Galatians 5.5-6
“For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
When we read the Bible as the story of God working in the world, we are able to understand our purpose as God’s people and see our call to participate in God’s redemptive mission. As Paul says in this Galatians passage, full restoration of the earth and perfect righteousness for us is coming in the future, but in the meantime, God calls us right here and right now to be stewards of all he has given us in every relationship and every aspect of our lives. In particular, the Lord calls us to be agents of redemption and restoration in our place in history.
Paul’s message to the Galatians is that because we trust in Christ, we confidently await Jesus’ return and the establishment of the fullness of the kingdom. While waiting, we do work and have dominion. Through the work we do every day, we produce and repair and build and develop, thereby functioning as agents of redemption and restoration, which gives the world a foretaste of God’s kingdom. As we do our work, we establish relationships with people and share the good news of God’s grace in Christ and invite them to believe, be saved, and participate in the work of the kingdom.
To put it simply, as we await the return of Christ, we are called to display the gospel through our work and we are called to declare the gospel through our words. We are empowered by faith, motivated by love, and disciplined in our work.
God calls us to himself, and he also calls us to do work. And as Paul says above, the “us” is everyone who trusts in Christ, whether Jew or Gentile. The Parable of the Minas — which is recorded in Luke 19 — provides a story that speaks directly to this incredibly important topic. The context and purpose for this parable is critical. Jesus was nearing Jerusalem and his crucifixion. Many people in the crowd along the road believed he was going to Jerusalem in order to establish his earthly kingdom. Jesus used this parable to dispel rumors that the time of his earthly rule had arrived.
Here’s the parable: “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.” (Luke 19:11-13)
A nobleman leaves for a foreign country in order to be made king. Before he left, he gave ten minas to ten of his servants. A mina was a good sum of money (about three months’ wages), and the future king said, “Put this money to work . . . until I come back.” In other words, he instructed his servants to do work. And not just any work, but effective work.
“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, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.” (Luke 19:14-15)
However, the man’s subjects hated him and sent word to him that they refused to acknowledge his kingship. When the man was crowned king, he returned to his homeland and began to set things right. First, he called the ten servants to whom he had loaned the minas. They each gave an account for how they had used the money.
“The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 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.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.” (Luke 19:16-19)
The first servant had done effective and productive work, and showed that his mina had earned ten more. The king was pleased and gave the servant increased responsibility. The next servant’s investment had yielded five additional minas, and that servant was also rewarded with greater responsibility commensurate with the effectiveness of his work.
“Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 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.’ 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? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘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. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.” (Luke 19:22-27)
Then came a servant who, because he was fearful and afraid, had done nothing with his mina except hide it in a cloth. The king responded calling him a “wicked servant” and commanding for his mina to be given to the one who had earned ten. Some bystanders protested, but the king replied by telling them that the faithful will receive more, and the unfaithful will forfeit what has been given. The rebellious will be killed.
The parable of the minas in Luke 19 is a double click on this message of doing work until Jesus returns. The text tells us why Jesus gave the parable: “… he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (Luke 19.11). The Jews thought (incorrectly) that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to take David’s throne and establish the fullness of the kingdom. They failed to understand three things: 1) the nature of the kingdom of God; 2) how and when the Messiah would establish the kingdom on earth; and 3) their responsibility in response to the Messiah and the kingdom. The purpose of the parable was to correct the Jews’ false notions about the kingdom.
In the parable, Jesus describes a nobleman who goes into a far country to receive his kingship, and before leaving gives a mina to each of ten servants and tells them to make use of the money to “engage in business until I come” (Luke 19:11-13).
The Greek word in this text for “engage in business” is pragmateuomai, from which we get our English word pragmatic. It was often used in ancient times to refer to “doing work” and “to gain by buying and selling.” It was the ancient marketplace term for doing the necessary work to be productive and make a fair gain.
Here is what Jesus is saying in this parable: “I came to bring the kingdom of God, but not the fullness of the kingdom. I came to bring redemption and forgiveness so that I could rule in your heart and through your life. After my crucifixion I am going away, but I will return and then I will reign in Jerusalem and bring the fullness of the kingdom. But in the meantime, I give you an assignment: Do the practical work of the kingdom until I return. Be a wise pragmatist in the way you go about your daily life and work. I give you five powerful resources:
1) The presence and power of my Spirit.
2) My Word … the principles of scripture.
3) The fellowship of the Christian community.
4) The gifts, abilities, and talents you were born with.
5) The gifts of Holy Spirit that are unique to each believer.
Now go use those resources and do the work. Be productive.”
This is God’s plan for the kingdom. The fullness of the kingdom would not happen immediately; it would happen at Christ’s second coming. In the period of time between Christ’s first and second coming, the kingdom would operate in and through the followers of Jesus, which is the Church, the true Israel.
