Luke

19:11-27

The teachings of Messiah, 9:51-19:44

6. Discipleship and the rejected king, 18:15-19:44

v] The parable of the ruthless king

Luke tells us that Jesus is still standing with the crowd that gathered around Zacchaeus. Jericho is the last staging-post before reaching Jerusalem, Jesus' journey's end, and given this fact, many expect the coming of the kingdom of God. To this end, Jesus relates the parable of the ruthless king, usually titled the parable of the ten minas / pounds. The parable tells the story of a harsh king who progresses to his enthronement and then, confirming his rule, he sets about rewarding and punishing servants and opponents alike. The parable presents as a kingdom parable, announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand; "take care how you hear."

The kingdom of God is at hand; the day of decision is upon us.

i] Context: 18:15-17. The parable of the ruthless king is the fifth episode in the teaching unit Discipleship and the Rejected King, 18:15-19:44. This series of studies depict Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, revealing something of his messiahship, and his teachings on discipleship. Having explained that discipleship is grounded in divine grace and appropriated through faith, a faith that perseveres, Luke now turns his attention to the messiah at journey's end. He is God's long-promised king, and today is the day of decision, either for blessing or cursing.

ii] Background. Although the parable does not necessarily allude to the history of the time, it is interesting to note that both Herod the Great in 40 BC and his son Archeleus in 4 BC, went to Rome to receive confirmation of their rule. Although Herod received the title king, Archeleus only received the title Ethnarch. Interestingly, with Archeleus, a delegation was sent to Rome opposing his appointment. According to Josephus, their motive was hatred.

iii] Structure: The parable of the ruthless king:

iv] Interpretation:

v] Synoptics:

vi] Homiletics: Would the faithful servant please stand up

The parable of the ruthless king, v11-27: i] Setting, v11. Luke retains the setting of Jesus engagement with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus has announced to his rather hostile neighbours, in the presence of Jesus and his disciples, that he has / is / will restore to those he has wronged over and above what is required. Jesus announces that "salvation has come to this house" given that Zacchaeus, as a true son of Abraham, exhibits a faith like that of Abraham. It is to this end that the Son of Man came; "to seek and to save the lost." Luke further defines the setting by pointing out that Jesus is close to reaching his goal (Jerusalem and his enthronement), and that those assembled think that the kingdom of God is about to appear immediately. It is within this context that Luke relates one of Jesus' kingdom parables.

It is usually understood that Luke's comment about the peoples' belief that the kingdom "was to appear immediately", ESV, implies that it was a false belief. Of course, Luke doesn't say that. Given Luke's propensity toward realised eschatology, the peoples' assumption is likely correct - the king's enthronement is nigh. Understanding Luke's words in the terms of eschatological delay, is driven by the tendency to import the sense of Matthew's parable of the talents, namely, of vigilance. So, given that Jesus' progress to Jerusalem is nearly complete (entry, cross, resurrection, ascension, enthronement, judgment), Luke records a parable which illustrates this reality.

akouontwn (akouw) gen. part. "while [they] were listening" - [but/and they] hearing [these things]. The genitive participle and its genitive subject "they", forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV.

prosqeiV (prostiqhmi) aor. part. "he went on" - having added [he told a parable]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to say", "he added and said"; "adding to what he had been saying, he told a parable", Culy, "he went on further and said ...."

dia to + inf. "because" - because the [he to be]. This construction, dia + the articular infinitive, serves to introduce a causal clause explaining why Jesus relates this parable, namely "because", not only is his enthronement in Jerusalem at hand, but the people know that it is at hand. The accusative subject of the infinitive is auton, "he".

egguV adv. "near" - near [jerusalem]. Here the adverb serves as a preposition, normally followed by a genitive.

dokein (dokew) pres. inf. "[the people] thought" - [and] to think, suppose. The infinitive is coordinate with the infinitive verb to-be and so part of the causal construction formed by dia + the articular infinitive; "and because they supposed ....", ESV. The accusative subject of the infinitive is autouV, "they".

