Lk 19:12-27, “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.' 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. 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.' 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.'"
In this passage, Jesus explains that a nobleman had to travel far in another country country to be crowned king. Can you imagine Prince Charles or Prince William travelling to China or the US to be crowned? It would be quite strange, would it not? In verse14, we are told that the reason for this journey was that his countrymen hated him and did not wish to be his subjects. There were powers working against him; spiritual powers, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against spiritual entities (Eph 6:12). These are territorial spirits capable of using anybody within the territory under their control, to harass another individual or destiny. There are precedents in the Bible. Joseph had to travel very far to be crowned, in spite of his noble birth and evident calling; same with Nehemiah (vs. 2.6). As a child, Jesus had to flee to Egypt and when He came back, He had to leave Nazareth –where He was not received- and go elsewhere to do the work of the ministry (the anointing). Can it be that the LORD is calling you to leave where you are so that you can reign?
He asked Abraham to leave his fatherland for an unknown destination. When we think about this, what usually comes to mind is Abraham extraordinary faith. But is it possible that, beyond the test of his faith, GOD simply wanted to remove him from a place where powers were working against him? After all, did He not tell Joseph to take Mary, his wife, and the child (Jesus) to Egypt until those who wanted the Christ dead were no more? That is, until the spiritual climate of the land was once again favourable to them (Mat 2:13, 20). If there was one human being on earth at the time for whom GOD would/could/should have mobilised the armies of heaven, it would have been for that child: Jesus. Yet, GOD advised the flight… As long as the freedom that He has granted to some powers has not expired, He cannot directly intervene and must trick them in order to get away with certain things. He could have simply shortened Herod’s reign ; inasmuch as he could have shorten Saul’s as well, instead of letting him persecute David; but He did not do it, because He is true to His word and His gifts and calling are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). Remember Job. When He gave the green light to the devil, He gave him the green light. The only restriction was not to kill him. If the city is resisting you; if the land is refusing you its rain; could it be that GOD wants you to change locations?
This parable is very similar to the parable of talents (Mat 25); but there are also fundamentally different. The parable of talents illustrates the equal fidelity of two servants with different degrees of advantage at the beginning. They both looked after their master’s business wholeheartedly and fructified what they had been given. It shows the fact that all the fingers are not of same length; and that our birth, education and environment will affect our capacity or starting potential. However, the parable of minas illustrates different degrees of improvement of the same opportunities; it is all about what people can do with the same opportunity. It is like in the church. We all have the same Bible and listen to the same sermon; yet, some people grab the message and run with it; others walk with it; some other sit down with it; others fall asleep with it and some do not even bother listening to it. Some people are attentive and hungry for the message, while some others are forgetful. As soon as they step out of the church building and greet a few people, they have forgotten all about it and their good resolutions. The worst is that, when the time comes to show results, they will not even take the blame for their negligence and laziness. It is the pastor’s fault: “He has preached a hard message. Who can listen to it?” (Jn 6:60) It is GOD’s fault: He asks for things that are just impossible to do in the 21st century!
We may not all have a golden spoon in our mouths at birth; but the church is the place where the LORD resets all the clocks back and puts us all on the starting line. After this, it is up to each and every one of us to run as to win the prize of his or her destiny. You desire ten cities? Simple: work more than anybody else to multiply what you have received by ten.
Have a wonderblessed rest of the week!
PS: By the way, I am sorry about Monday. I am presently on holiday and my usual routine is somehow difficult to maintain.
No comments:
Post a Comment