The parable of the minas

While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. `Put this money to work,' he said, `until I come back.'

"But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, `We don't want this man to be our king.'

"He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

"The first one came and said, `Sir, your mina has earned ten more.'

" `Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. `Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'

"The second came and said, `Sir, your mina has earned five more.'

"His master answered, `You take charge of five cities.'

"Then another servant came and said, `Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.'

"His master replied, `I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?'

"Then he said to those standing by, `Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'

" `Sir,' they said, `he already has ten!'

"He replied, `I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me.' " (Luke 19:11-27)

In today’s Gospel lesson, we heard Jesus’ Parable of the Minas. As you read these familiar words, I am sure that you figured out that the king represented Jesus and that the servants represented us. I am also sure that you realized that the parable speaks of what will happen when Jesus returns to judge the world in respect to righteousness. But what about the minas? What did you think they represented? Many people think that the minas are the talents that God gives us, skills that He expects us to use in His service. But is that what they really are?

The parable begins by talking about a ‘man of noble birth’. Clearly, this man is our Lord Jesus, who was born of Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is both the Son of Man and the Son of God, born without sin; there can be no more noble a birth than His. This ‘noble man’ journeyed to a far country to receive His appointment as king. Jesus went to a far country to be appointed king; Jesus ascended into heaven and has been made king over all the earth, as we read in First Peter 3:21-22: “[Baptism] saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” Jesus was appointed king because He had been faithful in carrying out His duties. Jesus said “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus came to seek and to save us. We were lost, lost in the impenetrable fog of our sin. Our sinful nature blinded us, making it impossible for us to see the road that leads to heaven. We needed someone who was not blinded by the fog, someone without sin who could take us by the hand and lead us back to our heavenly Father. We also needed someone who could appease God’s anger at us, for wandering off into the fog of sin. Jesus came to do both these things. Jesus cleared away the fog by teaching us about His Father, and He earned our trust by giving His life on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf we do not fear letting Him lead us back to His Father, because God is no longer angry at the lost who return by following Jesus. Jesus did all this according to His Father’s divine plan; the writer to the Hebrews said, “He was faithful to the one who appointed him” (Hebrews 3:2). And because Jesus has been the perfect faithful Son, God the Father has appointed Him King over all.

But not everyone wanted the ‘man of noble birth’ to be their king. They went so far as to send a delegation to the far country to protest the appointment. Most people haven’t wanted Jesus as their king. Most people enjoy wallowing in their lives of sin, and they don’t want to be held accountable for their behavior by anybody. So they have sent delegates to heaven in protest; they sent martyrs like Stephen and Peter and Paul. They have killed God’s followers so that those saints can go to heaven and say, “those people don’t want Jesus to be their King.”

But before the ‘man of noble birth’ left, He gave His servants something to do while He was away. He gave each of them a mina to manage on His behalf. A mina was a coin that was worth about 3 months’ wages, perhaps around $3,000. They were to put this money ‘to work’ until the ‘man of noble birth’ returned. When He returned as King, He called for an accounting. He was greatly pleased with the servant who brought to him 10 minas, a 1000% return on His money; He called this servant ‘faithful’. The King was also pleased with the servant who brought to Him 5 minas, a 500% return on His money. To each servant the King gave great responsibility and the honor that comes with such trust, the administration of cities. But the servant who hid the money was an entirely different matter. The servant disobeyed his King by not putting His money to work. To make matters worse, the servant made excuses for his behavior by labeling the King as a harsh, demanding ruler. In response, the King showed no mercy. If the servant did not expect mercy, but only harsh judgment, then that is what the King would give him. The mina was taken from him, and the servant was left with nothing except unity with those who opposed the King’s rule, unity with those condemned to die.

What does the mina represent? The parable says that each servant was given one mina to work with, so the mina cannot be our talents and abilities. Some people are more talented than others, but Jesus says that everyone started off equally. When the first servant brought his minas to the King, he said “your mina has earned ten more.” The servant did not claim that he had earned the ten additional minas; he gave credit for the increase to the mina given him by the King. The only gift that God gives us all in equal measure, the only gift that has the power to bring increase regardless of our own talents, is the Word of God. We have all been given the gift of God’s saving Word. We have all been given access to the Bible, to worship in church, to the Sacraments, to Bible class and Sunday School. And it is because of the Word of God that we have faith and forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. The mina given to each servant is the Word of God that Jesus entrusts to every person who believes in Him.