oJti "that" - that [the kingdom of god]. Here recitative, introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what the people thought. For the kingdom of God see tou qeou, 4:43.

anafainesqai (anafainw) pres. mid. inf. "[was going] to appear" - [is about] to appear [immediately]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to be about to." The people sensed that the kingdom of God would appear with Jesus' imminent arrival in Jerusalem.

ii] Parable proper, v12-27: As already indicated, this parable is usually interpreted allegorically in the terms of requirements for discipleship during the period of the delay in the parousia, ie., the parable reveals eschatological delay rather than eschatological imminence / consummation. Yet, it is more than likely that this parable is a crisis / kingdom parable / gospel riddle proclaiming the imminence of the kingdom / God's eternal reign through Christ, thus carrying the message "the kingdom of God is upon us; repent and believe." Matthew often introduces such parables with the phrase "The kingdom of heaven is like." Luke does, at times, use similar introductions to kingdom parables, but then on other occasions he doesn't. So, "The coming of the kingdom may be compared to the situation where a royal personage progresses to his enthronement and then proceeds to assess the worth of his servants and deal with his enemies."

a) The king's royal progress to claim his crown, v12-14. A royal prince heads off for his enthronement. He leaves his servants in charge to order state affairs while he is away, and as he sets off, he is sent a polite, don't bother coming back, by his opponents. Marshall, as with most commentators, argues that "the departure of the man is essential for stewardship", yet, the parable is all about the settling of accounts, not stewardship, v15-27. Unlike Matthew's version of this parable, little is said about the interim between the prince's progress and his return; it's all about what happens when he returns. Those listening to this parable were right, the kingdom of God is about to be revealed, and given that everyone misuses everything that is entrusted to them, it's repent, or else.

oun "-" - therefore [he said]. The use of this conjunction here is resumptive, "it ties the following parable to the reason just given", Thompson; cf., BDAG.736.2.a.

labein (lambanw) aor. inf. "to have [himself] appointed" - [a certain man of noble birth went into a far place] to receive. The infinitive is adverbial, final, expressing purpose. "There was once a certain royal prince who progressed to a distant place for his enthronement (labein eJeautw/ balileian = for him to receive authority to reign as king) and to return to reign."

eJautw/ dat. pro. "himself" - for him [a kingship]. Dative of interest, advantage. He receives kingly rule, seems more likely than a kingdom, ie., the prince has gone to the place where kings are crowned and from there returns to reign.

uJpostreyai (uJpostrefw) aor. inf. "[and then] return" - [and] to return. The infinitive is again adverbial, final, expressing purpose. This infinitive is "loosely attached", according to Marshall.

kalesaV (kalew) aor. part. "he called" - [but/and] having called, summoned [ten servants, slaves of himself]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to give"; "he summoned .... and gave" "He called together his executive staff." Matthew has three servants in his version of this parable.

autoiV dat. pro. "them" - [he gave] to them. Dative of indirect object.

minaV (a) "minas" - [ten] coins. Accusative direct object of the verb "to give." This Greek coin is worth about 100 drachmas, ie., about "three months pay" (NIVmg.) for a labourer. Matthew's "talent" is worth more than a mina, approximately 15 times more valuable. It is ten minas to ten slaves, ie., one mina per servant / slave.

proV + acc. "-" - [and he said] toward [them]. Used to introduce an indirect object instead of a dative.

en w|/ "until" - [conduct business, trade] in whom = while [i am going, coming]. We may have expected en tw/ + inf to introduce a temporal clause contemporaneous time, but such can be expressed as here with the preposition en + a dative relative pronoun, cf., 5:34, Mk.2:29. "Put these funds to good use while I am away."

