Parable of the 10 Cities ...

Tuesday, Nov 1, 2016. In the New Testament Jesus tells us various parables about the kingdom of God. These parables are stories, each of which tells us important things about what the kingdom of heaven is like, how it comes and how God uses it and works with it. The stories are not necessarily easy to understand - there are various reasons for that. But let us today just dive into one of the parables and learn from it!

Responsibility …

As a background of the story, think about Jesus as the promised messiah, as the coming king of the Jews, but more than that of the whole world. The kingdom of Jesus is a topic again and again in the New Testament - though in the first place he talks about himself as a king of truth. So the story is about his kingship, but about all of us as well. Please read:

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas (worth 3 month of wages), and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’

14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.

16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant!3 Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’” (from Luke 19)

The Parable Explained …

Can we explain the parable? You might ask: why is it necessary? Why did Jesus not explain it himself? Why is he speaking in parables at all? Jesus himself said that he uses parables to communicate particular insight some people, but not to others.

Let us make some basic comments here. First: the king in our parable is Jesus himself. He is going away - we all know that he is gone currently. He received the kingdom in a far away country. He will come back, and then he will distribute responsibility in the full-grown kingdom of God. He will distribute it according to our way to deal with the responsibility we have been given today - in our church, in our life, in our society.

People might ask themselves: why does he take away from this poor chap who did not manage to use his money to make more of it? Why is he so hard? It is an important point, and we often miss this point when we talk about the love of God. Faith is about decisions. The kingdom of heaven is about real decisions, about real faith, about real trust, about real love, about our life to be based on him - or on us. This has consequences, and if you make decisions against the kingdom of God, you will face the consequences of your decisions. You will be without him, just as you want. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts