36 Reasons Why Christ Came

36 Reasons Why Christ Came:

1. To Do the Will of His Father

·         “For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)

·         “Jesus prayed, ‘I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.’” (John 17:4)

·         “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.’” (Hebrews 10:7)

2. To Save Sinners

·         “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

·         “…for then He would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Hebrews 9:26)

·         “But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin.” (1 John 3:5)

3. To Bring Light to a Dark World

·         “I have come into the world as Light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)

·         “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.” (John 15:22)

4. To Be Made Like His People in Order to Save Them

·         “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:14-17)

5. To Bear Witness to the Truth

·         “Then Pilate said to Him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose, I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.’” (John 18:37)

6. To Destroy the Devil and His Works

·         “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” (Hebrews 2:14)

·         “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)

7. To Give Eternal Life

·         “I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. And the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” (John 6:51)

8. To Receive Worship

·         “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.’ And going into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:1-2, 11)

9. To Bring Great Joy

·         “And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people; for today in the City of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:10-11)

10. To Demonstrate True Humility

·         “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

11. To Preach the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom

·         “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”…but He said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4:18-19, 43; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2)

12. To Bring Judgment

·         “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near Him heard these things, and said to Him, ‘Are we also blind? Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, “We see,” your guilt remains.’” (John 9:39-41; see also John 3:17)

13. To Give His Life a Ransom for Many

·         “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

·         “…waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:13-14)

14. To Fulfil the Law and Prophets

·         “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18)

15. To Reveal God’s Love for Sinners

·         “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17; but also see John 9:39)

16. To Call Sinners to Repentance

·         “And when Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.’” (Mark 2:17)

17. To Die That Others Might Live

·         “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honour him. Now is My soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose, I have come to this hour.” (John 12:24-27)

18. To Seek and Save the Lost

·         “And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” (Luke 19:5, 9-10)

·         “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:17)

19. To Serve

·         “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

20. To Bring Peace

·         “For He himself is Our Peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that He might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:14-18)

21. To Bring a Sword That Divides

·         “Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.’” (Matthew 10:34-35)

·         “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” (Luke 12:51)

22. To Bind Up Broken Hearts and Mend Broken Lives

·         “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)

23. To Give Us the Holy Spirit to be Our Helper

·         “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

·         “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6)

24. To Make Us Partakers of the Divine Nature

·         “…by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:4)

25. To Reign as King

·         “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

26. To Restore Human Nature to Holiness

·         “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35)

27. To Become a Merciful and Faithful High Priest and Atone for Sins

·         “Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18)

28. To Be the Second and Greater Adam

·         “Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded for many.” (Romans 5:14-15)

29. To Satisfy Our Deepest Thirst

·         “Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (John 4:13-14)

30. To Be Loved by God’s Children

·         “Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of My own accord, but He sent Me.’” (John 8:42)

31. To Reveal God’s Glory

·         “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

·         “All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him." (Matt. 11:27)

32. To Give Life in Abundance

·         “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly…I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:10, 28)

33. To Taste Death for Everyone

·         “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:9)

34. To Proclaim Freedom

·         “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19)

35. To Know Him Who Is True

·         “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true—even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)

36. To Demonstrate the Father’s Righteousness

·         “God put [Christ] forward…to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness…so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26)

 

Grudging Admiration - 24 November 2019

“Grudging Admiration”

Luke 20:19-26

24 November 2019 (SBC, Sligo IE)

INTRODUCTION:

I enjoy watching people do interesting things. Often, however, I find myself asking, “Why did he think that was a good idea?” or, “Whatever possessed him to do that?” The internet is replete with videos of humans doing strange things like riding a bicycle down a mountain on a trail no more than a hand width wide with cliffs on both sides of the trail or skiing off of sheer cliffs ahead of an avalanche or climbing Everest-type mountains during a blizzard. I confess that I don’t get it because those kinds of things don’t sound like fun to me, but I have grudging admiration for folks with that much grit and fortitude, even if I think they have a screw loose. Give the devil his due, I say.

TRANSITION:

Even though it’s not my cup of tea I recognize that credit should be given where credit is due. In our passage for today we hear Jesus say, “Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” Brilliant! In saying this Jesus was telling the Jews that even if they didn’t like Caesar or Rome, they owed them a lawful debt that should be paid, even if grudgingly. Give the devil his due, He could have said. Pay the man what you owe him. 

In the context Jesus had just told the Parable of the Vineyard in 20:9-18. This was a compelling story and one in which the religious leaders could clearly see themselves as the bad guys in the narrative. They rightfully recognized that Jesus was talking about them and it made them as mad as old wet hens. Look at verse 19.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 19: The scribes and the chief priests tried to lay hands on Him that very hour, but they feared the people; for they understood that He spoke this parable against them. 

·         Luke shares three important facts in this verse:

1.      They made an attempt on His life right there and then, but it failed.

2.      There was a rift between the religious leaders and the common people in their attitudes toward Jesus. The big shots hated Him and would have loved to kill Him, but the people liked Him, and many believed in Him and didn’t think much of these super-religious dudes. So, they were in a delicate spot, wanting to get rid of Jesus without stirring up the anger of the rabble. Luke says they were actually afraid of the people.

3.      The religious leaders got the point of Jesus’ parable. Jesus was very transparent in His criticism of them and their animosity was mounting quickly. Look back at verse one of the chapter: “And it came about on one of the days while He was teaching the people in the Temple and preaching the Gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, and they spoke, saying to Him, ‘Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?’” These guys can barely contain their rage.

Verse 20: So, they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.

·         “…they watched Him” meaning they watched Him with evil intent, just like back in Luke 6:7 – “And the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath; in order that they might find reason to accuse Him.” So, you see, this was nothing new.

·         How many people are there today who do the same thing? They pretend to be religious. They try to give the impression of being righteous so that people will respect and admire them but underneath they are nothing of the sort.

·         …”so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.” They knew that only Pilate could condemn Jesus to death. This is the first mention of this plot to “deliver Him up” and Luke is the only Gospel writer to include it but we can see that from this point on this became the focus of their efforts.  

Verse 21: They [the spies] questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth.”

·         This was spoken like the true hypocrites these men were. Their words were dripping with sarcasm and was also an outright lie. The scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests who sent these spies believed nothing of the sort. They had accused Jesus repeatedly of being a blasphemer and false teacher. They regarded Him as a heretic and a false prophet worthy only of death. This is what you call, “buttering someone up.” It was shameless flattery and it failed miserably.  

Verse 22: “Is it lawful for us to pay [lit. give] a poll tax to Caesar, or not?” 

·         Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the Herodians were the ones who came up with this question because they wanted to push the Romans out of Palestine and re-establish the house of Herod over Israel. So, this is the zinger, the trick question that the leaders thought up thinking it would be Jesus’ undoing. The Jews hated the Romans and they were forever debating whether or not they should pay the hated poll tax or refuse.

·         What’s funny to me about this situation is that Jesus played this same trick on them back in 20:2-8 when He posed a question to them that put them in a bind no matter which answer they gave. Now they are returning the favour. It’s like watching a game of verbal tennis. The problem (for them) was that Jesus was just a lot better at playing the game.

Verses 23-24: But He detected their trickery and said to them, ²⁴ “Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”

·         “He detected their trickery…” Well, of course He did. Could anyone ever put one over on Jesus? I don’t think so. He knows our thoughts, our deepest secrets. He knows about our hurts and private pain. He knows when we are being truthful and when we are being deceptive.

·         As I said, the question was a loaded one designed to trap Jesus. Had He said “Yes” – to pay tribute to Caesar, then He would have been seen as sympathetic to the Romans. If He had said “No” – not to paid tribute to Caesar, then He would have been in violation of the law and therefore subject to arrest by Rome. Instead, the method He adopted in dealing with the question is a masterpiece!

·         Jesus turned to them and said, “Show Me a denarius.” Every Jew from 14-65 owed one denarius per year as a tax for existing. The denarius was a Roman silver coin stamped on the “heads” side with a likeness of Tiberius. Does this mean that Jesus did not have any money? We don’t know, but at least He made His enemies produce the coin for the object lesson.  

