Luke 19:12-13 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. _________________________________________________________________ The Return of Christ as King: The Day of Reckoning The parable continues: And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. The nobleman returns, having been given the complete authority over his kingdom, and it is both prudent and reasonable that he should demand an accounting from the servants who have been entrusted with his wealth. Only three accounts are noted in the parable: perhaps three examples were sufficient to make the point, but more likely there is a deeper significance to this trio. We are left to assume that the remaining servants would have been similarly examined. The first servant to appear announced that he had used the pound he had been given to increase its value in the marketplace to eleven pounds – a ten pound gain – , or an 1100% return. The text does not insert a time factor, nor is it clear from the context as to whether this profit was gained by passive investment or actual physical and/or intellectual labors, but the word gained as used here would tend to imply that the profit was made by labor. The second servant came forth with his account of having increased the value of his pound by five pounds to six pounds. The implication is again clear that this profit was made by labors. Although the gain was smaller than the first, a 600% return is nevertheless a respectable showing indeed! The third and final account comes from the lips of one who came, apparently in fear and trembling, before the nobleman to merely return the pound which had been entrusted to him, having wrapped it in a handkerchief and hidden it away for the term of the nobleman’s absence. Not only had he no profit to show for the trust which was placed in him, the value of that pound had likely somewhat diminished during the nobleman’s absence. These three reckonings are symbolic of the accounting which will be required of God’s servant nation at the time of the judgment. Each of us has been entrusted with both natural talents and spiritual gifts, and we will be called to declare that which we have gained from this treasure in earthen vessels. As the saying goes, Finding God’s will is life’s greatest Treasure, doing God’s will is life’s greatest Pleasure. There is always gain to be made in His Kingdom, therefore we must be about the Father’s business in everything we set out to do. Of course, this clearly means that we avoid those thoughts, words and deeds which are non-productive; and as we allow ourselves to be used as His instrument to produce fruit in the Kingdom, we shall find the attraction toward non-productive things will grow weaker as we become more intimate with Him.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 10:12:07 +0000
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