As
they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. He called ten servants of his, and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’
Luke 19:11-14
Luke 19 [9.] Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Luke 19 [11.] As they heard these things, he went on and told a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately. He said therefore, “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. He called ten servants of his, and gave them ten mina coins, and told them, ‘Conduct business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’
Luke 19 [15.] “When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’
Meaning:
Jesus was in Jericho, about a day’s walk from Jerusalem, and had just declared that salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:10). Excitement was high. Luke tells us why Jesus told this parable: “because he was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately.” The parable of the minas corrects that expectation. It is similar to the parable of the talents in Matthew, though told on a different occasion and with different details (Matthew 25:14-18).
- “They supposed that God’s Kingdom would be revealed immediately”
Many expected the Messiah to enter Jerusalem, drive out the Romans and set up his throne at once. Even after the resurrection the disciples asked, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Jesus teaches that there will be an interval. The King must first go away and receive the kingdom, and only then return.
- “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom”
The picture was familiar to Jesus’ hearers. After the death of Herod the Great, his son Archelaus travelled to Rome to have his rule confirmed by the emperor, and a delegation of Jews went after him to protest. Archelaus had built a palace in Jericho, where Jesus was speaking. Jesus uses this well-known event to describe himself. He would soon go away, through his death, resurrection and ascension, to receive his kingdom from the Father. Daniel saw one like a son of man come to the Ancient of Days, and “There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” (Daniel 7:14).
- “He called ten servants … and gave them ten mina coins”
A mina was worth about a hundred days’ wages; the footnote on the PIB page notes that ten minas was more than three years’ wages for a farm labourer. Each servant received the same amount. The mina may picture what every disciple is entrusted with alike: the message of the Kingdom and the opportunity to serve. The instruction was clear: “Conduct business until I come.” The waiting time is not idle time. Peter writes, “As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).
- “We don’t want this man to reign over us”
Not everyone welcomed the nobleman. His own citizens hated him and sent an envoy after him to reject his rule. This points to those who rejected Jesus. John writes, “He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him” (John 1:11). Before Pilate the chief priests would cry, “We have no king but Caesar!” (John 19:15). The rest of the parable will show the outcome for faithful servants, a lazy servant and rebellious citizens (Luke 19:15-21; Luke 19:22-28).
The Significance of Luke 19:11-14
- Faithful while the King is away
Christians live in the time between the King’s departure and his return. Jesus calls his servants to work with what he has entrusted to them, not to sit and speculate about dates.
- Accepting or refusing his reign
The parable asks everyone a question: do we want this man to reign over us? Jesus is the rightful King, and the only safe response is to welcome his rule.
Cross-References:
Matthew 25:14-18: The parable of the talents, a similar story of servants entrusted with their master’s money.
Daniel 7:14: "There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom" The Son of Man receives the kingdom.
John 1:11: "He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him." The rejection pictured by the citizens.
Conclusion: Jesus told this parable because people expected the Kingdom to appear at once. Like a nobleman who travels to receive a kingdom, he would go away and later return. Meanwhile his servants are to work faithfully with what he has given them, while those who refuse his reign will have to answer to him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible