The Parable of the Ten Minas (Journey to the Cross): No one fully understood Jesus’ identity or mission before the cross and the empty tomb. But what should disciples of Jesus expect after these history-shaping events? Would the kingdom of God be immediately established? Not exactly. But until King Jesus returns, we must be faithful stewards of whatever he has given to us. Recorded as part of the special broadcast, “live from the living room,” during a blizzard on Mar 15, 2026, on Luke 19:11-27 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of our Journey to the Cross: Lenten Reflections from the Gospel According to Luke series. “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Lk 9:51). The cross of Christ wasn’t an embarrassing accident or tragic defeat. While his enemies opposed him and his disciples were confused about him, Jesus was very clear about his identity and intentional about his mission. He had come to seek and to save the lost through his death and resurrection — as had been foretold. This would become clear to anyone with spiritual eyes to see. But when you understand who Jesus is and the nature of his kingdom, it changes everything! Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Sermon Transcript
So we’re continuing our sermon series for Lent called, Journey to the Cross, from the gospel according to Luke. Jesus set his face toward the city of Jerusalem and made his history-shaping journey to the cross. Jesus was crystal clear about who he was and what he had come to do. Jesus knew his identity and mission. But, as we’ve seen, there was a lot of confusion for others, even his own disciples. As Jesus approached the city of Jericho, he healed a blind man because he could see what others could not. He had spiritual sight to see who Jesus really was. Then, last week, in the famous story of Jesus and Zacchaeus, we saw that the mission of Jesus was to seek and to save the lost. His mission was a rescue mission, which culminated in his death, resurrection, and ascension back into heaven as the King of all Creation. Ok! So…what now? Now that we’ve cleared up those important questions about who Jesus was and what he was up to, what now? That’s exactly what Jesus addressed next as he continued to make his way to the cross. In the parable of the ten minas, Jesus helps us see who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to be doing until he returns. If you have your Bible/app, please open to Luke 19:11. We’ll read through this parable and unpack it as we go. So let’s jump in.
Luke 19:11–14 (NIV), “11 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. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 “But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’” So Luke gives us the context right there in v. 11. Jesus was still on his way to the city of Jerusalem. His sights were still set on the cross. But it appears he told this parable immediately after his encounter with Zacchaeus in the city of Jericho, while everyone was still there. Luke says they were near Jerusalem, which is true of Jericho, about a day’s walk away. But what exactly is a parable? A parable is a made-up story with a lesson about some aspect of the kingdom of God. And this parable would correct a misconception many people had in that day, including his own disciples. Many Jewish people thought the kingdom of God was going to appear at once, not in stages, and not over a long period of time. And if Jesus were the Messiah, then they likely expected him to be something like a political revolutionary. Someone who could raise an army and fight to overthrow the oppressive Roman Empire and restore Israel to a new golden age. But this was not what Jesus came to do, at least not how they expected. He was the Messiah, but his mission was bigger than even the Roman Empire. It would be to overthrow sin, death, hell, and grave. So Jesus said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.” So the future king left, but before he did, he called ten of his servants together and gave them each a mina. You might have a footnote in your Bible that says a mina is worth about three months’ wages. So it wasn’t an insignificant amount, but it wasn’t going to make anyone rich. But this wasn’t a parting gift. Jesus said to “Put this money to work…until I come back.” Meaning, “Engage in business,” as the ESV translation says. The future king wanted his servants to take what he gave them and find ways to invest it until his return. Finally, a third group of characters in the parable is introduced in v. 14. We have the master, a future king, the servants of the master, and some of the subjects of his future kingdom. And Jesus says there’s trouble brewing. These subjects hated this nobleman who was to be appointed as king over them. They sent a delegation to protest after him. They held a “No Kings” rally and made signs and everything. I’m kidding! This is a 2,000-year-old parable. It’s not a story about life in America today. These subjects just didn’t want this man to be their king. Well, what would happen next? Would the subjects get their way? And how would the servants do with their assignment?
Luke 19:15-19 (NIV), “15 “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. 16 “The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 “The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ 19 “His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’” Ok! So the subjects did not get their way. The master was made king in this distant country, as promised. But eventually, and Jesus doesn’t say how much time had passed. But when he finally came back to his kingdom, he sent for his servants to see how they had done, what they had gained with it. The first one came to the king and said, “Sir, your mina has earned ten more.” Not bad, right? That servant had earned ten times what he started with. If you got that kind of return in the stock market, you would be thrilled, right? And what does the king say? “Well done, my good servant…Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.” Alright! A city is a much bigger responsibility and reward than a few months’ worth of wages. The king was incredibly generous! He took a servant and made him something like a governor or trusted official in his kingdom. Now, you might have heard that phrase “Well done, my good servant,” and expected, “ ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Mt 25:23). But that phrase is actually from the parable of the bags of gold in Matthew 25. These parables are, of course, very similar, and the Mt 25 parable is probably the more well-known of the two. But despite many similarities between the bags of gold and the ten minas, I don’t think Jesus told them on the same occasion. I believe the Mt 25 parable was a slightly different parable with a similar point to the one in Luke 19 that Jesus taught on two separate occasions. Either way, the first servant was both good and faithful. He obeyed his master, and he had gotten a great return. A similar reward is given to the second servant, even though he wasn’t able to get quite the same incredible return as the first. But the second servant put his mina to work and earned five more. For this, again, the king very generously put him in charge of five cities in his kingdom. What about the other servants? And how would the king deal with the subjects who had rejected him as their king?
