”The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’ “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ “The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ “‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’ “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ “‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’ “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”“
Luke 19:11-27 NLT
The Lord has expectations on how we use the gifts He has given us. He told this parable to make the point. First, Luke made it clear that the story was told to correct the impression that the Kingdom would come immediately. The king in the story went away and people had to wait for his return. In the same way, we have to wait for the return of Christ, our King. While we wait, the story teaches, we should be using the gifts He has given us to further the Kingdom of God—even taking risks. God has not called us to play it safe but to join in the adventure with Him. Finally, the king was rejected—and he punished those who rejected him. They wanted to be their own rulers rather than live under the rule of such a generous king. Jesus (the true King) was rejected and crucified publicly by the world’s kings. There will be justice, though; those who have rejected Him will be punished because they have rejected the Creator who loves them and died for them.
Sometimes we struggle with God’s expectations. Most of us know that the Lord expects our trust, but we want God to judge our intentions more than our actions. This story shows that all our gifts and talents come from the Lord; they are not to be used for our own selfish ambitions or hidden because of our own personal fears. We are expected to use our gifts, guided by God’s Spirit, to bring glory to the Lord. People judge each other based on how much they have; God judges based on how people used what He gave them. His greatest gift is His Son; when we accept Him and receive God’s love, He transforms every part of who we are—including our work. Salvation is more than knowing who Jesus is or praying a prayer; it is living life with Jesus. God has invested in us and expects us to return that investment and invest in His work. “To whom much is given, much will be expected” (Luke 12:48).
What gifts has God given you? How does He expect you to use them? How are you using your gifts to invest in God’s Kingdom?
