Taking a Stand

You may or may not recognize this parable, for Luke's account is different from the account in Matthew of the talents. 

As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ When he returned, having received royal power, he ordered these slaves, to whom he had given the money, to be summoned so that he might find out what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’ Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ (And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’) ‘I tell you, to all those who have, more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.’” - Luke 19:11-27

In Luke's account, the nobleman gives ten of his slaves the same opportunity.  Each gets one pound to do business on his behalf.

One, however, defies him and does nothing with the money, taking a stand against him, because he felt the nobleman was harsh and didn't deserve respect or obedience.

What I find interesting in this story is that the one who defied the master and called him wicked was not punished.  In Matthew's account, he is tossed out, but here, nothing happens to him.  Instead, the nobleman goes after those who didn't want him to rule over them.

It is hard to understand the intent of this story.  What does Jesus want us to focus on?  Is it the act of defiance, standing up for what one feels is right, or against what one sees as wrong?

The message at the end of the parable is the same in both accounts.  From those who have little, even that little amount will be taken, but to those who have much, more will be given.

Is this the way things are in God's kingdom, or here in our world?

I believe we are supposed to see this as a picture of corruption in our world, where people take advantage of one another for their own gain, rather than help one another rise up.

The haves and have-nots have always been at odds, and there is a renewed effort in our country to try to level the playing field.

But I think Jesus was trying to tell us in several of his parables, that we cannot force people to do what they do not feel the desire and compassion to do.  Instead, he tells us, we should love one another, and out of that love, we will help one another with whatever it is they need.

I know this approach works.  And when we have faith in God's hand acting in our world, we can move forward believing others will want to help us help others.

I see this all the time.  

The slave who found himself in the house of someone who was greedy and selfish could do nothing to change the man's ways, so he defied his word, at much risk to himself.  

If he could have walked away, he would have.  Maybe that is what we should do when we disagree with the actions of those with authority over us.  We can walk away, and work or live somewhere else.

More to come...