C, Last Sunday of Church Year, Proper 29 - Luke 19:11-27 "The Alpha Omega Twist"
Every Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and because of this, it’s also a celebration of our up coming resurrection to eternal life, face to face with our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
When we come to church each week we bring all the messes of the old seven day week, and hang them on the cross. It’s the day of completed judgement and it’s the day of enacted salvation. Therefore, because of Christ, every Sunday is the beginning and the end!
Every Sunday in Christ is the alpha and the omega! Every Sunday in Christ is a celebration of a new creation and our longing hope for the revelation of eternal paradise. Every Sunday is a proclamation of Jesus, the Word made flesh, revealed to us as our Redeemer, by the Holy Spirit, in the pages from Genesis one to Revelation twenty-two.
Every Sunday is a festival of forgiveness where we come before God asking him to lead us from temptation, as we live in the reality of his kingdom having come, his kingdom coming, and the hope that it will eternally come to us, so that sin, temptation and evil will be done away with forever.
And today the end of the church year is no different. This day is a celebration of the coming of Christ, having come, continually coming to us in the reality of our sinful lives, and we rejoice looking forward to the day when he will come that second and most glorious time to take us and perfect us in just the way God intends.
And so today we have before us his word from Luke nineteen…
As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to
14But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.'
15When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.
16The first came before him, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.' 17And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 18And the second came, saying, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.' 19And he said to him, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
20Then another came, saying, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.' 22He said to him, 'I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'
24And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.' 25And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas!' 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. 27But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.' “(Luke 19:11-27)
As this parable stands, it’s a little puzzling as to what it’s all about. We hear about the nobleman’s distribution of the minas; he gives each servant the same amount of money, one mina each. And then he departs.
Is this text about the servants and their servanthood with the gift from the nobleman? What is this gift to us? What is it that we are given?
We must see this parable against the background of the wider text in Luke’s Gospel. In fact, the parable begins with a reference connecting it to what happened before. It begins, As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable. They are all those in Jesus’ hearing at the table in Zacchaeus’ house. Here Jesus speaks about money in the home of a tax collector who has just vowed to give back fourfold — everything he has extorted from his fellow Jews — as well as half his possessions to the poor.
So is this about what we do with our worldly possessions? Is Jesus calling you to be like Zacchaeus? If he is, how well do you perform? And how’s your performance make you feel?
Back in the previous chapter of Luke 18 we hear about another tax collector who beats his chest, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' (Luke 18:13) He knew, as we all know, that under the judgement of God, we’re guilty, we don’t perform well at all. Perhaps this is why having heard Zacchaeus’ turn of action, and his charity with all he has, you feel uncomfortable, or begin to make excuses for yourself, justifying why you’re not doing what Zacchaeus did. Perhaps!
When this is the case, we’re acting more like the Pharisee in the parable, seeking to set ourselves apart from those ‘so-called’ sinners. We’re also setting our true sinful reality aside. However unlike Zacchaeus, this tax collector is not reported to make any amends for his sin, he just seeks God’s mercy. So if we look at the context of the parable of the minas against this text, maybe the parable of the minas is not so much about the gift of money but something entirely different!
After the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in chapter 18, immediately follows Jesus’ interaction with the little children where he says to those around him, Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
Then follows Jesus’ discourse with the rich ruler who asks, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18) Jesus goes on to ask him why he called him good, because only God is good! He then points out his goodness is not enough saying to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." (Luke 18:22) So the rich man goes off dejected because he hasn’t the will or the faith to give up everything, the necessary complete work required to gain eternal life.
The disciples and others who heard Jesus say these things then ask the fundamental question, "Then who can be saved?" To which Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:26-27)
Maybe Jesus is speaking more about trust and faithfulness than about the stewardship of money in the parable of the minas. After all in the texts leading up to this parable, all those who respond favourably are those who respond because of the faith they received. Could this parable be about the stewardship of faith rather than the stewardship of minas?
God gives out faith, it doesn’t matter how small it might seem, because even faith as small as a mustard seed has power over nature, transplanting trees into the sea! (Luke 17:6) This faith is born of God, not from one’s positive thinking. The minas in the parable are God’s allotments of faith. It is not the person who has the power, but it’s the faith itself, born of God’s mercy.
In the parable the servants don’t even like the nobleman, but nevertheless, they are rewarded because they put the minas to work. Notice it’s the nobleman’s money that works, not the servants, but they are rewarded according to its work! How does God’s gift of faith work in you? Do you let it do what it’s meant, or do you work your own faith wrapping up God’s gift and hiding it like the servant who kept it hidden in handkerchief?
Anyway, what is God’s faith meant to do in you? Scripture tells us faith justifies us through grace, which is not of ourselves (Romans 3:22-24; 5:1-5; Ephesians 2:8). This means the faith God gives you by the Holy Spirit’s power, moves us to hang onto his gifts of grace for our salvation. In other words God’s faith always brings us to the cross of Christ! It reveals your guilt and hopeless plight, and exchanges it with forgiveness and peace.
This is what God’s faith is meant to do, are you faithfully letting him do it? Or do you hide it?
These questions don’t bring us much peace. Our consciences are forced to examine themselves before he who is the nobleman in the parable of the minas. Jesus is the nobleman, having come down from heaven, having been hated by humanity, having given out his gifts of faith, to you, to me, to the tax collectors and the Zacchaeuses of this world, to the Pharisees, and to the little children of this world.
Jesus is the nobleman returning as the victorious king to judge the living and the dead, and like the rich man, like the Pharisees, like Judas Iscariot, and all those rich in faithfulness towards themselves and against God, the command will come, bring them here and slaughter them before me. (Luke 19:27) This is not a comforting thought for you or me, as all of us fall short of God holy demands.
But there’s more! This parable about the minas, spoken at Zacchaeus’ house happens just before Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Ironically just after Jesus speaks of the demise, judgement, and death of those who hate his kingship, he goes into
Here is the twist that no one in Jesus’ day suspected or understood, even though Jesus had said time and time again that he must go up to Jerusalem to die and to be raised. This twist even today is difficult to grasp! Therefore everyone needs God’s one true faith, the nobleman’s one mina, to truly take hold of what Jesus does!
This is the ultimate gift; this is salvation that comes to you and to me, even though we deserve nothing but death. Instead of us being brought before the King and slaughtered before him, the king himself is raised up in front of us and the Father and slaughtered on the cross. This is your peace with God, given in the Holy Spirit’s work and gift of faith, given in Christ’s work and gift of grace at the cross.
Today is the beginning and the end. We are judged, yet we are saved. We are guilty, committed to death; nevertheless we are raised to eternal life. We are drowned by the waters of wrath but celebrate the life giving waters flowing from the Tree of Life. We are shown to be true enemies of God however we are made his little children of faith. This is the day of our genesis in Christ and it’s the day of the eternal revelation of
Take hold of the holy forgiving gifts of God, given each Sunday, in God’s holy and divine service towards you, in his holy word and sacraments. Amen.
Our Father in heaven, lead us not into temptation, that your kingdom may come also to us, for the sake of Jesus Christ the crucified, Amen.