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "to say" - [but/and the people, citizens of him were hating him and they sent a messenger = delegation after him] saying. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to send", although possibly adverbial, modal, expressing manner, "saying", ESV, or final, expressing purpose, "in order to say." Nolland suggests that the use of politai from polithV implies "some of his subjects." Note that the verb "to hate" is imperfect

basileusai (basileuw) aor. inf. "to be [our] king" - [we do not want this one] to reign [upon = over us]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to will." Possibly inceptive, "to become king over us", so Thompson.

b) The king's royal reign, v15-27. The royal progress has climaxed in the enthronement of the king, and now he gets down to the business of assessing the worth of his executive staff, as well as dealing with his opponents. All staff members have equal resources at their disposal, some use them wisely and well, others miss the opportunity - consequences now apply. For those who are pistoV, "faithful, trustworthy", the reward is disproportionate to the service. Those who play it safe are left with nothing. As for the king's opponents, it's death and destruction.

kai egeneto (ginomai) aor. "-" - and it happened. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative; see egeneto, 1:8.

en tw/ + inf. "-" - in the = while [he to return]. This construction introduces a temporal clause, contemporaneous time; "On returning ...." The accusative subject of the infinitive is auton, "he".

labonta (lambanw) aor. part. "he was made [king]" - having received [the kingdom]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal; "after receiving royal power." Note that the participle is accusative in agreement with the accusative subject of the infinitive. "Crowned king", NTL.

fwnhqhnai (fwnew) aor. pas. inf. "-" - [and he said = ordered those slaves to whom he had given the silver, money] to be called, summoned. The infinitive introduces an object clause / dependent statement of indirect speech expressing what he ordered. The accusative subject of the infinitive is the nominal phrase "those slaves to whom he had given the silver." The dative oi|V, "to whom", serves as a dative of indirect object.

autw/ dat. pro. "-" - to him. Dative of advantage or location, so Culy.

iJna + subj. "in order [to find out]" - that [he might know]. Introducing a final clause expressing purpose.

tiv "what" - what [profit was made]. Here the interrogative pronoun introduces a dependent statement, indirect question, expressing what he wanted to know.

legwn "and said" - [but/and the first servant came] saying [lord, the mina of you has gained ten minas]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to come"; "came and said (gave his report)", as NIV. For the classification, adverbial, manner, see legwn, 4:35. "The first presented himself and said, 'My lord, your pound has made ten more'", Rieu.

autw/ dat. pro. "-" - [and he said] to him. Dative of indirect object.

euge adv. "well done" - excellent, well done [good slave]. This adverb functions as an exclamation of approval; "Bravo", Culy. Once only use in the NT.

oJti "because" - because [you were faithful]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why he is put in charge of ten cities. Thompson suggests that the causal clause provides the reason for the praise, but surely it supplies "the cause of the following phrase", TH.

en + dat. "in [very small matters]" - in [smallest, least (elative "very small")]. Local, in the context of / circumstance of, or adverbial, reference / respect. "Because you have shown yourself to be deserving of trust, in the context of / with reference to so insignificant a matter, you shall be given authority over ten cities."

ecwn (ecw) pres. part. "take [charge]" - [be] having [authority over ten cities]. The participle, with the imperative verb to-be isqi, introduces a present periphrastic construction; "you are hereby put in charge of ten towns", Barclay. Zerwick suggests an ingressive sense, "take, assume authority."

legwn (legw) pres. part. "and said" - [and the second came] saying [the mina of you, lord, made five minas]. The participle as for v16.

