Investing

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

INVESTING

Luke 19:11-27

11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. '  Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' 14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 15 "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 "'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' 18 "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' 19 "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' 20 "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' 22 "His master replied, '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? 23 Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' 24 "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 25 "'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' 26 "He replied, '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. 27 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.'" 

NIV

This is impossible to break up into smaller segments because it is one parable, but has two truths for us. The first truth is about the Jews and the second truth is about all us believers. We can see the Jews did not want him to be king over them, in fact they would eventually have Rome kill him for them. But all of us believers are his servant who he has given us something of value, of great value, before he left this place and went to his majestic kingdom at the right hand of the Father, who has in fact made him the King of kings over all. What Jesus gave us servants is illustrated here as money, because that is want the peoples of the world value, but God does not and so we need to see the gift of value as either the gospel itself, or possibly the gifts of the Spirit, or both. He gave us the Gospel before he left, but he also told us that he needed to leave so he could send us the Spirit. In the parable he gave one more than the other and even more than the third. We might consider this as to how much understanding he might give to one and not to another. Certainly it is not grace for he gives that in equal portions. It might be faith, as some seem to have more than others and the scripture declares he gives every man a measure of faith. It does not clearly indicate the same measure. Yet the point is that we have a responsibility to use the gospel, or the gifts, or our faith, or understanding for the gain of the kingdom of God. We cannot be as the third servant and just hide our faith, or the gospel so no one could get it. We need to be investing whatever it is that Jesus gave us for his benefit, using our faith, our understanding, our gifts for his benefit. This means we do not lift ourselves up, we do not make ourselves appear as spiritual giants, or for that matter persons of great faith. Our only purpose is to use the gospel for the sake of the kingdom of God. This would mean we need to spread his word, invest his word, his grace, his forgiveness, his death, resurrection and ascension, the gospel, for the advancement of the kingdom. We need to be influencing the world for Jesus, rather than allowing the world to influence us. If people, unsaved, unbelieving people, do not know we are believers, and what exactly that means, then we are not investing the gospel for his sake. If we are simply hiding the gospel inside our church, afraid to interact with the sinners, then we have become the third servant, and what we have will be taken away. Those who refused him to be their king, will in fact be sent to their death on judgement day. In the meantime we need to be about our Fathers business, investing what we have, making more disciples throughout the nations for the kingdom of God. We, of course cannot get people saved, only the Spirit can do that, but we have the responsibility to share what Jesus has given us with others. The world asks, “What’s in your wallet” or “what’s in your safe” but Jesus asks, what is in our hearts and we are not to hide it, but invest it for him.