Kingdom Parables: The King's Ten Servants Luke 19:11-27 September 5, 2010 Sermon by Rev. Bill Azbell

First Presbyterian Church Concord California

 

Back in Indiana I had the pleasure of getting to know a woman by the name of Marta Gabre-Tsadick. She's the founder and Executive Director of Project Mercy which is a relief and development agency in her native Ethiopia. Marta is a strong and determined Christian servant.

 

After graduating from college in the States, Marta returned to Ethiopia where she served the government in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She eventually was appointed to Parliament and then became the first woman Senator of Ethiopia. As Senator, she was entrusted to travel with Emperor Haile Selassie on official foreign trips.

 

In 1974, there was a violent transition of power. Communists overthrew the government and seized political leadership. Because she was part of the outgoing regime, she and her family were the target for persecution, and they were forced to leave the country and seek asylum abroad, where she ended up starting Project Mercy.

 

In much of the world transitions of political leadership are not peaceful. Changes in the ruling party or in the ruler are accompanied by violence. There are assassinations; civil wars; persecutions. We've seen this happen in Afghanistan and in Iraq over the years.

 

In our text this morning, there is a transition of power occurring as Jesus heads into the center of Jewish religion and politics, Jerusalem, and declares himself publicly to be the King of the Jews. He knows very well there are other rulers in power and that what he is saying will not be received well by them and their supporters. He knows their will be hostilities.

 

This morning's parable is unique in that it has two story lines which are blended together. In the first story line, a nobleman goes to a distant country in order to be made king. The citizens of his rule despise him, however, and send a delegation after him trying to prevent him from being put in leadership. It doesn't work, as he indeed comes back as king. Upon his return he orders that these enemies be brought to him and executed in his presence.

 

Then there's the second plot line. Before the nobleman goes on his journey to secure kingship, he calls ten of his household servants together and gives each of them a mina, which is basically three months wages for a laborer. He tells them to put the money to work while he is away. When he returns, he rewards or judges the servants according to what they had done with the money.

 

What is the point of having these two sets of circumstances weaving together like this? Well, according to Fred Craddock, it could have been that Jesus was trying to get different messages across to two different groups. To those who were listening who were already carrying the seeds of opposition in their hearts, he was giving fair warning? He would be made king and they would be accountable for their rejection of him.

 

And to his followers and those who were open to his leadership, well they were fully expecting that the kingdom of God was imminent. Especially the disciples, I mean they had been traveling to Jerusalem throughout the last three years and now they had arrived. They had seen Jesus' miraculous powers. They had heard his words of his coming kingdom. And now, they thought Jesus would challenge the Jerusalem powers and would usher in the kingdom. Jesus' teaching to them: it's going to be a while. Wait, but while you wait, use the resources I've given you to expand this revolution of the kingdom.

 

According to Ken Bailey, the reason for the interplay of the two plots is to deliver one unified message to Jesus' followers. What's that message? Jesus is going away to a distant country, all the way through death to the side of the Father in heaven. But before he goes he is gifting his disciples with heavenly resources to bring to bear for the kingdom. And this will have to be done in an antagonistic world where many don't want the kingdom of God to rule over them.

 

That's a real tension. People hated Jesus enough to kill him. What do you think they'll do with his servants? They'll come after them frothing at the mouth as well. Jesus says as much in chapter 21 verses 16 and 17 as he talks about what will happen before the coming of the kingdom.

 

“You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me.”

Friends Jesus has gone for a while, but he is coming back. And We live in a world which is indifferent to Jesus at best, and violent at worst, a world which still actively crucifies him.  

 

First Presbyterian Church of Concord, Jesus is calling each of us into this parable. Jesus has given each of us gifts to be part of the preparation and expanding of the kingdom while he is away. That’s your life’s vocation, that you would use these gifts, that you would not be afraid to stand up publically and show you are Jesus' woman or man or child. That won't always bring you a great welcome.

 

It will be difficult. In parts of the world today, making faith in Jesus public gets believers killed or imprisoned. It's different here. The scorn toward Jesus is more veiled, at times. Do you ever feel funny about bringing up the name of Jesus to the clerk at the grocery store or to your waiter in a restaurant? Why is that? You might be a little embarrassed at times because there is this latent cultural feeling that Christians are an outdated and unsophisticated bunch.

 

Right in the middle of this hotbed of apathy and opposition we are called to be public witnesses for Jesus and his rule, a rule which is at odds with this world’s kingdom. This is very risky, this kind of living. It involves stepping out of what's comfortable for us.

 

It was risky for that servant who took one mina and made ten more. As Bailey writes again, he was transacting so much business that surely the whole village knew he was one of Jesus’ men. This would certainly draw the attention of that angry and hateful mob in this parable. The same for the servant who made five mina.