Note how the text is condensed so as to move quickly to the slave with one mina, giving discourse weight to the one rather than the five.

toutw/ dat. pro. "-" - [but/and and = also he said] to this one. Dative of indirect object.

epanw + gen. "of [five cities]" - [and you be] over [five cities]. Spatial, expressing subordination.

legwn (legw) pres. part. "and said" - [and the other came] saying, [lord]. The participle as for v16.

apokeimenhn (apokeimai) pres. mid. part. "[i have kept it] laid away" - [behold, the mina of you which i had] being stored away [in a handkerchief, facecloth]. The imperfect verb eicon + the participle is usually translated as a periphrastic construction, "which I was keeping stored up", where ecw is treated as if a verb to-be. As both Culy and Thompson note, with the accusative pronoun h}n, "which" taken as the direct object of eicon, the participle would then be viewed as the complement of "which", standing in a double accusative construction and stating a fact about the direct object "which". In his version of the parable, Matthew has the slave with one talent burying it; a safer option. "See, my Lord, here is that pound of yours, I kept it safe in a handkerchief", Rieu.

Translations will often soften the rather harsh assessment the servant has of his master, and this usually to further an allegorical interpretation. As Marshall notes, the "details belong to the setting, and are not meant to be allegorised."

gar "-" - because [i was fearing you]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why he hid the one mina away. The imperfect verb "to fear" is probably used to express continued fear.

oJti "because" - because [you are a hard, severe, stern, harsh man]. Introducing a causal clause explaining why the servant is afraid of his master. "After all, you are a very harsh man", Cassirer.

o} pro. "what [you do not put in]" - [you take] what [you do not put, and you did not sow]. The relative pronoun introduces a headless relative clause, accusative object of the verb "to take." Marshall suggests that the first part of the metaphor comes "from banking, and is used to describe a person who seeks a disproportionately high return from his investments." "You are a grasping person who wants money without the labour of earning it, and a harvest without the sweat of sowing it."

ek + gen. "-" - [he says to him,] from [the mouth of you i will judge you, evil slave]. Expressing source / origin, "from, out of."

oJti "that" - [you had known] that [i am a severe, stern, harsh man]. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of perception expressing what the servant knew.

airwn (airw) pres. part. "taking out" - taking up [what i did not put = deposit, and reaping what i did not sow]. As for "reaping", the participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "man"; "a hard man who appropriates what I haven't paid for, and who reaps what I haven't sowed"

kai dia tiv "why then" - and because why. The construction dia tiv serves to introduce a direct question, "Why?", and kai takes the sense "then" when used to introduce the question, as NIV.

epi + acc. "[put my money] on [deposit]" - [did you not give = put the silver, money of me] upon [the table (a moneylenders table)]. Spatial. The taking of interest is forbidden in the Law (Ex.22:25), but by this time usury and "increase (interest)" are distinguished, and of course, none of this applied to Gentiles. "Then why did you not put my money in the bank and on my return I should have withdrawn it with interest?", Rieu.

kagw "so that" - and. Here taking a final, "in order that", or consecutive, "so that", sense. Although, note that the presence of a]n in the apodosis indicates that we are actually dealing with a second class conditional clause shaped as a question; "Why, as is not the case, did you not put my money with the moneylenders, and then, when I returned, I might have collected it with interest?"

elqwn (ercomai) aor. part. "when I came back" - having come [i collected it with interest]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

toiV parestwsin (paristhmi) dat. perf. part. "to those standing by" - [and he said] to the ones standing beside. The participle serves as a substantive, dative of indirect object. "Those standing by" are presumably the gathered servants, possibly court attendants, but the scene is not developed enough to know; "So he said to the attendants", Barclay.

ap (apo) + gen. "from [him]" - [take] from [him the mina]. Expressing separation; "away from."

tw/ ... econti (ecw) dat. pres. part. "to the one who has" - [and give the mina] to the one having [ten minas]. The participle serves as a substantive, dative of indirect object. "Add the mina to the ten earned by the faithful servant" - presumably this means he gets an extra city.

iii] Pronouncement, v25-26. a) Interjection, v25. Matthew does not have this question, but he does follow up with the saying in v26. Fitzmyer suggests that it is "likely a Lukan addition", so also Nolland, ....; There is some disruption to the verse, such that it is not found in some manuscripts. It is quite possibly a parenthesis, or editorial comment, even a marginal comment. The lack of clarity as to the subject, "they", prompts most commentators to argue for "the attendants" or "servants", but if, as is likely the case, the following saying is a pronouncement / aside by Jesus, then the statement may be intended as an interjection from the audience, a protest against the mounting injustice of the story as it moves from bad to worse.

