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Chapter 6

More Clues from God’s Stories and Statements

The Parable of the Talents and other important things! Luke 19: 11-27:

“While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back’. But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’ I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”

Now let me repeat the passage with comments inserted:

The Parable of the Talents and other important things! Luke 19: 11 - 27:

‘While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, ‘A nobleman (part of the so called ‘rich’ according to the liberals and class warfare) went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return’.

A picture of Christ and His return.

The nobleman went to receive a kingdom for himself. He was amassing wealth – capitalism.

‘And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Do business with this until I come back’.

A free market business model not likely under tyranny.

‘But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’

For starters, there is freedom of speech mind you, against the nobleman or owner, so it is likely not a tyranny where speech is suppressed.

The delegation’s complaint didn’t change the owners mind. He has the right to do what he wants with what is his. Even totalitarian governments have the right over what they own. I was in Switzerland recently and spoke to a waiter about how busy the place was and how much money he must be making. He quickly replied “for my boss.” We laughed, but I felt sorry for him. They don’t tip as much in Europe as we do here in the states. I paid $45 for fried perch, boiled potatoes and wine – not one of my better meals there! In the states, I would have paid about half that. Much of the cost of things in Europe goes to taxes and social benefits. Many want that, but I don’t think the waiter was happy with his earnings. I tipped him $13. My point…any owner either individual or government or business has the right to do what they want with what is theirs. If it is unfair, people will respond and go or do something else. At least, that is true in a free market or where opportunity to do so exists which is another reason why I think the Lord prefers free markets.

‘When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him so that he might know what business they had done. The first appeared, saying, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing you are to be in authority over ten cities.’

Where can you be faithful in carrying out a business? Where there is opportunity or under tyranny? Some form of a free market with opportunity to be faithful is assumed. Whenever Jesus teaches, opportunity to obey is assumed, which to me makes it His main or “go to” or preferred teaching platform. “You are to be in authority over ten cities.” A promotion! Well earned! From a free market not a tyranny.

‘The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, master, has made five minas.’ And he said to him also, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

A promotion! Well earned! From a free market not a tyranny.

‘Another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow.’

Sound like anyone you know? Karl Marx maybe? He and Engels were full of this stuff about the proletariat being taken advantage of by the bourgeoisie and not getting their just do.

Notice what Jesus says through the parable:

‘He said to him, ‘By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put my money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?’ Then he said to the bystanders, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’

No wealth redistribution here Karl…more like maximizing profits.

‘And they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas already.’

Freedom of speech again, even against the Master.

Jesus could have taught on economic justice and introduced the principle of wealth redistribution but He didn’t!

‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away’.

This is huge! Jesus is teaching clearly that people who take advantage of what they are given, as the nobleman’s slaves in this case, and are responsible with it, will be blessed with more opportunity and reward. This is a classic example of capitalism, or free markets and the increase that comes from them. Jesus is teaching that we should live this way! Jesus is promoting hard work, individual responsibility, profit, reward, increase, and blessing for being responsible and industrious. I could have stopped the book here, but if you don’t sound a little verbose people won’t think you are smart enough to write—besides, there are a whole lot of other things from God’s word that support my premise. Please read on.

‘But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.’ (A picture of Judgement Day).

Biblical exegesis (interpretation) holds that we should takes passages literally if possible and then figuratively, or both. So here we have both. The nobleman coming back (a picture of Christ and His return). We have the delegation not wanting the slave of the nobleman to rule over them. (A picture of those who don’t want Christ or God or anything to do with them.) Note what Jesus teaches through the nobleman’s response. Jesus, through the nobleman, equates the treatment of the slaves as personal to himself. ‘But these enemies of mine’… they are not the enemies of the slave but of the nobleman. ‘Who did not want me to reign over them’…it was not the slave that the delegation didn’t want—it was the nobleman! We can obviously take the literal meanings as we have done, but we are remiss if we don’t look at the figurative, which to be sure, are more important than the entire issue of free markets.

‘But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.’

A picture of Judgment Day. Worth considering! (An understatement).

Recap:

• Jesus through the Master in the parable rebukes the ‘worthless slave’ who was voicing one of the fundamental elements of Marxism, namely making money (profit) off someone else’s labor—‘taking up what you did not lay down and reaping what you did not sow’.

• Jesus does not condemn the nobleman for making money (profiting) off someone else’s labor (if you are paying them a fair wage).

• Jesus does not condemn profit in general.

• Jesus does not condemn or pity the hardworking servants for making profit for their master—they are rewarded; (No class warfare rhetoric here).

• Jesus does not condemn the nobleman for maximizing his profits over the objections of those who thought it fair to give the minas to someone other than the slave who already had ten minas.

• Jesus could have introduced the...