Luke 19:11-27
Minas Entrusted to Servants
Read the passage
11While the people were listening to this, Jesus proceeded to tell them a parable, because He was near Jerusalem and they thought the kingdom of God would appear imminently.
12So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return.
13Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said.
14But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’
15When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned.
16The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’
17His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
18The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’
19And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’
20Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.
21For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’
22His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?
23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’
24Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
25‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
26He replied, ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
27And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
As Jesus is near Jerusalem, people suppose that God's kingdom will appear immediately. Jesus tells a parable to correct that expectation. A nobleman goes to a far country to receive a kingdom and then return.
He calls ten servants and gives each a mina, a sum of money, telling them to engage in business until he comes. His citizens hate him and send a delegation saying they do not want him to reign over them.
When the nobleman returns, he calls the servants to learn what they have gained. The first has made ten minas and is set over ten cities. The second has made five and is set over five. Another has kept the mina laid away in a cloth because he feared the nobleman.
The nobleman judges the last servant's inaction and gives the mina to the one who has ten. He also orders the enemies who refused his rule brought before him and killed. It is a severe picture of judgment, not simply a lesson about being productive.
The nobleman's absence does not mean he will never reign. His servants must answer for what they did while waiting, and his enemies cannot cancel his kingship by refusing it. Jesus is correcting the expectation of an immediate kingdom while warning that the coming King must be taken seriously now.
Questions
1 Why does Jesus tell the parable?
AnswerPeople suppose God's kingdom will appear immediately, so Jesus tells a story about a nobleman who leaves, receives a kingdom, and later returns.
2 What does each servant receive?
AnswerEach of the ten servants receives one mina and is told to engage in business until the nobleman returns.
3 How are the first two servants rewarded?
AnswerThe first reports that the mina has produced ten more and receives authority over ten cities. The second reports five minas earned and receives authority over five cities.
4 Why is the third servant judged?
AnswerHe hides the mina because he fears the nobleman. He does nothing with what was entrusted and then blames the master.
What This Means for Us
The parable does not make Jesus' return a timetable for speculation. It calls disciples to faithful work during a period when the kingdom is promised but not yet fully revealed.
Responsibility differs by person, but leaving what God entrusts unused is not humility. Families can ask what gifts, money, knowledge, or opportunities they have received and put them to work for others.
Prayer
King Jesus, keep us faithful while we wait for Your return. Deliver us from fear that hides what You give, make our work useful to others, and help us give a truthful account of our stewardship. Amen.