Luke 19:20–27 (NIV), “20 “Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 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.’ 22 “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? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 “Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 “ ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ 26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 27 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.’” This is God’s word. Kind of took a dark turn there at the end, didn’t it? But what does a king do to rebellious traitors? They will be punished accordingly. Now, Jesus isn’t trying to be shocking here. He has a very good reason for being so intense, but let’s come back to this point. Before the king renders his judgment against the subjects, we have a third servant who was not rewarded like the first two. In fact, he failed miserably. Instead of obeying the instruction of his master to put his mina to work, instead of investing what he had been given, he hid it away. But why? Why did he disobey the king? Well, according to him, he says he “kept it laid away in a piece of cloth” because he was afraid. He says, “…you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow,” as if that explains everything. But does it? Not at all! This makes no sense whatsoever. If he truly had thought his master was harsh and demanding, wouldn’t he have been even more motivated to obey him? Now, was the master harsh and demanding with the first two servants? Not at all! He was very generous. He praised them and rewarded them. He invited them into positions of greater responsibility in his kingdom. But, again, if the other servant really thought his master was a jerk, wouldn’t he have been even more afraid to disobey him? The master calls him out on this, saying, in effect, “If that’s who you thought I was, then why then didn’t you put my money in a savings account (or whatever) so that when I came back, I could have at least collected it with a little interest?” It might not be a 5:1 or 10:1 return on investment, but it’d be better than nothing! But the servant hadn’t thought of that, or if he had, he was limited by his own false vision of who his master was. Instead of a generous reward, the little this disobedient servant had was taken from him. He had not been good or faithful with what he had been given. When the king was questioned about this, he replied that on the day of judgment at the return of the king, “…to everyone who has, more will be given (just like the first two servants), but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” Only after the servants are judged and are rewarded accordingly are the king’s enemies judged. Those wicked people who tried to reject their true king. Now, again, what would any king do against people like this? They wouldn’t be rewarded, that’s for sure. Treason is still a capital offense to this day. Well, ok. So here’s a question: what is the point of this parable? As I said, there’s always a lesson about the kingdom of God in the parables of Jesus. He didn’t tell parables just to entertain people. Well, remember, Luke gives us a clue to the meaning right at the beginning of this passage. He said Jesus told this parable because “the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.” This was a correction to their understanding of when/how the kingdom would appear. Jesus already had to correct their understanding of his identity and mission. Now they needed correction on the timing and nature of his kingdom. And this is where things might’ve been somewhat murky when Jesus taught it, but it is much clearer for us today. Why? Because we live on the other side of the cross. And we have the fullness of the revelation of the gospel. As a result, Christians today believe that it was Jesus who, through his death and resurrection from the dead, was appointed the King of the kingdom of God. And the distant country in the parable, where the king remained for a time, is heaven, where Jesus remains, seated at the right hand of God the Father in glory, reigning and ruling over the whole cosmos, until when? Until, like the king in the parable, Jesus returns in glory, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account of their lives to him. And just like the king in the parable, King Jesus will render judgment, appointing “some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Da 12:2). Those who are enemies of the king in that great day will “suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” (2 Th 1:9). And this is why Jesus was so intense in his parable toward the subjects who hated the king. The enemies of God will not be allowed to rebel forever. There will come a day when Satan and all his servants will face the hell of judgment once and for all. So is Jesus being what the third servant accused his master of being, harsh and demanding? Not at all. Today isn’t the day of judgment. And while it remains today, before the return of the king, even the enemies of God have the opportunity to repent and believe. Don’t you know that “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance” (Ro 2:4)? And “he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pe 3:9)? But how unloving would it be to not be honest with people about the consequenses of rejecting Jesus before his return? So, again, what’s the point? Well, we learn a lot by considering the different characters of the parable. And we learn that the 2,000-year delay that we are currently experiencing, between when Jesus was crowned the King and when he will return to rule over his kingdom in glory, was part of the plan the whole time. Jesus knew this before the cross. Also, he fully expects judgment, including both rewards and punishments, to happen when he returns. Judgment Day is coming. But is that the point of this parable? There’s another clue that indicates the point. It’s the phrase, “I tell you…” This phrase is common in Jesus’ teaching, either “I tell you…” or “Very truly, I tell you…” or something like that. It’s like a verbal highlighter, which means, “Don’t miss this; this is important.” And what comes next in this teaching is his saying, “that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” It’s a statement with Judgment Day in mind, but it is meant to be applied to our lives of learning to follow Jesus today. This isn’t a parable only about the return of Christ, it’s about who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do until that Day of all days eventually happens. And what’s the big idea of this parable? It’s this: Until King Jesus returns, we must be faithful stewards of whatever he has given to us. If you’re taking notes, you’ll want to write this down. Until King Jesus returns, we must be faithful stewards of whatever he has given to us. So who are we to be? We are to be servants of the king! And what are we supposed to do? We are to take whatever resources he has entrusted to our care. And what has God entrusted to our care? Everything! “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,” (Ps 24:1). Our money, our possessions, our bodies, our relationships, our time, our kids, and on and on — every resource is God’s first. But he isn’t a harsh and demanding master. He is generous and very helpful. He has given us many instructions in his word that can guide us and make us wise for how to be a good steward of all these things. And he has given us his own Spirit to walk with us every step of the way. And he has called us into his body with other servants of the king, to look to and learn from. Now, just as in the parable, Jesus entrusts different things to different people. And different people may have different abilities and will receive different levels of returns on their stewardship. But he understands these things. You don’t have to be like the third servant and fearfully hide what he has given to you. But do you see what this means? Nothing is meaningless. Every dime that ever comes into your possession, and every breath, and every conversation is a gift of God and can be used for his glory. What an incredible gift! So what should we do? Let’s get after it! We have a huge job to do! Until our king returns, we must be faithful with all that we have. But if we are, then one day, we will hear the voice of our king say to us, “Well done, my good (and faithful) servant.” And this will be a reward worth far more than anything, don’t you think? Let us pray.
