Ten Servants

By Larry Rosenbaum

In Luke chapter 19, Jesus told a parable ‑‑ known as the “parable of the pounds” ‑‑ about a nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom. Before he left, he called ten servants, giving each a pound (about three months’ wages), and telling them to put the money to work until he returns. When the nobleman returned as king, he called the servants to him, to find out what they did with the money.

One had earned ten pounds. He was commended, and given charge of ten cities. Another had earned five pounds. He was also commended, and given charge of five cities. A third servant had hid the money, and returned it to his master. The king was angry. He took away the pound, and gave it to the servant who had earned ten pounds.

“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? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?…I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 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.”

In this parable, the nobleman clearly is Jesus.  He will ascend into Heaven and later return to earth as King of Kings. Most of the inhabitants of the earth have rejected Him as King and will be cast into Hell. The servants are those who at least profess obedience to Him. The nobleman gave each a task to do ‑‑ take a pound and invest it. Two of the servants obeyed him and were rewarded. The third disobeyed and was called a “wicked servant.” In a similar parable given in Matthew 25:14-30, the wicked servant shows himself to be a “false believer” and is cast into outer darkness.

This wicked servant clearly had a wrong concept of his master, i.e., God. He saw God as harsh, as unreasonable in his demands, as someone who cannot be pleased. In his great commentary written three centuries ago, Matthew Henry wrote, “He thought that it was reaping where he did not sow; whereas really it was reaping where he had sown. He had no reason to fear his master’s austerity. This was a mere sham, a frivolous groundless excuse for his idleness…If he durst not trade for fear of losing the principal, yet that would be no excuse for his not setting it out to interest, where it would be sure. Whatever may be the pretenses of slothful professors, the true reason of it is a reigning indifference to the interests of Christ and his kingdom. They care not whether religion gets ground or loses ground, so long as they can but live at ease.”

When Jesus left this world, He gave us a task. It was not to make money. It was the Great Commission: to take the gospel to the world, making disciples of all nations. Like the wicked servant, many professing Christians are disobedient to the One they call Lord. Their excuse: “I was afraid.” But the real reason is slothfulness, an “indifference to the interests of Christ.” If you were afraid to invest the money, at least you could have put it in the bank and earned interest. If you were afraid to tell people about Jesus, at least you could have left gospel tracts in phone booths and mailed them with your bills.

Jesus said, “You shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8). “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corin. 3:6). Jesus has given us everything we need to be successful in the task He gave us. The question is, do we care about seeing Christ’s kingdom advance? Will we obey Him like the righteous servants, or disobey like the wicked servant?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email