St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI

Pastor Mark Gartner

Sermon for Last Judgment -- November 8^th and 11^th, 2007

Luke 19:11-27

“While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. ¹²He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

¹⁴“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’  ¹⁵“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

¹⁶“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’  ¹⁷“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’  ¹⁸“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’¹⁹“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

²⁰“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

²²“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’  ²⁴“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’  ²⁵“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’

²⁶“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”

Dear Children of our heavenly Father,

 I think that most of us have heard the phrase, “Put your money where your mouth is.” What does this popular phrase mean?  It means something like this: “If you are going to make a promise, if you intend to make a commitment, then you better be willing to follow through on it.”  I’m not sure where this phrase began, but it sure is used by many people when we want people to step up and follo0w through on something.  Even though these words were never attributed to Jesus or anyone else in the Bible for that matter, there is definitely a spiritual application for Christians.  And this is the perfect time to make it.  Today is the second Sunday in the season of End Time, the Sunday that has been designated as Last Judgment.  This text is not a text that forcefully points us to the judgment that will occur on God’s Judgment Day, but it reminds us that while we are on this earth, we are to be good stewards of the blessings that God has given to us.  Even though judgment and stewardship are very different subjects, they have this in common.  The reality of a final judgment reminds us that one day we will all be called to give an account before a just and holy God.  The imminence of a final judgment compels us to make the most of our time on earth before that day comes. 

Jesus brings both of these points home in the text today.  He had just stayed at the home of Zacchaeus the tax collector in Jericho. And he was about to set out for Jerusalem for the last time.  But before he reached the Holy City, he told one more parable.  Luke reports that Jesus shared this parable with people who “thought that the kingdom of God was going to come at once”, in other words, to people who believed that Jesus was an earthly king who had come to establish an earthly kingdom.  We know better.  We know that Jesus came to earth to establish a spiritual kingdom.  We know that when Jesus made his way to Jerusalem he was going to his death.  Even though we have a clear understanding of Jesus’ mission, this parable is still of value to us.  Even though Jesus told this parable two thousand years ago, its message is timeless.  This is the challenge our Savior sets before us today…

Theme:  Put Your Mina Where Your Mouth Is

1.  An encouragement to work faithfully

2  A warning against living selfishly

The parable begins: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then return.  So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas.  ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back’”.  The key to understanding this parable is to understand what the mina represents.  In Jesus’ day a mina was form of money.  A mina would be the equivalent of about three month’s wages.  Since a mina is money, some think that this parable is about the proper use of our possessions.  Jesus does want us to be good stewards of our physical blessings, but that doesn’t appear to be what he is talking about here.  Notice that the master gave each servant one mina.  Everyone began with the same amount.  And that is simply not the case when it comes to our earthly possessions. 

So if the mina doesn’t represent physical wealth, it must signify something else, something of great value, something that God has given each of us in equal measure, something that God wants us to put to good use until he returns.  One thing, only one thing, fits all of these criteria.  The gospel.  The parable of the minas is about stewardship, faithful stewardship of God’s saving Word.  And when the king returned, he gave his faithful servants their reward:  “He sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.  The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’  ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied.  ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’  The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’  His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities’”.

Before we look at what the servants did with their minas, we need to remember where the minas came from.  They were gifts from the master.   The servants hadn’t earned them.  We are given no reason to believe that they deserved them.  Even when the first servant reported his results, he told his master: “Your mina has earned ten more”.  And so it is with the gospel.  The good news of salvation through faith in Jesus is a gift that God has given to each of us.  Not because we are better or superior.  Not because we are special.  Certainly not because we are sinless.  We are the recipients of God’s grace because we have a gracious God.  And our King has made it clear that he doesn’t want us to lock this treasure away in a safety deposit box.  He wants us to invest it.  He wants us to study it.  He wants us to proclaim it.  When the Lord returns on Judgment Day, we will be able to see the return on our investment.  We will stand among the saints in heaven.  We will sing with the angels.  But even now, even before that day comes, God allows us to see the gospel at work.  Let me give you just a couple examples.    

