Luke 19:11-27
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Take a moment to settle into your surroundings and then begin to recognize your breath. As you breathe in, call on the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Read Luke 19:11-27 recognizing that the disciples and the crowds following Jesus believe that he is about to establish his kingdom when he reaches Jerusalem.
Just as the servants in this parable, we live in an in-between time when the Kingdom of God has penetrated our earthly existence but has not yet been fully established.
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the power and presence of God were made manifest in him, and throughout his earthly life, Jesus went about setting things right – the way God intended them to be. But the Kingdom of God will not be fully realized until Jesus comes again in all his power and glory. Until then, those who claim to be his followers are to be about his business – working to spread shalom to the earth.
In this parable, the servants of a nobleman are each entrusted with an equal share of the master’s money and given the responsibility of continuing the master’s work in his absence. And each of them responds with varying degrees of effort.
Stop to think about this. As a follower of Jesus, you have been given both the resources and the responsibility to be on the mission of Jesus. No matter your profession or life’s situation, this is your calling and purpose.
How do you feel, or what do you think about this? Share openly with Jesus for a while.
Read Luke 19:11-27 again with this in mind.
There are cultural nuances to this parable that would have been obvious to Jesus’ first century listeners. Rulers had to be affirmed by the Roman government, and there were actual instances where a potential heir to the throne had to go to Rome to be confirmed. Jesus is tempering the expectations of his followers by way of this illustration.
Soon after he shares this story, he will enter Jerusalem where he will be arrested and executed before conquering death and taking back his life. He will then ascend to God the Father leaving behind his very Spirit to empower and guide his followers as they continue his work.
Those who know him, love him, and take him seriously will see the Kingdom multiplied through their efforts, while those with misguided and false ideas about Jesus will miss out on these opportunities. And those who reject him altogether will reap the consequences of fighting against God’s design for them.
Take some time to assess where you are on this continuum. Then get quiet and listen to Jesus for a while.
What might Jesus want you to realize or do as a result of this parable?
How do you plan to respond to that?
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