Verse 25: And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 

·         They were using the legal tender of the Roman Empire. Rome did provide certain advantages and privileges. She maintained law and order, at least by her standards, and provided certain protections. She maintained roads and kept the sea lanes open. She had a universal currency system that was an aid to business throughout the Empire. Without doubt, the Jews owed Rome something for the use of coins, roads, aqueducts, and law and order. Caesar had something coming to him that was his due.

·         But God had something coming to Him also. He provided all the light, air, water, and elements from which those roads and coins were made. Christians live in two realms and have responsibilities in both. We have both an earthly and an heavenly obligation. As citizens of Heaven we pay taxes down here on earth, but as pilgrims and strangers here we should be depositing eternal wealth up in Heaven. It’s a funny paradox.

Verse 26: And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.

·         Jesus closed the mouths of the lions. These guys were all ready to eat Him up, to tear Him limb from limb, but suddenly they lost all their strength and backed down and became like sheep—silent and docile. They had been whipped and they knew it.

·         They were “unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people.” This means they were unable to make Him say something in public they could use against Him to deliver Him over to Pilate. He was just too smart for them and He slipped through their net yet once again.

·         “…and being amazed at His answer, they became silent.” This was not the first time that Jesus had amazed people, including His critics.

1.      Matthew 7:28 – When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching.

2.      Mark 11:18 – The chief priests and the scribes heard this and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

3.      Matthew 9:8 – But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God.

4.      Matthew 15:31 – So, the crowd marvelled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

5.      Mark 2:12 – And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

6.      Matthew 9:33 – After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

CONCLUSION:

There are at least three themes/principles that I see in this passage:

1.      Give the secular world its due. Pay your taxes, show respect for law enforcement officers, obey the laws, pray for our leaders, and be a good citizen (cf. Romans 13:1-7). It’s true that we are citizens of Heaven but for here and now we are also citizens in this world here below, and we should be good ones if we wish to be taken seriously. The more Christian a man is, the better citizen he will be. 1 Peter 2:17 instructs us: “Honour all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king.”

2.      You can’t fool Jesus with your religious exterior and rotten interior. He can see right through you. He knows a phoney when He sees one. You may be able to fool people into believing that you are noble and religious and the best Christian ever, but you can’t fool God so don’t even try. Walk in holiness and integrity. Ask the Lord to help you to live a life of transparency where nothing is hidden, and everything is as it seems.

3.      Be ready always to give an answer for the hope that is in you. Wise words fitly spoke can stop criticism. We all should be ready to give a verbal defence of the Gospel and of our faith in Christ (1 Peter 3:15). Remember that a Spirit-filled answer can close the mouths of the lions.

It's Just Not Fair! - 3 November 2019

“It’s Just Not Fair!”

Luke 19:11-27

3 November 2019 (SBC, Sligo IE)

INTRODUCTION:

We humans are funny creatures. Even though we often act unfairly toward one another we want to be treated fairly ourselves. And exactly what do we mean by “fairly”? It is a vague concept that we find hard to define, but we know it when we see it, or rather, when we perceive that we are victims of unfairness.  

TRANSITION:

In our passage for today Jesus tells a story, a parable, about a nobleman who was also an astute businessman. It this story there comes a moment when everyone in the audience sucks in his breath and says, “Hey, that’s not fair!”

MAIN BODY:

Verse 11: While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the Kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 

·         Luke tells us that in the same time and place Jesus told another parable because His disciples were operating under a false assumption. This event, like the previous one, took place in or near Jericho, a town located just 17 miles from Jerusalem, down the mountain to the east, so their journey was nearly over. This led some of His followers, including the Twelve, to conclude that the climax was at hand and that the Kingdom of God would appear immediately. They assumed that Jesus was about to set up His Kingdom on earth. The climax was indeed at hand, but not in the way they imagined. What they did not understand was that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to die, and that the Messianic Kingdom was going to be postponed. Jesus told this parable to help set them straight.  

Verses 12-13: So, He said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. ¹³ And he called ten of his [servants], and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back.’

·         The “nobleman” in the parable represents the Lord Jesus Christ. He will receive the Kingdom from His Father, not from us. And you can be sure that He will not run a presidential style campaign and ask people to vote for Him when He comes again. People will either receive Him or they will be destroyed! He came to earth the first time to be the Saviour. When He comes again it will be as the Conquering King and Righteous Judge.

