DONT BE SURPRISED; BE READY

(Luke 19:11-27)
December 11, 2016
Read Text A famous author signed his latest book for a man who explained,
Its for my wife for Christmas. The author said, A surprise, eh? The guy
replied, Ill say. Shes expecting a Cadillac. That womans in for an
unpleasant surprise! Jesus, now 17 miles from Jerusalem, has a similar issue.
His followers are more excited with every step. Theyre expecting a kingdom.
And He knows thats not whats going to happen.
So He tries again to reset expectations with this parable. Far from assuming a
throne, He is going to leave them. Theyll be devastated. BUT thats not
going to be the end. So this parable about whats coming and what to do.
I.

The Removal

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He said therefore, A nobleman went into a far country to receive for

himself a kingdom and then return. Strange to us; familiar to Jesus
audience. Herod the Great had originally been appointed King of the Jews
over Palestine by Caesar Augustus. When Herod died in 4 BC he left 1/3 of
his kingdom, to his son Archelaus who also wanted to be king. He went to
Rome to seek that appointment. But Caesar Augustus would only make him
ethnarch promising to make him king should be prove his deserts, which
he couldnt. Even the Romans couldnt stomach him. After 10 years they
ousted him and appointed their own governor Pilate, in Christs time. But
Jesus audience knew about noblemen going away to seek a kingdom.
The nobleman is Jesus, of course. So the parable presents disciples with a
good news/bad news story. The bad news Jesus isnt setting up a kingdom
yet. The good news Hes going somewhere to receive one. What they still
didnt get was that He had to purchase forgiveness for those who would be His
subjects. Without the death and resurrection Hes been warning about, there
would be no people to rule over. The cross had to come before the crown.
Even after His death they struggled with this. In His last minutes with them:
Acts 1:6: So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you
at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Its like they are saying, Okay,
Lord, we get it now. You couldnt rule outwardly until you bought our
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inward forgiveness. You delayed political rule for the cross. We get that. But
here you are back alive again. So is it now? Surely, its now!
So Jesus replies: Sorry guys. Its not going to happen. Its never been
intended to be more than a spiritual kingdom. Is that what He said? Not at
all. He simply said in Acts 1:7, It is not for you to know times or seasons
that the Father has fixed by his own authority. He didnt say, Its not
coming, just Its not coming yet, and in the meantime, youve got a job to
do so get on with that. Then, He was lifted out of sight. The removal. They
would have thought of this very parable which predicted that exact moment.
So Jesus has gone to receive a kingdom. And where is the far country? Its
heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father. Eph 1:20-21 says God
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
places, 21 far above all rule and authority. So Jesus has His kingdom and
now rules over all things. So why doesnt He return? That, Beloved, is for
God to know and us to find out. Deut 29:29 says, The secret things belong
to the LORD our God. Thats where we must leave them for now.
But the disciples needed to know that while Jesus was gone, He was not
abandoning them. His removal was all part of Gods eternal plan. However
bleak things may look, they are actually right on track.
II.

