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

 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

Yesterday we read that Jesus entered and passed through Jericho on His way toward Jerusalem.  Now behold, 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 as 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.  It's important to note the setting of the parable that Jesus gives here.  He's just leaving Jericho and is approaching Jerusalem.  His disciples believe that the kingdom of God will appear immediately.  The parable is a kind of warning about what is going to happen, and the time in which they will live after His Passion, crucifixion, and Resurrection.  It also conveys an understanding of the working of the Kingdom itself.

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.'"  This parable reflects an awareness of the rejection that is to come in Jerusalem, and the responsibility with which those servants who would be loyal and faithful are entrusted.   We note the measure of the service with the rewards, perhaps illustrating Jesus' teaching in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."   The good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over is one way we can see the giving of ten minas to the one who already has ten.   Hiding away the minas in a handkerchief is a kind of selfish act, where what one has been given becomes symbolic of pursuing only self-centered interests, rather than remembering from whom such gifts come.  Bankers may represent other faithful people to whom one can turn for help to use gifts wisely.  My study bible says that since help was available to him in the Church, the man has no excuse. 

It's interesting to consider the concept of justice as understood or given in this parable.  Faith is the key to understanding reward or gain.  What exactly is a faithful servant?  To hide away the money in a handkerchief indicates a total lack of effort at something.   A handkerchief in the sense of the word as used here is not exactly a place to store something precious.  This word is of Latin origin, indicating a cloth with which to wipe perspiration from the face or to clean the nose  (it's also used as a word for that which shrouds the face of a corpse).  That this particular servant simply fears what he considers to be a harsh ruler tells us clearly about the relationship to Christ.  There is not love and trust here, as there would be with a truly good servant.  And no risk is taken here at all, giving us a picture of faith as that which asks of us to take risks -- and not just to stick with what we know.  Similar to the parable of the minas here in Luke's Gospel is the parable of the talents found in Matthew.   In that parable, the wicked (and lazy) servant buried his talents in the ground.  Both the handkerchief and the burial of the talents have meanings that intertwine, and indicate not only a lack of initiative but also of faith.  We're meant to do something with what we're given, and even a lack of imaginative possibilities is here censured by Christ.  Significantly, these parables tell us that we don't really mature, discipline, and develop the capacities we're given without proper faith.  Rather than simply fearing Christ's austere image, we are to put our trust in our Lord, in His values, wisdom, guidance, and above all through prayer -- a relationship in dialogue.  We're supposed to grow in that relationship, and the fruit of our minas or talents grows as well.  When we put our trust in Christ, we might find ourselves guided to use every bit of capacity with which we're entrusted by our Creator.  Do you have a head for figures?  Are you good with theory?  Are you the best cleaner you know?   Whatever it is, a life of prayer will ask us to do something with those capacities for fruitful endeavor.  We take note, this is not about achieving worldly values like great fame or enormous wealth and power (such as those with which Jesus was tempted by the devil).  On the contrary, it's about following His guidance, His values.  We'll be ask to trust and put our faith in Him, to take a risk on the talents or minas we're given, to truly find ourselves in His image for us.  (Even the notion of bankers and interest implies an understanding of risk.)  You can't do that by ignoring what you've actually been given, or thinking that perhaps some worldly image of what you might be or do is smarter or that the world knows better.  The image of judgment and justice given here is one that relies fully on faith in Christ and how we live it.  Let us be good and profitable servants.