Jerusalem Expectations

Jerusalem at night, from the roof of the Nazarene
property in the old city. 

Scripture:

Luke 19:11   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. ¹² So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant country to get royal power for himself and then return. ¹³ He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’ ¹⁴ 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.’ ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ The first came forward and said, ‘Lord, your pound has made ten more pounds.’ ¹⁷ He said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small thing, take charge of ten cities.’ ¹⁸ Then the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your pound has made five pounds.’ ¹⁹ He said to him, ‘And you, rule over five cities.’ ²⁰ Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, ²¹ 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.’ ²² 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? ²³ Why then did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’ ²⁴ He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’ ²⁵ (And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten pounds!’) ²⁶ ‘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. ²⁷ 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 19:28   After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

Observation:

With Jerusalem in view, Jesus felt he had to try and explain the situation to the disciples one more time. While they had been with him on the journey, being mentored by him along the way, they still were hoping that he would lead them to a political victory. Jesus knew that things weren’t going to turn out the way that these people were wanting and so, he tried to prepare them. 

Jesus told them a parable, probably interlaced with some historical facts of the day. We can’t read into this one too closely and think that the nobleman and Jesus are one and the same, although there are some parallels. It’s believed that in the first-century context, they would have related this to the departure of one of Herod’s sons, Archelaeus who went to Rome to have his father’s will confirmed. Therefore, some of the cruelty of the master is not about Jesus, but about what might be experienced in the secular world. 

The point that Jesus is trying to make is that he’s not going to Jerusalem to claim power. Instead, he’s going to become the absent leader, and this is not what they anticipate. He will be gone and they are to be the faithful servants in his absence. He is entrusting his kingdom to them and his desire is that they will manage it well. 

The disciples were to prepare themselves for active engagement in kingdom work without Jesus being present. They were not to simply hold onto what they had learned for themselves, but they were to share the good news with others. Some of them would take more responsibility and initiative than others and would become leaders in God’s kingdom.  

Waiting for the master to return without investing their “pounds” or “minas” was not an option. Often in the first century there were servants who were as savvy in business dealings as their masters. Their masters would ask them to be their representatives in all business matters, and as a result they were respected within the community, and some of them even built their own wealth along the way. This is the vision that Jesus placed before the disciples. They were to be the shrewd servants who managed the master’s business as if it were their own. If they did this in his absence, they would be even greater participants in his kingdom to come. 

Jesus hoped that he had now settled their expectations of what would happen in Jerusalem, and off they went. 

Application:

Maybe we ought to evaluate our own Jerusalem expectations. It’s easy to become consumed with the politics of the day and spend time and energy debating the pro’s and con’s of change. The disciples were anticipating an overthrow of the government and they wanted to be right in the thick of things. Jesus had something entirely different in mind, as his victory would only come through death. 

Jesus lays before us the Jerusalem expectations where we work hard as faithful servants in his absence. The faithful servants focus on kingdom work, sharing the good news about Jesus with others in this world. The gifts they are given are used and multiplied over and over again. 

Hard work and patient waiting go hand in hand for those who are awaiting the second coming of the Messiah. This is a picture of what it means to live in the season of advent. This is not a time to pull back or retreat from the mission of Jesus Christ. While many may be rejecting his Lordship, there will be eternal consequences for that choice. Right now, the task may seem harder than ever, but we are not to be discouraged. The work of the disciple is to take the gifts and work them for the Master’s sake. 

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to be faithful with what you have given me. I want to be a faithful servant in your kingdom business! Amen.