Good Morning!
Yesterday, my bible plan covered The Parable of the Ten Minas. You’ll recall this one. There are similar accounts in Matthew and Luke. Basically, a master gives servants money to invest while the master is gone. Two double the money and are praised. The third accuses the master of being harsh and unfair and does nothing with the money, although it is returned. The ruler rebukes the servant harshly. Here’s a couple verses from this passage we are all familiar with:
Matthew 25:21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Luke 19:26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
We’re all familiar with that. What doesn’t get spoken much of is the next verse. In Matthew, Jesus speak about the last servant, the one who did nothing with the money:
Matthew 25:30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
In Luke, Jesus speaks of a master who is a nobleman who gave a total of ten minas to ten servants to conduct business. That part was basically the same. Some did well, while one did nothing with the money and had his money taken away. The story differs from the first in that Luke tells us the nobleman (master) left for a reason. “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.” (Luke 19:12) Those folks in that new kingdom weren’t happy about that. In fact, Jesus says, “But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want the man to reign over us.'” (v. 14)
The last verse in Luke’s passage is similar, but still different. Here’s Luke’s:
Luke 19:27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.'”
Did he actually say that? Yes, this is a parable, but Jesus actually did say that. If he didn’t, then we may as well toss the whole bible out because who then can trust anything written in it? We have no choice but to recognize that Jesus, indeed, did say this. But, what did he mean by it? Commentaries say he was referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the punishment of the Jews who did not believe. Luke’s account places this parable after the Zacchaeus conversion and before the Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday). It begins with the introduction of verse 11, “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” In Matthew, it is a prelude parable to what is considered The Final Judgment.
In any case, my point here is that Jesus said something very harsh that we don’t like to discuss. In fact, it even makes believers uncomfortable. I mean, really? Slaughter them before me?
Jesus said that.
Let’s not hide the uncomfortable parts of the bible. They are just as valid as Romans 8:1.
Father, thank you for the entirety of the bible. It is written, so it is all important. Let us not pick and choose but eagerly study it all. Amen.
Copyright © 2018 Scott Powers