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Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.' And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that 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 him who has ten minas.' (But they said to him, 'Master he has ten minas.') 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' "
- Luke 19:11-27
In yesterday's reading, Jesus was walking through Jericho, after having healed the blind man outside the city. There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. Jesus has passed through Jericho, and is now outside Jerusalem. The Apostles expect this arrival into Jerusalem to herald the immediate coming of the Kingdom, as Jesus the King receiving His kingdom. All the way here, on this journey to Jerusalem through Luke's gospel, Jesus has been seeking to prepare them for the time to come, for His Passion, death and Resurrection, and the time to come in which we now await His return. But they simply could not take it in (again, see the first verses in Tuesday's reading).
Therefore He said: "A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.' But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'" My study bible says that a mina is a measure of money equivalent to about three months' wages. Ten servants are given money and told to do business, to be profitable while the nobleman is gone.
And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.' And the second came, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned five minas.' Likewise he said to him, 'You also be over five cities.' Then another came, saying, 'Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.'" Out of ten servants, only three given an accounting when the nobleman returns, having received the kingdom. What have they done in his absence? Jesus has taught earlier in Luke's gospel: "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." So the idea of trust is also essential here, important to understand as those entrusted to be stewards of what He has given until His return. This is giving the idea of servant-leadership, the gift entrusted to His Church for His flock until His return, and how His stewards are expected to spend this time awaiting it.
And he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that 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 him who has ten minas.' (But they said to him, 'Master he has ten minas.') 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.' " My study bible says, "Rather than waiting for the Kingdom in lazy occupation, we are to anticipate and plan for the Kingdom to come through wise use of the King's resources." Here, Jesus conveys to us the idea of Judgment, and what is to happen at His return. He has left us with much treasure, with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with His words and teachings, and countless ways in which He dwells with us (as with Zacchaeus in yesterday's reading). Let us consider His investment and also how we live our lives and make good with it, increase the gift through our own lives. In this sense, "to everyone who has will be given; and from him who doe snot have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
I get very frustrated when I meet people who approach faith with the idea that it is a kind of treasure locked up in a safe, and that somehow it must be kept inside that safe, like something stored away. But Jesus gives freely. He invests Himself and His teachings in all of us. He sends down His Spirit to each of us. Where two or three of us are gathered in His name, He is there with us. Countless saints, known and unknown, are among His faithful, and with us in the communion of saints. We have Scripture and endless possibilities for making some sort of profit from all of this investment in our lives. When we pray, we are building His Church. When we think about Scripture and put our lives in His hands, we are building the Church. When we seek a way forward in His name, so we are doing the same. When we reach out to others, even with a cup of water, so we are doing the same. And this becomes a lifelong journey. At the end of John's gospel, He will tell St. Peter, "Feed my sheep." In the image of the feeding of five thousand in the wilderness, we have Jesus' teaching to the disciples what they are to do in His absence, how it is that we are to be profitable servants. And finally, in recent readings, He has taught that "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." With His help, with His investment, we grow the Church, the Body of Christ, and this is the way He expects us to await His return and the fullness of His Kingdom. What has been invested in you and in your life? What do you do with it? Do we wait or do we act, live, and work for that Kingdom while He is away? We remember its power, like the mustard seed that grows into a great tree, all through the power of faith.