The Representatives

So what are the disciples to do in Jesus absence? They are to be His

representatives. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and
said to them, Engage in business until I come. A mina was about 3 months
wages. With that the servant was to Engage in business until I come. Not
just any business -- His business. He is bankrolling their efforts to expand His
interests in His absence. What are His interests? He Lu 19:10 to seek and
save the lost. Thats His business, and that is now our business. We do this in
many different ways, but that is now our business. His commission is,
Engage in business until I come. Whatever else we do, that is the
overriding purpose of our existence. Bring others into the kingdom.
So what does the mina represent? What tools? Certainly we are equipped with
the gospel to help others to Christ. I Cor 4:1, This is how one should regard
us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (i.e., the
gospel). Paul tells Timothy much the same thing in II Tim 1: 14 By the Holy
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Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. If you
back up to v. 8 you find that the good deposit is the gospel the Word of God.
But we cant exclude our giftedness either. The mina represents all Jesus has
given us to further His work on earth: His Word, His Holy Spirit and the
spiritual and natural gifts. In I Cor 4:7: What do you have that you did not
receive? All we are and have is to be used for His glory. Some of us will do
that in full-time paid positions, like pastors, workers, missionaries and so on.
Others will do that through secular careers. But whoever we are, we are to
engage in our business in way that will further His business first. Seek His
kingdom first. We are His ambassadors first and foremost. Thats our calling.
Moody used to tell of a blind man sitting at a street corner with a lantern
beside him. Someone asked, Why the lantern given that you cant see? The
man replied, So that no one may stumble over me. Well, were not blind,
but people could certainly stumble over us if we are not living in the light of
the Word, applied to our hearts by the HS and ministered thru the gifts that He
gives. Paul says in II Cor 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be
reconciled to God. Thats our calling in His absence be His ambassadors.
III.

The Return

Jesus is coming again. V. 12: A nobleman went into a far country to receive
for himself a kingdom and then return. V. 15: When he returned, having
received the kingdom. Has that happened yet? Nope. But do you see that this
parable is entirely irrelevant unless Jesus is coming again? When He does,
were going to see, touch, hear and experience Him just like His disciples did.
When the nobleman returns, he interacts with his servants visibly, orally,
physically, just like before he left. And that is just the way Jesus will return
in bodily form, visible to all. Were the prophecies of Jesus first coming
fulfilled literally? When it said born in Bethlehem, was that literally fulfilled?
Sold for 30 pieces of silver literally fulfilled? Son of man just like Daniel
predicted all flesh and blood and bone, complete with a genealogy going all
the way back to Adam, and yet fully God at the same time. All literal, right?
So it is sheer nonsense to insist that His Second Coming is only spiritual, not
literal as JWs do. Hes coming back, Beloved, in the flesh. Even as Jesus
disappeared into heaven, 2 angels reported, This Jesus, who was taken up
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from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into
heaven (Acts 1:11). When He comes again, the whole world will see and
hear! Matt 24: 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he
will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds. Everyone will see and hear when He comes again.
You say, Do you really believe that? Absolutely. I can hardly wait. If you
believe Jesus was visibly standing, talking, interacting with those people that
day, you have to believe Hes coming again this time not to purchase
redemption but this time to make good on it. Good for some; bad for others.
IV.

The Results 3 types of people

The results of Jesus return visit to earth are very different from those of His
first coming. Before He came to save; now Hes coming to judge to reward
believers and judge unbelievers. Everyone will get the fair results of their
decision about Christ. The results are both glorious and devastating. Now, to
get this, we must realize there are 3 kinds of people in the world. We usually
think of believers and unbelievers 2 kinds. But as Tim Keller points out,
Jesus constantly identifies 3 types and nowhere more clearly than here.
The first type is true believers. 16 The first came before him, saying, Lord,
your mina has made ten minas more. 17 And he said to him, Well done,
good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have
authority over ten cities. Vv. 18-19 describe a 2nd such believer. These are
people who, having received Christ have taken His gifts and used them to
further His kingdom. Their life has exhibited the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control
(Gal 5:22-23). They are not perfect, but their heart has pursued Gods agenda
over their own, and their one mina of privilege has spread the gospel of Jesus
Christ, by word and deed, all around them, so that their one has become 10.
These are rewarded out of all proportion to their faithfulness. Faithful in little,
they are given authority over much. We cant develop this fully, but listen to
some promises to faithful believers. Rev 3: 21) The one who conquers, I will
grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down
with my Father on his throne. That should elicit a gasp from all of us.
Sitting with Jesus as He sits with the Father on His throne? This is beyond
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comprehension. II Tim 2: 12) if we endure, we will also reign with him. Do

