Read Luke 19:11–27
Questions from the Scripture text: What does Jesus speak (Luke 19:11)? For what two reasons? Who is the parable about (Luke 19:12)? Where is going to go to do what? Whom does he call (Luke 19:13)? What does he give to them? What does he command them to do with it? How did they respond and why (Luke 19:14)? What did he do when he returned (Luke 19:15)? How did the first servant respond (Luke 19:16)? What did the master entrust to him in response (Luke 19:17)? How did the second respond (Luke 19:18)? What did the master entrust to him (Luke 19:19)? What did another say he had done (Luke 19:20)? Why (Luke 19:21)? About which part of this answer does the master confront him in Luke 19:22? If his accusations were true, what should he have done (Luke 19:23)? What does the master say to do (Luke 19:24)? How do the bystanders respond (Luke 19:25)? What explanation does the master give in Luke 19:26? What does he say to do to the ones who had given the answer in Luke 19:14?
Disciples in Luke 19:11 (and today) want the kingdom to hurry up right away, but Jesus corrects this.
The Master is going to be gone for a significant time. But He is not idle; He is obtaining a kingdom (Luke 19:12). And He commands us to be busy too (Luke 19:13). In this literary description, Jesus styles those who are not diligent in His business as those who “hate” him and say “we will not have this man to reign over us” (Luke 19:14).
So a big part of this text is correcting the desire to have the kingdom right away, or to wait for it while being about your own pleasure.
Speaking of pleasure, Jesus is not at all that severe Master that the wicked servant imagines in Luke 19:20. He is pleased with His servant in Luke 19:17. We all know that the servant has only done what was required (cf. Luke 17:10), but this just makes the graciousness and goodness and generosity of our Lord shine in His, “Well done” (cf. Matthew 25:21). In fact, it is even more abrupt in the original than in the English.
Yet, Christ’s pleasure isn’t His only stunning response in the parable-picture that He draws here. Not only does the lazy servant have his stewardship taken away (Luke 19:25-26), but all who are not about the Lord’s business will be slaughtered before Him (Luke 19:27).
The kingdom will not appear immediately, but we are to be busy serving the King until it does. Those Who do so because they are His will be amazed at the pleasure of His response. Those Who don’t serve Him will be amazed at the intensity of His wrath. Let us be busy for Him, and let us be amazed at Him.
How are you busy serving the Lord? What response does His pleasure in service draw out of you? What response does His fury at laziness/rebellion draw out of you?
Suggested Songs: ARP95B “Today, If You Will Hear His Voice” or TPH389 “Great God, What Do I See and Hear”
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