Question: What does the parable of the minas reveal to us spiritually (Luke 19:12-27)? Is every human on earth a gifted person according to Jesus? Does Jesus say that if we do not use the gift that God has given to us, God will not only take it away from us after a certain time period, but also reminds us that we will lose it forever from us?
Answer: Greetings to you in Jesus wonderful name!
Let us delve in to the parable of Jesus, parables are earthly stories used by Jesus to reveal the spiritual reality of heaven and its perspective towards us to make us live for eternity and not just experience a temporary life on earth.
Luke 19:11-27 - "11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ 15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ 20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”".
Parables of Jesus are earthly stories told by Him to communicate heavenly realities and truths that matter to all humans to make a eternal difference in their lives. At certain times when Jesus wanted to correct or convict or even counsel someone, he would always choose a story and then will ask a question to them to communicate to them in order to make them understand what God wants to convey to them, so that they could be edified and blessed by Him. For those who opposed Him, they would always receive not only a conviction but always a rebuke that would bring out their own foolishness out in the open or even make them be raged against Him.
In the above Parable Jesus calls ten of his servants and delivers to them ten minas, which shows that he has given each one a mina to use and multiply for the Glory of God. For the unsaved person in this earth, he has given life equally for them to use it and live, which they use for themselves. As for the saved person, the same earthly life is given equally for them all, which they by their own choice they choose to use it for God and collect treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). So all humans are give this earthly life as a mina, to take the choice to become saved or remain unsaved. Yes every human on earth is gifted life equally by God, but not gifted with gifts equally as they are all gifted according to their ability of God's design (Matt 25:14-15). God does not ask us to do or require us to multiply the things we do not have, but rather he asks us to be faithful to use this life which we have for His glory, which will decide how much reward we are going to have in our eternity in heaven with Him or end up in hell fire without God.
How Would The Kingdom Of God On Earth Come Through Jesus?
Through leading Zacchaeus and his household in to salvation faith to be saved eternally, Jesus saw through his spiritual eyes how people complained that Jesus as a prophet went in to the worst of worst sinners like the tax collectors houses and surroundings, whom they considered to break the Law and also make the free Jews to become slaves of Roman government. Thus to break their wrong thinking, Jesus expressed to them saying, "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost", in other words, Jesus clearly told to religious people of his times that He has come to seek and save only those who accepted themselves as sinners in their heart and sought a Savior to save them from sin.
And as they saw the mighty spiritual power of Jesus operating and saving people from sins and miracles and so many people always following Him wherever he goes, those people around Him who were very religious, complained about Him being with sinners, these people thought so much in a fleshly way, that they thought through that "because [i.e.Jesus] ...was near Jerusalem", He would do a insurrection and take the seat of political power from the Romans. Jesus understood their thought as the Holy Spirit communicated to Him always at all times about the situation he was in, so in order to correct this wrong attitude and belief of a physical kingdom they expected through war and violence, Jesus communicated the following Parable.
Jesus was that nobleman who left the earth and went into a far country of the heavenly Jerusalem to receive for himself a Spiritual kingdom and to return back as the ruler over this present earth.
To prepare people for this coming heavenly Kingdom rulership, in which Jesus will rule the earth as King of Kings, "he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’" Who were these servants of Jesus? These are those whom he called in to the Kingdom of God through the good news of the salvation (Luke 14:23; Matt 22:9; 24:14). This was a spiritual rulership over their lives and living that will supernaturally make them a dual citizen of the world and the Kingdom of God at the same time, where they will begin to influence and work as a heavenly ambassador to recruit more citizens in the Kingdom of God through trading the spiritual currency of faith (John 17:11, 16; Matt 28:18-20). Though initially this was only a recruitment of citizens for the immigration in to the heavenly spiritual Kingdom by Jesus and his servants, yet this Kingdom will become very soon both a spiritual and a physical "everlasting kingdom" and all dominions shall serve and obey Him (Dan 7:27).
The Kingdom business is the spiritual kingdom that operates in this world, therefore to establish the Kingdom of God, we as believers are told to do this business recruitment till Jesus comes to reward us all supernaturally in His Kingdom which will rule this present earth for a thousand years time, and that which will continue in the New Earth and New Heaven for eternity ahead (Luke 19:13; Acts 6:3-4; Mark 16:15-18; Rev 20:4; 21:24; 22:12).
John the Baptist the forerunner of Jesus used the key word to unlock the entry in to the Kingdom of God, (i.e.) "Repent" and Jesus did the same and preached "Repent," for the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matt 3:2; 4:17). Repentance opens the gate of the Kingdom of God wide to receive new Kingdom citizens, and the same when it happens massively in wholesale, it makes the Kingdom to suffer violence as the violent seeker of God take heavenly citizenship by force (Matt 11:12).
Can The Citizens Love The Country But Hate The King Who Rules Over Them?
"14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’"
Many Christians come to church to do business of trading, and use it as a place of commercial activity and like a business social club. Have they who want to spread the Gospel, actually have they started to love the King of the Church, Jesus Christ, who is the only one worthy to receive all the Glory (Rev 5:5, 9-10)? They who call Jesus as Lord, should learn to hear his voice, and walk according to His guidance (Matt 7:21-23; John 10:27). They who follow Jesus, must need humility to deny themselves and take up the Cross of God's will to follow Him (Luke 9:23). Those who are humble can only be able to live by grace and others who are not so, will end up doing work, trying to justify themselves through the work they do for God (Jam 4:6; Rom 4:4; 11:35; Gal 2:21).
This place of work without grace will totally lead a blind person to stay blind and also lead the blind which is a very dangerous descend in to hell fire (Matt 15:14). So to stay within walls of the church does not guarantee a place in heaven, but rather those who have believed Jesus and follow Him are those who have been born again and are saved from sin to enter heaven to be with God for eternity ahead (John 3:16, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8; John 5:24; 1 John 3:14).
They who do not hear the voice of Jesus humbly, by denying their own will to take up one's own cross of doing God's will, and instead walk in their own whims and fancies, to use the name of Jesus personally to get all the benefit of a Christian without loving Jesus, and instead try to send a demonic force to God to convey that they have made the same Church a trading zone like the Devil himself (1 John 3:8-9; Ezek 28:18). God will allow such place to become den of theives instead of continuing as a house of prayer for all nations (Matt 21:13; Luke 19:46). But this will continue until He returns to take the Church away from the world, after which the judgment of God will be let loose to destroy the thieves who have robbed God within the Church living for themselves comfortably within (1 Thess 1:10; 2 Thess 1:5-8; Rev 3:10; Mal 3:8-9).
Until the time of judgment comes, God allow the tares (sons of the wicked one) to grow along with the wheat (sons of the kingdom), so that lest while trying to pull up the tares the wheat might not be uprooted with them (Matt 13:29, 38). But when the time of judgment comes at the end of the age, the angel harvesters will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness without salvation will be then cast in to the furnace of fire where wailing and gnashing of teeth will continue eternally (Matt 13:39-42). But the righteous will shine as like the sun in the kingdom of their Father for the Millennial reign on this present earth with Jesus and also in the New Heaven and New Earth for eternity ahead (Matt 13:43).
Thus those who do not want the man Jesus to rule their soul now to save them from sin (Heb 12:22-24; 4:14-16; Matt 11:28-30), will also not have the God Jesus to save them from the wrath of God at the end time, within which the time of great tribulation that is coming upon the world of Satan, demons and the sons of the wicked one who are not saved and have never been born-again (Matt 27:17, 20-21, 22-23, 24-25, 26; 1 Tim 2:5; Matt 25:41, 46; 24:21; Luke 21:34-36; Rev 3:10). Thus we come to know on the day of redemption, all who hate and have hated Jesus the King of the Kingdom of God, cannot continue as citizens of this earth anymore (1 Cor 16:22).
Do We Really Gain By Serving Jesus, If Yes Is It Earthly Or Heavenly Gain?
15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading."
When will Jesus Return To This Earth? We know that Jesus went in to a far heavenly country of Zion when He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11), where God honored him and have given him a name above all names to seat Him at His right hand, thus he was eternally exalted with all power and authority over the entire universe (Php 2:8-11). Thus a spiritual kingdom was initially born on earth as a pre-sign of the everlasting kingdom that is going to be established by the Church, which will be operating from the new heaven and new earth at that point of time.
At the time of Jesus secret coming for his Church before the Tribulation and wrath of God comes upon the earth, He will command the servants of His to rise up in a glorious body, after which they will all be with him forever. Then they will all be judged in order to be rewarded eternally for the earthly business they did of spreading the gospel when they were on earth, which He has commanded them to do and gain souls for eternity (1 Thess 4:14-18; Prov 11:30; Heb 9:28; Rev 22:12).
We need to trade our time, talent and treasure we have on earth, to exchange it all with spiritual reward and heavenly treasure that Jesus has promised all believers for eternity (Luke 16:8-13; Matt 6:9-21; Rev 2:7, 8, 17, 26-29; 3:5-6, 12-13, 21-22). What ever we lose here on earth for Jesus and His Kingdom building, directly we are gaining it as a treasure invested in heaven for us and our family (Matt 10:34-38, 39, 40-41, 42). What we gain on earth by serving Jesus is only souls and the spiritual impact we make for Him and His Kingdom (2 Cor 3:2-3), in a earthly way we gain nothing for ourselves (1 Cor 15:19), yet God is able to bless us physically, also bless us greatly in such a way to make us a blessing to others around us (Matt 19:29; Mark 10:28-31). Yet we do not look for physical blessings (Matt 6:21; Luke 17:26-37), but rather in our heart we start to search for spiritual blessings of the heavenly places prepared for us (Eph 1:3; John 14:3-4). With that being said, the Church should learn to shout, 'Hallelujah!'