we deserve to reign with Christ? Never, but faithful in little, authority over
much. Rev 5:10 says of believers: and they shall reign on the earth. I
cant tell you exactly what this will all be like, Beloved. But I can tell you that
heaven will be so wonderful that for whatever brief moment of regret we
might have, we will only wish wed been more faithful. God pays like no one
else. And it lasts forever. Believe me, this is the group you want to be in.
Now the second group is those who just totally reject Christ. Whether they
believe in God or not, they want nothing to do with Jesus. We see them first
in v. 14 as the nobleman departs: 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a
delegation after him, saying, We do not want this man to reign over us.
These are out and out rejecters. They may be down-and-outers or up-andouters but they want nothing to do with Jesus. We do not want this man to
reign over us. They disavow He has any claim over them. They see His death
as having no relevance to them and they are dead wrong. Their fate when
Jesus comes again is sealed: 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did
not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before
me. This is figurative language for eternal separation from God. Remember
Jesus said in Mt 10: 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
These are going to exactly that destruction which goes on forever and ever.
So the first two kinds of people are polar opposites. But
what of the third? Who are they? They are represented by the
third servant: 20 Then another came, saying, Lord, here is your mina,
which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for 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. 22 He 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? 23 Why then did you not put my
money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with
interest? Many suggest this unfaithful servant is a believer who has lived a
wasted, carnal life. Hes in by the skin of his teeth. But that is not true. On
closer glance you will see that he is actually not a servant at all. He is a
professor, not a possessor. Hes the religious hypocrite that Jesus constantly
encountered. How do we know?
V. 20 says, Then another came. Luke does not use , another of the
same kind, but , another of a different kind. Hes not genuine! This
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one did not treasure the revelation of God in His Word. He hid it away other
than on Sabbath days when he went to synagogue. He lived only for here and
now with no eye to eternity. He did not see the Father as gracious, but as
severe. He even accuses Him of not playing fair. He claimed to be Christs
servant, but he had no real relationship. He put on an outward show, but had
no inward reality. Jesus refers to him in v 22 a wicked () servant
a word that is used 78 times in the NT, but never of a believer.
Who is this? This is the false believer the one who makes a claim of Christ
someone who joined the church and even comes occasionally, has been
baptized, gives money sometimes and tries to look the part. But deep inside,
he has no time for Christ; he loves and pursues his own will. He has no
relationship with Jesus. And while his ultimate fate is not described here, in
the parable of the talents, which uses the same language and teaches the same
lesson, the fate of the unfaithful servant is described in detail. Mt 25:30: And
cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those who claim Christ outwardly but
withhold their heartfelt devotion and repentance have only an eternity in hell
to look forward to. They have made no investment in eternity and suffer the
same fate as out and out rejecters of Christ.
Conc So each of us must ask this morning, what group am I in? If Jesus
were to come today, that would determine our fate. If you are part of either of
the last two groups, there is still time to leave the broad road that leads to
destruction and transfer to the narrow road that leads to life by confessing
your sin and acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior. But time is short.
The theme of this passage isnt difficult to find. Its clearly stated in v. 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. Everyone who has what? Has
Jesus. Thats who He wants to find when He comes so He can give them even
more. But you must have Him. Do you have Him? The great danger for us
sitting here this morning is self-deception. Like the school teacher who lost
her life savings to a Ponzi scheme. It shattered her dreams for the future. She
reported her loss to the Better Business Bureau and was asked, Why in the
world didnt you come to us first? Didnt you know about us? She replied,
Yes, Ive always known about you. But I was afraid youd tell me not to do
it. How foolish. But no worse than those claiming to be followers of Christ
but refusing the Bibles message that its what is in your heart that matters. If
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thats you, why not make your commitment real and then Engage in His
business until He comes instead of yours.
For those who truly know Him, thats our instruction. Occupy until I come.
Be about His business. Serving humbly wherever He calls. Thats how to be
ready. Heres the question if Jesus comes this afternoon will you be
surprised, or are you ready? Dont be surprised when Jesus comes. Be ready.
Lets pray.