The Parable of the Pounds - Luke 19:11-27

by Jonathan Hinds

“And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called ten servants of his, and gave them ten pounds, and said unto them, Trade ye herewith till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us. And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. And the first came before him, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made ten pounds more. And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: because thou wast found faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Thy pound, Lord, hath made five pounds. And he said unto him also, Be thou also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I kept laid up in a napkin: for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that which thou layedst not down, and reapest that which thou didst not sow. He saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I am an austere man, taking up that which I laid not down, and reaping that which I did not sow; then wherefore gavest thou not my money into the bank, and I at my coming should have required it with interest? And he said unto them that stood by, Take away from him the pound, and give it unto him that hath the ten pounds. And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds. I say unto you, that unto every one that hath shall be given; but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away from him. But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:11-27).

This parable is often studied in conjunction with the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. They share similarities; however, their differences are such that an independent study of each is necessary in order to better understand each text.

It should be noted that these are not two accounts of the same event. The two parables were told at different times to different audiences. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 was told in the city of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-3) following Jesus’ instructions pertaining to the fall of Jerusalem and His parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The parable of the pounds, or minas, is spoken on Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem. Also note each parable was directed toward the present audience. Concerning the parable of the pounds, the Jews are given particular attention. The scope of the parable of the talents stays more general in its application.

With these differences noted, let us first consider the parable of the pounds (Luke 19:11-27).

“And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was immediately to appear.” The Jewish people (as well as our pre-millenialist neighbors) struggled with understanding the kingdom of God (Acts 1:6; John 6:15; John 18:36). These Jews, who were traveling with Jesus, thought that the purpose of his traveling from Jericho into Jerusalem was to proclaim himself king and establish a physical throne and kingdom in the city. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach the people more about the true nature of his kingdom and its citizens.

Luke 19:14, 27, “But his citizens hated him, and sent an ambassage after him, saying, We will not that this man reign over us … But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” The Jewish nation had an extensive history of rebellion against God. It can be clearly seen at the end of the reign of the judges over Israel. When the Israelites demanded that Samuel anoint a king to rule over them, God replied to Samuel, “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them” (I Samuel 8:7). This initial rejection of God’s rule led to numerous evil kings that further led the people away from God, culminating in the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (II Kings 17:13-18). Not only do these verses point out to the Jewish audience God’s perspective of their long history together, but they also allude to the current Jewish nation’s reception of Jesus, the Messiah of prophecy (John 4:25) and King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2; Luke 23:3). The nation’s leaders in the time of Jesus were seeking only to strengthen their political standing in the Roman empire and in the eyes of the people. Since Jesus was not bringing with him the strength of a new Israelite world empire, they were not interested in the greater treasure (Matthew 13:44) that he was bringing to them. Because of this, the leaders also rejected Jesus as their king (John 19:19-21), and in so doing rejected also the kingdom, or his church, that was established upon him as the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:20; Acts 4:11; Matthew 21:42). This strong condemnation upon those that would reject the nobleman in this parable should stand as a sobering warning for us today. Jesus has assured us that those who confess him before men would be remembered before his Father in heaven (Matthew 10:32; Revelation 2:13), but woe to those who deny and reject him (Matthew 10:33; II Timothy 2:12)!

There are two other messages for us to consider in this parable. Recall that in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, each servant was given a differing portion. However, in the parable of the pounds, when the nobleman called his ten servants together, note that he gave them all the same sum. Each servant was then given the command to “trade herewith” or to put this small portion to work till the nobleman returned. As we studied in the parable of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46), the kingdom of heaven is of far greater value than anything else in this world, and the gospel that proclaims this kingdom is also very valuable. We have all received the same gospel and all bear the responsibility to “trade herewith” until the Lord should return and, like the master of this parable, ask a reckoning of us with how we have used it. The master was pleased with those that did as he said, working with what he had given them, their amount of return on his profit is not mentioned as being significant (Matthew 13:23 - the seed produced different amounts), for it is God that gives the increase (I Corinthians 3:6). However, particular attention is called to the one who hid away that which was entrusted to him and with it did no work. This “wicked” servant did not show respect for the nobleman’s possessions and lacked wisdom in his stewardship of that given him. Let us be mindful that our care of God’s word and his priceless kingdom and gospel will be called into account one day (I Corinthians 3:9-16).

The last lesson we will consider in this article is the fact that the nobleman did not tell his servants at what time he would return, he only told them to work in his absence. The Lord has not told us when he will return, nor has he given any signs or indications of when that time will come. We only know that we should always stay prepared. This is seen in several parables and through Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:33, 35). Paul admonished the Ephesian church to “…walk, not as unwise, but as wise; redeeming the time because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). We too need to redeem, or make use of, the time we have, for we know not when our soul will be required of us (Luke 12:20) or when our Lord will return. So let us work for the Lord as we are instructed to as good stewards of that treasure he has entrusted to us, until he comes again and asks how we have made use of our time. “Be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Luke 12:40).