Could The Enemies Of God In Disguise As Servants Of Jesus Stay Within The Church?
"16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’ 19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ 20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”".
Minas are the time, talent and treasure in this earthly life that Jesus has given to all humans. Humans are born on earth to know and to serve God, by doing it, they are created to inherit eternity of eternal life in which each one is called to enjoy God's nature and spend the rest of their life with God in relationship with Him as his children.
So when Jesus called the first servant to give account of his earthly life which is the one mina he had given him, he replies, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’ This means this servant had used his life to work hard and multiply the time, talent and treasure God had given to him personally. So the reward for the faithful work of the servant of God was the rulership being given to him in eternity over ten cities. It is indeed a spiritual power given in eternity for the faithful servant of Jesus.
Then the second servant of Jesus came to him and said, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’. This means this servant too stayed faithful to the call of his Master Jesus and have used his time, talent and treasure to multiply his mina and have invested it eternally in the Kingdom of God by trading it for earthly souls of people. Though compared to the first, he could collect only half of the previous person's reward, yet the fact that Jesus rewards him eternally with spiritual power and authority to rule over five cities according to his earthly work reveals to us that God is faithful and does not forget even the least of the work we do and have done for Him (Heb 6:10). Though as a servant working in the Kingdom of God, he would have received many physical blessings too, it was not at all given importance in the New Testament by Jesus because whatever physical blessings God gives, it is given to us so that we may use it on earth to the maximum to exchange it for a eternal and spiritual blessing that God has promised us and our family members.
Then another servant of Jesus came before him and said, "‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. 21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’" Our life on earth and our temporal body to live in it are like a handkerchief, it gets soiled often and we need to clean it up to use it effectively for the purpose for which God has given to us. When our appointed time on earth gets over, moth and worms take it back to nature from which the material is taken out and given to us by God to use it for the Glory of God.
But here we see that this servant too is given a mina, but he has used it for himself and he has misused it for many other things to "put away", but never used it to fulfill the purpose of God because we see him blame God as austere hard man who collects without depositing anything and reap without sowing anything. In short, God seem to this man as a not a good God at all.
Here is what we see from this man's complaint against God, he has never tasted the grace of God any time in his life and have never received the mercy of God to experience God's goodness through receiving His salvation which He gives freely to all who come to believe Jesus because of God's goodness (Rom 8:32; John 3:16). Only the pure in heart shall see God as a good God (Matt 5:8). He must have been a religious law keeping human who tried to earn God's reward through work done by him for God, this is why He was seeing God as a hard task master, but to his surprise the reply from God was, "‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’"
We know that the bank of God is the worship place where God has appointed to propagate his name, in the New Testament it is the Church where we bring our deposit and invest time, talent and treasure if we could not use it directly (Php 4:15, 17-18; Titus 3:14; 1 Cor 9:18, 19-23). So this wicked servant was never born again or have received God's new nature and did not even deposit his money in God's bank of the Church, but have used his earthly life for himself even after knowing Jesus as the Savior of the world, and have never accepted him humbly as his Lord to allow Him to save him from his sins and evil nature. He had no answer or valid reason to speak back to his Master who is the God who had created Him for His Glory, of whom He had even accused as a hard task master without ever trying to know His will for his life!
When Jesus comes back to this earth to take the saints back to heaven in their glorious body (1 Thess 4:14-18), those who have deposited in God's bank of the Church that operates to save souls, will make Jesus receive the investment in a human life back through the resurrection from the dead that will be achieved by the Church through sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Luke 16:8-13; James 5:20; Jude 1:23; Prov 11:30). Those who try to put their money in God's bank by giving to poor and the Church (Acts 10:4; 11:29-30; Prov 19:17), always end up being rewarded with the fear of God (Prov 9:10), which is the beginning of Wisdom that when continued leads to salvation knowledge of God (2 Peter 3:15). Remember, the test for every humans is not to choose between God or Satan, but rather it is between God or Mammon. In other words, for every unsaved heart, Mammon is the God of their heart and life which Satan uses to keep them in darkness and operate in his kingdom to use them for himself (Luke 16:13; 4:6).
Remember, religion darkens the true God of holiness because it always encourages and exalts man's work to please God, but relationship with God through Jesus always gives assurance of eternal life and reception of God's grace to please God through faith. Jesus encourages work not to get salvation, but to do willingly after salvation so that each one could be rewarded spiritually and eternally in their afterlife according to the work they have done for God in their lives (Eph 2:8-10; Rev 22:12).