·         The word “slaves” in some of our translations is better rendered as “servants.” Historically speaking, slaves would not have had the authority needed for the business transactions foreseen by the master. The “servants” in the parable were people like us. By the same token, our Lord expects us to serve Him faithfully and to be about His business. Yes, He is a loving God and a Gentle Shepherd, but He is also the Lord, the Master, the King, the Sovereign of the Universe, and we should never make the mistake of thinking that His mercy outweighs His holiness and justice. We should never presume upon the Lord’s mercy.

·         “Do business with this until I return.” KJV says, “Occupy until I come.” We are not called merely to mark time and stand around in our white robes looking at our wristwatches. We are to be at work, investing what He has entrusted to us so that His Kingdom will be built up. And what is that exactly? What has He entrusted to us?

o   Talents – We have abilities and skills that should be used for His glory. That’s why they were given to us, so that we might use them for Him, not just to amuse ourselves.

o   Wealth – What we own all came from His hand. Some have more than others, but we all have something to invest in the Kingdom. And one day we will be called forward to give account of what we have done.

o   Time – Time is a gift from God. We are to redeem it and invest it.

o   The Gospel – The Good News has been entrusted to us to share with everyone everywhere. The “old, old story of Jesus and His love” should thrill us but it should also motivate us to go out and “make disciples” as we were commanded.

·         Before leaving on his journey the nobleman put his business affairs into the hands of ten of his servants, entrusting them each with one “mina.” This was a Greek coin worth 100 drachmas. A drachma was worth a labourer’s wage for a full day’s work. The servants were instructed to do business with the money, and evidently each had a pretty free hand, although they all knew that in due course, they would have to give an account to the master of their success or failure.

·         This parable has the historical basis of Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, who traveled from Jerusalem to Rome on this very errand, to receive a kingdom in Palestine and then to come back to it. When this happened, it was a matter of common knowledge throughout Israel. Herod the Great died in 4 B.C., and in his last will and testament he divided his realm between three of his sons, Herod Antipas, Herod Philip, and Archelaus, all of whom went to Rome to press their claims with Emperor Augustus, who had to ratify the will. Archelaus had been given Judaea by his father, along with the provisional title of “king.”

Verse 14: But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

·         This is exactly what happened with Archelaus. The Jews sent 50 representatives to Caesar asking that Archelaus not be enthroned as their king, because the people hated him with a fervent passion. Heaven knows he had given them good reason to hate him! According to the Jewish historian, Josephus, on the first Passover after his ascension to the position he had massacred about 3,000 of his subjects. Besides that, he was a terrible ruler. Nevertheless, Caesar ignored their entreaty and confirmed Archelaus as sovereign over Judea, although refusing to give him the title of “king.” So, this parable would especially resonate with the people in Jericho because Archelaus had built a magnificent palace in Jericho for himself, as well as a huge aqueduct for irrigation purposes.  

·         As I have told you before, you cannot make a parable walk on all fours. In the story the people did what they could to keep the nobleman from obtaining kingly authority. In the case of Archelaus the people were justified but unsuccessful. However, we cannot transfer this to the allegory because Jesus is the perfect King and nothing can interfere with His kingship, but we should not miss the point that people rebel against everything He stands for. This is the exact attitude that the world has had toward Jesus. “He came unto His own and His own received Him not.” But that will not stop Him from coming back, just like He promised. Mankind rebelled against God and His Messiah. They did not want Jesus to rule over them, so they nailed Him to a cross.  

Verses 15-17: When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. ¹⁶ The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ ¹⁷ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’   

·         This servant managed to make some good investments with what he received from the master and the money he returned was tenfold greater than what he had started with [= 1,000%]. But what was the basis of the master’s praise? It was faithfulness. The servant had been faithful. He had done what the master had asked of him and that pleased the master. What was his prize… was it a nice holiday to rest up on the beach? No! It was increased responsibility and authority, and the day-to-day administration of ten cities. That was a big job advancement! The reward of work well done was more work to do. That was a great compliment.  

