Luke 19:13
Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The master doesn't just give his servants money; he entrusts them with his resources and expects them to actively "trade" or "do business" with it. This isn't about passive possession, but about diligent engagement and multiplying what has been given until he returns.
Jesus told this parable because the crowds mistakenly thought his kingdom would immediately appear in Jerusalem. He describes a nobleman who goes away to secure a kingdom and entrusts resources to his servants, instructing them to "do business" with what he's given them until his return. This sets up the expectation that upon his return, he will call them to account for how they've managed his affairs.
Jesus tells a parable about a nobleman preparing for his kingdom. He entrusts resources to his servants and gives them a clear directive: 'Engage in business until I come.' What does 'business' mean for followers of Jesus?
This parable, spoken as Jesus approached Jerusalem, speaks to the disciples' misunderstanding of his kingdom. They expected an immediate, earthly reign, but Jesus reveals a different reality.
The Master's Trust
The nobleman, like Jesus, entrusts resources to his servants. This isn't about personal wealth, but about the gifts and opportunities God gives us to advance His purposes.
The Mandate to 'Occupy'
The command is clear: 'Occupy' or 'trade.' This means to actively use, improve, and invest what has been given. It's not passive possession but active engagement. The original Greek word implies carrying on business, making a profit, and trading.
Until He Comes
This work is to continue 'until I come.' This points to the period between Jesus' ascension and His return. Our faithfulness in stewarding His resources has eternal significance.
The nobleman gives each of his ten servants one 'mina' (a sum of money). While the amount given is equal, the servants' responses and the resulting gains are not. What does this tell us about God's dealings with us?
The parable highlights a crucial aspect of stewardship: God entrusts resources, and while the initial entrustment can be equal, the responsibility and outcome are personal and varied.
Equal Trust, Diverse Responses
Here, each servant receives the same amount – ten minas. This suggests that in many ways, all followers of Christ are given the same fundamental 'Gospel of the kingdom' and the same opportunity to believe and be saved. However, human response varies greatly.
The Value of Faithfulness
Understand the original words
doulos · Greek Noun
Individuals bound to a master, obligated to serve and carry out his will. In a spiritual sense, it denotes believers who are bought with a price and tasked with stewardship of the master’s resources.
mna · Greek Noun
A unit of weight or currency. In parables, it symbolizes the resources, gifts, gospel message, or opportunities entrusted by God to His followers for the purpose of kingdom stewardship.
pragmateuomai · Greek Verb
The act of actively working, trading, or utilizing entrusted resources for the benefit and expansion of the master's interests during his absence. It implies faithfulness in stewardship.
This parable was spoken as Jesus approached Jerusalem, a moment charged with expectation. His followers, including the disciples, wrongly assumed His earthly kingdom was about to manifest. Jesus clarifies that His 'kingdom' is not immediately apparent in earthly power but involves a period of trusting His servants with spiritual 'money' (the Gospel) to 'trade' with until His return.
c. 33 AD— this verse
Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
Jesus makes a public entry into Jerusalem, fulfilling prophecy and leading many to believe His kingdom was about to be revealed.
c. 33 AD
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
Jesus is crucified and then resurrected, demonstrating His authority and the inauguration of His spiritual kingdom.
c. 33 AD - 70 AD
Early Church Growth and Ministry
The apostles and early followers are entrusted with the Gospel ('pounds') and are expected to 'occupy' or trade with these gifts until Jesus' return.
70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem
Jesus' prophecy of judgment is fulfilled with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, an event that also marks a significant point of reckoning.
This passage, also from Jesus, is remarkably similar, using the theme of a master entrusting resources to servants who must then 'do business' or 'trade' until he returns, highlighting the accountability for stewardship.
Romans 12:6-8Paul echoes the idea of diverse gifts entrusted to believers, urging them to use these spiritual abilities faithfully for the common good, mirroring the master's expectation of profit from his servants.
1 Corinthians 4:1-5This passage emphasizes that believers are stewards entrusted with God's mysteries, and the ultimate judgment and reward will come from the Lord, aligning with the parable's focus on accountability upon the master's return.
1 Peter 4:10Peter directly instructs believers to 'serve one another with the gift which each of you has received, as good stewards of God's varied grace,' reinforcing the core message of using entrusted resources for impact.
calvinLuke 19:11-28: "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."
- For as a certain man, setting out on a journey, called his servants, and delivered to them his goods. 15. And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one; to every one according to his own ability; and immediately set out. 16. And he who had received five talents went away and trad…
vincentLuke 19:13: "And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."
His ten servants (δέκα δούλους ἑαυτοῦ)Rev., rightly, changes to ten servants of his, since the his is emphatic; lit., his own. Moreover, it would be absurd to suppose that this nobleman, of consequence enough to be raised to a royal dignity, had but ten servants. The number of slaves in a Roman household was enormous, sometimes reaching hundreds. Toward the end of the Republi…
The master doesn't just give his servants money; he entrusts them with his resources and expects them to actively "trade" or "do business" with it. This isn't about passive possession, but about diligent engagement and multiplying what has been given until he returns.
Jesus told this parable because the crowds mistakenly thought his kingdom would immediately appear in Jerusalem. He describes a nobleman who goes away to secure a kingdom and entrusts resources to his servants, instructing them to "do business" with what he's given them until his return. This sets up the expectation that upon his return, he will call them to account for how they've managed his affairs.
Jesus told this parable because the crowds mistakenly thought his kingdom would immediately appear in Jerusalem. He describes a nobleman who goes away to secure a kingdom and entrusts resources to his servants, instructing them to "do business" with what he's given them until his return. This sets up the expectation that upon his return, he will call them to account for how they've managed his affairs.
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Some servants actively 'traded' with their mina, investing it wisely and making a profit. Others, out of fear or laziness, hid what they were given. This parable underscores that faithfulness in using what we've been given, no matter the initial amount, is what matters to the Master.
Accountability for What Is Given
When the master returns, he doesn't just look at the total profit; he assesses each servant's faithfulness and accountability for the specific amount entrusted to them.
"Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’" — The master doesn't just give his servants money; he entrusts them with his resources and expects them to actively "trade" or "do business" with it. This isn't about passive possession, but about dili…