Yes the enemies of God can in disguise as the saved can stay within the Church to do their own will, but they can't even enter in to heaven when they are judged because of the wickedness of their unsaved heart that accuses God and make him look like a hard task Master, when He is the good God who had given them their entire life as a mina on earth to enjoy and multiply it to invest in eternity, which they used for themselves in living a temporary life of selfishness without doing God's will by believing Jesus Christ to inherit eternal life (John 6:28-29, 39-40).
Can Any Human Or Angel On Earth As The Enemies Of God Has The Audacity Enough To Deny God To Reign Over Them?
24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ 25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) 26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”"
The unsaved people lose all their gifts within the gift of this earthly life, the moment they die everything they had will be gone in to the grave (1 Tim 6:7; Prov 18:16), the same happens with the angels who will be judged at the end of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and His Church (1 Cor 6:2-3; Isa 14:16-17), to be both put in to hell fire for eternity (Matt 25:41, 46).
The evil of sin and rebellion against God which has first taken root in the heart of Satan due to pride, and has spread in to a whole lot of angels who can be numbered as one third among the whole. And sin spread in to humans when one man Adam sinned due to his own wrong choice in the Garden of Eden when he was tested, and all humans ever since have been born with sin nature within them which is the death that God warned Adam initially, and thus all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Isa 14:13-15; Rev 12:3-4; Rom 5:12; Gen 2:15-17; 5:3; Rom 3:23).
Satan through his deception of blinding people and keeping them in spiritual darkness have become the god of this world to rule it since the beginning of time (2 Cor 4:4), but the God of this Universe is always and forever will be the Creator Almighty God, and Satan and his angels knows that because they serve him (Job 1:6; 2:1; Mark 1:24). The only time of their rebellion can be this age where God has allowed them to rule the world as watchers over it (Dan 4:13; Heb 2:5), which they have used for themselves to deny God to make a kingdom of darkness for themselves out of the ignorance of humankind (Matt 4:8-9; Luke 4:6-7; Eph 6:12; Acts 26:18; Col 1:13).
Once the Rapture of the Church happens, the Church will displace the angelic rulers and powers in the heavenly places to start to take control of the world and will be in full control at the time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to rule this earth for a Millennium along with him (Rev 12:7-12; 19:11-16; 20:4-6).
Human and Angels on earth who live in rebellion as the enemies of God has the audacity enough to deny God in their heart to reign over them because God has given them a choice which He values to uphold as a gentle One to be longsuffering to endure the sinful rebellion and the pain that selfishness brings until the time of His judgment comes on earth and in heavens (2 Pet 3:7-9; Heb 9:27). Specifically God has extended and delayed the time for the judgment to come upon the earth, because of his love for humans, that He not only died for them (John 3:1 6), but also He expects as many humans to come to repentance and not perish in hell fire which has been made for the devil and his angels (2 Pet 3:9; 1 Tim 2:1-4; Heb 2:16; Matt 25:41).
So when the judgment time comes for humans and angels come to fruition, God will gather the enemies of God in both angels and humans, and will take the gifts that they operated within their lives on earth and will give it to the Church in the new heaven and new earth (1 Cor 15:38-49; Rev 3:11, 21; 2:26, 7), and also the Tribulation martyred saints on earth will be gifted and empowered to make them rule and reign as priests of God as judgment was committed to them over the earth in the will of God, and for the Glory of His Name for a Millennium (Rev 20:4-6; 2 Pet 3:13)!
God in his economy rewards the highest to the best of his workers and so we see the one talent which was taken away from the unsaved human given to the one who is the saved faithful servant of Jesus with the ten talent. In other words, to every human on earth who has salvation and continue to work righteousness will be given eternal life and the power to rule this present earth too, but to humans who were not at all saved, even the human life they have on earth will be taken away from them soon in the day of their death, and after that in the day of judgement in which the evaluation of their good works happen, they will be sent to hell fire for sin and rebellion which made them as enemies of God (Rev 20:11-15; Eph 2:1-3). The enemies of God, who did not want God to reign over them, will be judged and will be slayed before God, for all to see what will happen to all those who continue to sin like the devil and live in rebellion without love for God or fellow humans (John 8:44; Rom 2:6-11, 5; 1 John 3:6, 8-9, 10, 12, 14-15; Isa 66:15-16, 22-23, 24).
So the bottom line of this parable has been clearly told by one of the wisest king of all time in his writing as follows, "13 The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. 14 And that's it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it's good or evil." (Eccl 12:13-14, MSG; 1 Cor 4:5; 1 Thess 2:4). Hallelujah!
Much Blessings...
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