Verses 18-19: The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ ¹⁹ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 

·         In exactly the same way the second servant received praise from the master for his faithfulness. The return on investment was different [fivefold = 500%] but the two servants were alike in their faithfulness. Sometimes our best efforts don’t turn out perfectly and God knows that. He does not judge us on productivity but upon faithfulness.

·         Notice that neither of these servants took any credit for himself. In fact, they both stated it in the exact same way: “Look master, your mina has made ten minas, or five minas, more.” They said it as though they had played no part in the success. I think their master was impressed by that.  

Verses 20-21: Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; ²¹ for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ 

·         In the parable ten servants received the money to invest but Jesus only reports on three of them. They must have had varying degrees of success, but this last fellow is in trouble. Literally the unfaithful servant said, “I kept on keeping [the money hidden away] in a handkerchief.” He blames his lack of anything to show on his fear of the master: “I was afraid of you.” Yes, and with good reason! By his own admission he knew that his master was a hard-nosed entrepreneur who expected results from his investments. The master had read Donald Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal, and he was an astute businessman, with little patience for cowardly, snivelling employees like this fellow.   

Verses 22-23: He said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? ²³ Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’

·         “Why did you not put my money in the bank?” FYI, they did not have actual banks in those days. Literally he said, “…on the table.” This refers to the moneylender’s table where business was conducted in the market in those days. By the way, our English word, “bank” derives from the Italian word banco, meaning “a bench,” since Italian merchants and moneylenders in the Renaissance made deals to buy, sell, borrow, and lend money working from a bench, often in a pub or tavern. People would place their money on that bench.

·         The point in the parable was that the servant could easily have put the money in the hands of a moneylender and would have turned a bit of profit. The money would have gained some interest. But stupidly, driven by his fear, the servant did not even do the minimum, so he incurred the wrath of his master who called him a “worthless servant.” And that is just the beginning. Right there in front of the crowd he reams the guy out and leaves him standing there waiting to see if his head will roll.

Verses 24-25: Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ ²⁵ And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’

·         This is the moment to which I was referring in my introduction. The response of the crowd to Jesus’ story shows two things:

1.      It shows that they were paying very close attention to the parable.

2.      It shows that their sense of fairness got tweaked when the master in the story did not respond the way they thought he should. They thought that the master should have given that extra mina to the guy with five rather than to the fellow with ten. They said to themselves, “It’s just not fair for one to get eleven and the other to only have five.” It offended their sense of fairness and fair play. 

Verse 26: I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.

·         So, the money was taken from the unfaithful servant and given to the one who had proved that he could make good use of it. Now Jesus lays out another principle that conflicts with the way humans look at things. He is not saying that the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. He is saying that the man who has made good use of what he has will get more, while the man that has made no use of his opportunities will lose what little he has. There is a principle here if we will stop to see it: even the smallest gift must be put to good use or we will lose it. In the Christian life we never stand still, are never static. We are either moving forward, making progress, and using our gifts, or we lose what we had. We either advance to greater heights or slip back every day.    

Verse 27: But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

·         The parable finishes on a note of frightening severity. The nobleman had not forgotten those who opposed his ascension to the throne. Now after taking care of business he commands the destruction of his enemies. They had set themselves up in opposition to him and now it was time to take their medicine.

CONCLUSION:

The last verse of this text gives us a little peek into the future to see what will eventually happen to all those who reject King Jesus. We might be horrified by the fierceness of Jesus’ conclusion but underneath the imagery is the grim fact that the coming of Jesus to the world puts every man to the test and calls every person to a decision.

Some people claim that God is unjust in this matter. They say that He should not treat people so meanly, so severely. They say that He should be more fair, kinder, more merciful to those who reject Him, reject His Son Jesus, and reject His rightful sovereign rule over them. They are offended by His “holier than thou” attitude. But that’s the point, isn’t it? He is holier than us! We are rotten sinners and He is the Holy God of Heaven.

Today Jesus can be your Lord and Saviour, your Shepherd, and your Friend; or one day, He will certainly be your Judge, Jury, and Executioner. That decision is no light matter. In fact, it is a matter of life and death. But it is your call, your choice to make. Just remember that the Bible says in Hebrews 10:31, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God,” and that is exactly who Jesus is!