 

It's interesting that Palestinian history recounts something similar to what happens in our parable. In Jesus time, King Herod the Great had gone off to Rome to try to lobby to become king back in Israel. It worked for him, but when one of his sons Archelaus went off later to do the same thing, an angry mob protested to Rome and he failed in his bid.

 

What would the outcome be for Jesus as he went away to seek kingship? Would he come back like he said? Or would his enemies prevail?

 

At least a couple of the servants in the parable knew. They had experienced their leader, his faithfulness, his authority, his power. They had absolute faith in his return.

 

And how were they rewarded? Look at verse 17, "...Well done, my good servant! Because you have been trustworthy ( or as the New American Standard translation says, 'faithful') in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities." Notice the master doesn't say, “Wow, because you turned a profit, here's a reward.” He says, "because you were faithful." This speaks much more of effort than of capitalistic gain. We're called to be faithful to God. That is success.

 

You may think that your God-given gifts are so small, that you can't possibly make much of a difference. Maybe you're in a stage in life right now that you don't get out much, or you don't see many people. But let me tell you something, every one of you is gifted in some way, and the important thing to remember is that the gifts you carry are from God. That means they’re full of heaven's potential. You’re not called to deliver a spectacular result. You’re called to be faithful with the gifts, and your called to be faithful even in circumstances that may scoff at Jesus, in hard circumstances. 

 

Our culture certainly preaches a kingdom, but it's kingdom is very much different than God's kingdom. One of our culture’s preaching points is that there really aren't any absolute rights or wrongs, while we stand up and say wait, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life." That generates a lot of anger.

 

Even in our denomination, many say it really doesn't matter if we discard what they see as obsolete principles of marriage and sexuality, when we witness to the fact that God's ancient designs of marriage and sexuality stand and always will.

 

It may seem like our faithfulness matters so little in this environment that our efforts will just get swallowed up in the indifference and outright side-stepping of God’s leadership. Our culture may seem so entrenched in its ways that it is impossible to move it.   

 

There is a modern-day parable about a man living in a cabin in the woods who, one night, woke up to see a bright light shining in the cabin. He understood that it was God. God said to him, "There is something I want you to do."

The man inquired what it was, and God responded, "There is a big boulder in front of your cabin. I want you to go out there every day and push, and push, and push against that boulder."

 

The man took God's instructions seriously. Day after day for many, many weeks he pushed against that boulder. But he couldn't budge it an inch. After awhile an idea came into his head, which he understood to be the voice of the devil. "Look, you don't have to bother with this. You have done your best. You won't succeed at this. Accept that you have failed. It is useless. Then just take it easy and do the least amount of work you can."

 

Before the man would take that advice, however, he decided to pray. He prayed and prayed and prayed. "God, I have done what You asked me. I have been very faithful. Every day for hours I have been pushing against that rock, but I have not budged it an inch. I have failed."

 

Then God, with great compassion, answered. "Son, you are not a failure. I asked you to push against that rock, and you were obedient. I never asked you to move it. I asked you to push against it.

 

"Because you have pushed faithfully and diligently against that rock every day, notice how strong your arms have become. Your back is brown and sinewy, your legs are massive; you are in such better shape now than you were. You have learned a lot because you have been faithful and obedient."

 

Then God said to the man, "You have trusted me. Now I will move the rock." That is the way God does things.

 

God calls you to push in the midst of this world’s opposition to his rule. Not with anger or aggression in our hearts, but with great love. Using the gifts he’s given you, push with all you have for God. If you have the gift of hospitality, push to multiply the kingdom, to make disciples. If your gift is mercy, push, even for those who don't deserve mercy. If you're gift is helps or administration, help and administer all your days to show people what God is like. Don't worry about the result. God will bring result. You just be faithful in the pushing.

 

Do you know what your God-given gifts are? If you don't, or if you do but have gotten rusty in using them, I encourage each of you to participate in the spiritual gifts class which is starting today. We want to help each other use our gifts for God's kingdom, especially when there is so much around us and in us which would have us leave them dormant. A principle right from this parable is the more we use our God-given gifts, the more they multiply like ripples in a pond. The more we let them lie dormant, the more they diminish.

 

(Into to Communion)

 

Brothers and sisters, Jesus is coming back again. In the meantime, don't be afraid that you've backed the wrong king. You haven't. We've seen his resurrection power and his faithfulness. We experience it at this table this morning.

 

Our king has given everything for us; he gave up his earthly life, his body and his blood, so that we might live under his rule and blessing. He let himself be nailed to a cross, so that we might truly become children of God. And he’s risen from the dead. He lives and he’s coming back.

 

As disciples of Jesus, we live and serve under his shelter. Would you like to come under his sheltering presence today? Would you like to become a friend of God? His arms are open to you through this meal, which is prepared for all who would trust him?

 

You don’t have to be a member of this church to participate. What’s required is that you would give your life to God’s leadership through Jesus.

 

Let’s pray.