithful stewards will be excluded from kingdom rewards, while faithful stewards will be rewarded in the kingdom.
This parable continues the theme of anticipating the Lord's return as an answer to the disciples' question in Matthew 24:3. It emphasizes the virtue of faithful stewardship in light of Christ's return.
The master who leaves and returns obviously pictures Jesus Christ. As in the previous parables involving servants, there is good reason to view these servants as believers. They belong to the master, they are entrusted with money, "each according to his own ability," and they are held accountable for faithfulness. The issue is not their faith in who the master is. Jesus is speaking this (Discipleship truth) privately to His disciples about an issue of Christian living - faithfulness and stewardship.
The servants who receive five talents and two talents invest them wisely and are not only commended as "good and faithful servants," but are promised a share in kingdom rule (vv. 21, 23). The reward is not entrance into the kingdom. That would condition entrance upon performance, which is contrary to salvation by unconditional grace. The reward is co-ruling with Christ and accompanying joy. This reward for faithful believers is not unfamiliar to Bible students (see Rom. 8:17: 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:26-27). It is noteworthy that the reward is the same for the two servants though they each had different amounts to invest. Each was held accountable for what he had received.
What influences the interpretation for many is the master's words to the unfaithful servant, calling him "wicked and lazy" (v. 26) and consigning him to "the outer darkness" where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (v. 30). Admittedly, this is severe language addressed to a Christian, but not without precedent. We saw this in relation to the unforgiving servant (Matt. 18:21-35), the improperly clothed guest at the wedding (Matt. 22:1-14), the evil servant (Matt. 24:45-51), and the five unprepared virgins (Matt. 25:1-13). In those discussions, we argued that Christians can be unforgiving, be unfaithful, do evil, and be unprepared for the Lord's return. Likewise, we have seen that "the outer darkness" speaks of exclusion from kingdom blessings, and "weeping and gnashing of teeth" is a metaphor for profound regret at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
The additional statements that might give some pause are in verses 28-29. What is taken away from the unfaithful servant? Salvation does not fit the context in any way - would Jesus take salvation away from a believer or entrust anything to an unbeliever? What is taken is the talent that was entrusted to the lazy servant who did not produce a profit for the master. The master takes it and gives it to the servant who made a profit from his ten talents. The master is, after all, a good steward himself! As a picture of a believer's relationship to Jesus Christ, the Master in His absence, has entrusted to each believer many things: a new life, spiritual gifts, abilities, ministry, opportunities, resources, etc. When Jesus returns, each believer will be held accountable for how he used these things "each according to his own ability" (v. 15) while he waited for the Lord. There will be rewards in the kingdom for those who use them faithfully and an exclusion from rewards for those who do not use them.
We should note the similarities and differences that this parable of the talents has with the parable of the minas in Luke 19:11-27. Both parables address a question or thought about the timing of the coming kingdom.
Other similarities include a master who leaves, trusts his wealth to his three servants, and later returns to hold them accountable for how they used it. Also, both parables show rewards in the kingdom for the two faithful servants and a loss in the kingdom for the unfaithful third servant. Both unfaithful servants make the same excuse to the master, both are called "wicked," and both have the money taken from them and given to a faithful servant. We can make the same inferences here, that the master represents the Lord Jesus Christ, and the servants represent believers.
Differences between the parables include the amount the master gives to each servant - a mina was substantially more money than a talent. While in the parable of the talents, the servants are given different amounts, in the parable of the minas, the servants are given the same amount. However, the two who were faithful with the differing amounts of talents receive the same reward whereas the two who were faithful with the same amount (one mina) receive different rewards proportionate to their profitability (ten cities and five cities; Luke 19:16-19). There is a little difference in how the fate of the unfaithful servants is stated, because the servant in Luke's parable of the minas is not threatened with "the outer darkness." One significant addition in the parable of the minas is the contrast between the three servants and those called the "enemies" of the master who did not want him to reign over them. The master commands that they be slain (Luke 19:27). This contrast shows the difference between believers (the three servants) and unbelievers.
The (Discipleship) message of these two parables is similar: Believers should be faithful in how they use their lives while the Lord is away, because when He returns, there will be consequences, good and bad, in the kingdom. However, there seems to be a different emphasis in each. The parable of the talents teaches us that believers must be faithful to use whatever different resources are given to each, while the parable of the minas teaches us that believers must be faithful to use the same opportunity given to each.
The apostle Paul wrote this relevant (Discipleship message) to the Corinthian church:
"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." (1 Cor. 4:1-2).
As believers waiting for Christ's return, we must be faithful as servants and stewards to invest our lives to profit Him. This gives every Christian a purpose in life. The Lord will not accept any excuse for not investing our lives for His glory. Each Christian will be held accountable for what God has entrusted to him.