autw/ dat. pro. "-" - [and they said] to him, [lord, he has ten minas]. Dative of indirect object.

v26

b) Saying, v26. Taking the form of a doublet, this saying has prompted endless debate. As Bock notes, we are first bound to decide who says it, Jesus, or the king in the parable? Bock, Creed, ...... opts for the king, Nolland, Marshall, Grundmann, .... for Jesus. If it is the king, then it provides internal meaning to the parable; "Whoever makes full and faithful use of the opportunities of fruitfulness in His service will always receive further opportunities of working for Him ...... Whoever neglects his opportunities and is unfaithful in the Lord's service will be spiritually impoverished ....", Geldenhuys. As far as Fitzmyer is concerned, the saying is an allegorising verse added at some point of time to the parable before it was set in Q. In fact, Nolland argues that the saying does not fit the original narrative well because it shifts the focus from the slave who failed his trust.

So, what if the saying is a comment by Jesus? The introductory, kai eipan aoutw/, "He said", is typical of an introduction to a pronouncement by Jesus. But then, what of v27? It is clearly not part of Jesus' pronouncement, but serves as the conclusion to the parable. Nolland argues that v26 functions as an aside by Jesus. This seems likely, but its intended sense remains illusive. Whether an internal element of the parable, an unauthorised inclusion, or an aside / pronouncement by Jesus, it is usually understood to "imply praise for human endeavour cooperating with his original bounty", Fitzmyer. Yet, the similar version of this saying in 8:18 concerns divine revelation; to those who respond to the light, more is given, to those who ignore the light, even what they think they have is taken from them; so, "take care how you hear!" Surely, that's the intended sense here. The parable is a crisis / kingdom parable announcing that the kingdom of God is at hand. Faced with this reality, those concerned with the injustice of the story-line (v25) need to "take care how you hear!" Respond in repentance and faith to the kingdom evident in the person of God's messiah, Jesus, and more will be revealed to you, but ignore the message, and even what you think you possess of divine truth will be lost to you. Truth will win out, so be good soil and hear aright; see the parable of the sower - take heed how you hear, 8:16-18.

oJti "-" - [i say to you] that. Here recitative, introducing an object clause / dependent statement of direct speech expressing what Jesus says.

tw/ econti (ecw) dat. pres. part. "[everyone] who has" - [to everyone] having [it will be given]. If we take the adjective panti, "all", as a substantive, "everyone", then the participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "everyone".

apo + gen. "from" - [but/and] from. Here expressing separation, "away from."

tou mh econtoV (ecw) gen. "the one who has nothing" - the one not having [and = even what he has will be taken up = away]. The participle serves as a substantive.

iv] Parable conclusion, v27. The enemies of the king are put to death, and so the story-line reinforces the imminence of the kingdom and the day of judgment. Those who treat the parable allegorically, identifying the opponents as the Jews, are bound to defend an assumed Lukan anti-Semitism. Instead of Luke's execution of the ecqrouV, "opponents, enemies", v27, Matthew has the punishment of the "useless servant", cast into outer darkness where there is mourning and gnashing of teeth.

plhn "but" - but, nevertheless, however. Here as a contrastive conjunction, "breaking off a discussion and emphasising what is important", BAGD 1c; "However, back to the story and the king's final words: These enemies of mine ......"

touV mh qelhsantaV (qelw) aor. part. "who did not want" - [these enemies of me] the ones not wanting. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "enemies"; "these enemies who do not want me to reign over them."

basileusai (basileuw) aor. inf. "to be king" - to reign [upon = over them, bring here and slaughter = execute them in front of me]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the participle "wanting"

Luke Introduction

Exegetical Commentaries

lectionarystudies.com