The Parable of the Ten Minas #37

The Parable of the Ten Minas is a story Jesus told as he approached Jerusalem, about a nobleman who gives ten servants each a sum of money before traveling to receive a kingdom. It appears only in the Gospel of Luke (19:11-27), and it is often compared with Matthew’s parable of the talents, with which it shares a similar plot.

The Parable

Luke says Jesus told it because he was near Jerusalem and the people supposed the kingdom of God was about to appear immediately (Luke 19:11). A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. He called ten servants, gave them ten minas, and said, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). His citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14).

When he returned as king, he called the servants to see what they had earned. The first had turned his mina into ten and was given authority over ten cities. The second had made five and was given five cities (Luke 19:15-19). A third brought back his mina wrapped in a cloth, saying he had been afraid because the king was a severe man who took what he had not deposited and reaped what he had not sown (Luke 19:20-21). The king said he would judge him by his own words: if he knew that, why had he not put the money in the bank so it could earn interest? The mina was taken from him and given to the one with ten, with the principle that to everyone who has, more will be given (Luke 19:22-26). The king then ordered that his enemies, who did not want him to reign, be brought and killed before him (Luke 19:27).

Context

The parable follows immediately after Jesus’s visit with Zacchaeus in Jericho (Luke 19:1-10) and comes just before the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. A mina was a substantial sum, roughly three months’ wages for a laborer, so each servant received a real trust.

Many scholars see a background in the history of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, who traveled to Rome to have his royal title confirmed and was opposed by a Jewish delegation, as recorded by the historian Josephus. Hearers may have recognized the pattern of a ruler seeking a kingdom abroad and hated by his subjects.

Meaning

Luke’s version differs from Matthew’s talents in several respects. Here every servant receives the same amount, whereas in Matthew they receive five, two, and one talent. Luke adds the rebellious citizens and the setting of the delay of the kingdom. Some interpreters think Jesus told two separate parables, while others think they are variants of one.

The message is that Christ’s followers are responsible for what he has entrusted to them during his absence, and that he will hold everyone accountable when he returns. The image of the king who is rejected by his subjects also points to the rejection of Jesus and to the judgment that would follow. Christians of many traditions read the mina as gifts, opportunities, and the gospel itself, and stress faithful service and awareness that Christ will return.