In the Bible, the number 10 represents completeness. The 10 servants in the parable represent the sum total of all who believe in Jesus. While Jesus remains in heaven preparing for Judgment Day, He has given every Christian His holy Word, with the instruction to ‘put it to work’. How do we put the Word of God to work? St. Paul tells us how in Second Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We put Jesus’ Words to work when we tell our friends about the Savior who died so that they might live. We put Jesus’ words to work when we stand up to another person in love and tell them that what they are doing is displeasing to God, and that He will forgive them if they are willing to change their ways. We are putting Christ’s mina to work when we are firm in guiding our children along God’s path of life. We put Christ’s mina to use when we study the Scriptures, preparing ourselves for whatever task the Father gives us to do.

When Jesus comes again, this time in glory as King of the world, He will call for us to give an account of our stewardship. The servant who gained 10 minas more was called faithful, because 10 is the most a person could possibly get—10 is the number of completeness. Such a Christian is a true hero of the faith, a person who puts the spreading of God’s word above everything else. We think of people like Peter, Paul, John and Martin Luther, people who devoted their lives to spreading the word of God’s redeeming love to anyone who would listen. The servant who gained 5 minas more was also rewarded with great responsibility and honor, even though his return was not like that of the first servant. Such a Christian is a person who has heard the Savior’s call and tries to be faithful in carrying out Jesus’ work among his family and in his community. We think of persons like you and me, people who struggle to raise our children in the faith and find the courage to speak of our faith with those who don’t believe.

Jesus’ parable also mentions a third servant. This servant is also a Christian, for Jesus has given Him the gift of His saving Word as well. But the third servant did not put Christ’s mina to work. This servant hid God’s saving Word carefully in his heart, not letting anyone know that he had it. Such a person does not push his children to go to Sunday School or attend Confirmation classes. Such a person might not attend church or receive the Lord’s Supper with any kind of regularity. He certainly doesn’t lead his family in devotions or thank God in prayer before eating. He doesn’t speak of religion with his buddies, unless it is to criticize the church for being too demanding on his time and money, or being too critical of the kind of life he likes to live.

The King criticized the third servant for not putting His mina to work. The servant tried to make excuses, but the King would have none of it. “Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?” he said. It can be intimidating, speaking about our faith with others. We can be tempted to react like Moses, who said: "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue" (Exodus 4:10). But even if we are not good at telling others about Jesus ourselves, we can still support those who do. Supporting the Church or a missionary is the same thing as putting the King’s mina on deposit with a bank. In both cases, trained men take the deposit and ‘put it to work’.

When Jesus returns, Christians like the third servant will be afraid. The third servant did not expect to find mercy in the King, only harsh judgment. But the third servant wasn’t doomed because he failed to put the King’s mina to work. The servant was doomed because he didn’t trust the King to show him mercy. If the third servant had only cried out in trust “have mercy me, oh King!” he would have been spared. The same is true for us. When Jesus comes on the Last Day to judge the earth, none of us will be able to take pride in how well we have put His Word to work in our lives. If all we have in our hearts is the fear that we have not lived up to God’s standards, He will indeed take away our mina, take away His saving Word. If all we have in our hearts is the fear of God’s justice, we will be put to death eternally. But if we have trust in our hearts that Jesus will be merciful, if we believe that the King who comes to judge is the same ‘man of noble birth’ who died to give us the gift of forgiveness, then we have no need for fear. When Jesus comes again, we can say, as we say every day, “Have mercy on me, O Lord!” and He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Then we will spend eternity with our Lord, the reward reserved for Jesus’ servants alone.

Jesus has given you His mina, His holy Word. Consider well what you can do with it. The Lord is coming back, but He hasn’t come back yet. There is still time to ask for forgiveness, for sometimes wrapping up your mina and hiding it. There is still time, with your sins forgiven, to put Jesus’ mina to work in your life and in the lives of others. May the Lord grant you a rich return on His investment.