How many Bible Classes does St. Luke offer?  We have the Sunday morning class for adults between the services as well as the Teen Bible Class.  We have a Tuesday morning class at Heritage Homes as well as a Tuesday night “Good Shepherd” Class.  We have Thursday morning Bible Class at Perkins as well as the home Bible Class Thursday mornings at 9:30 am.  And this doesn’t even include the daily devotions and religion classes in our elementary school and pre-school as well as our Sunday School.  Why do we invest so much time and energy in Christian education?  What is the purpose?  As we study God’s Word we grow in faith.  And as we grow in our own faith, we also grow in our desire to share the gospel with others.

Right now our congregation is seeking to raise @$10,000 to help build a facility to assist the work in the Amazon Rain Forest where Pastor Schultz’s brother is doing mission work.  It will be permanent place where they can hear God’s Word and study God’s Word so they too can grow in faith and want to share God’s Word.  Why in the world would we want to send our money to some place so far away, when we seem to be struggling financially right here at home?  What is the purpose?  To share the saving gospel with more and more people.   Because the day of judgment is coming, the Lord wants us to work faithfully, to be students of his Word, to be sharers of his Word, to be good stewards of this priceless gift. And where the Lord finds faithful service he promises great reward.

As we grow in God’s Word and go with God’s Word, the Lord strengthens our faith.  Faith makes us God’s children.  Faith takes away the fear of judgment.  Faith gives us the absolute certainty that we will live forever in heaven.  That’s the good news.  That’s good news for all of God’s faithful servants.  But the news is not all good in the parable of the minas.  Jesus also issues a stern warning against living selfishly.

2.  A warning against living selfishly

Luke tells us that some of the citizens of the country didn’t want this nobleman to be made king.  They even sent a delegation to plead their case against him.  But it didn’t do any good.  And when the king returned, he ordered that they be executed in his presence.  These rebellious citizens represent unbelievers.  That much is clear.  The faithful servants represent believers.  That is fairly obvious.  But what about the other servant in the parable?  Where does he fit in?  Let’s take a look.

The servant came to his master and said: “’Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.  I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man.  You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow’”.  This servant was not like the others.  This servant didn’t put his mina to work like the others.  The only thing he did was offer excuses.  And the king saw right through them.  “His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant!  You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in and reaping what I did not sow?  Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest’”?  If the master was really that harsh, why didn’t the servant put his mina to work?  If the servant was really afraid, why didn’t he do absolutely everything in his power to avoid the king’s wrath?  The master knew why.  The servant didn’t make use of his gift because he didn’t appreciate it.  And so the king took his mina away. 

If a group of people decided to act out this parable, I am guessing that the role of this servant wouldn’t be the most popular.  No one wants to be called lazy.  No one wants to be labeled as unfaithful.  But are there times in our lives when we unwittingly assume this role?  “I don’t have time for Bible class. Isn’t that what church is for?  I can’t make time for personal Bible study every day.  I have too much to do already.”  “Let me get this straight.  You want me to increase my regular giving AND participate in another special offering.  I have enough trouble making ends meet the way it is.”  “I’m not very comfortable talking about my faith.  What if I don’t know what to say?  What if I say the wrong thing?”  I understand that we all have many different responsibilities.  I understand that money doesn’t grow on trees.  I understand that standing up for your faith is not always easy.  And so does God.  Jesus didn’t tell this parable to burden you with unnecessary guilt, but maybe some of the guilt is deserved. 

You are Christians.  You trust in God.  Just before this sermon you confessed your faith in the triune God.  But do you always put your mina where your mouth is?  Do you put God’s Word to work in your life or do you make excuses?  Let me answer for you.  No, you don’t always give the gospel the honor and respect it deserves.  And I don’t either.  We let dust settle on our Bibles.  We allow other things to crowd God out of our lives.  We live selfishly, and because we sometimes live to serve ourselves, God has every right to take his precious gift away.  But God hasn’t.  There are still Bibles in your pews.  That hasn’t changed.  There are still promises in those Bibles.  And God’s promises haven’t changed.  A few days after Jesus told this parable, he went to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of all people.  That is a historic fact that will never change.  And on the Last Day Jesus will come to judge the world and take us to heaven, and we will all be changed. Amen.