“The Parable of the Faithful Servants”
Luke 19:11-27

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost—September 22, 2019

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Think back to your childhood for a moment. What are the earliest memories you have? What are the first things you can remember?

One of my earliest memories is sitting on my mother’s lap while she reads to me this book, that I read in the children’s sermon, the story Jesus tells in today’s Gospel Reading.  You could call it, “The Parable of the Faithful Servants.”

As a child I loved this book, especially, as I mentioned this picture of the one UNfaithful servant hiding his coin, by burying it in a cellar deep underground.  As a child I was fascinated by the pictures and the story of the Parable of the Faithful Servants.  But, as an adult I wonder: What does this parable mean? What is the point of the parable? What is Jesus saying? What is Jesus saying to ME?

To grasp the meaning of this parable, we must understand two things: The SETTING of the parable, and the EARTHLY ELEMENTS behind the story.

Jesus told the Parable of the Faithful Servants while visiting Jericho, a city 25 miles east of Jerusalem. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, but as he passed through Jericho he saw a short man up in a sycamore tree. That wee little man was of course Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus climbed up the tree so that he could have a look at the famous person passing through town. But, Jesus didn’t just pass through, he did something totally unexpected: He stopped, pointed up, and said, “Zacchaeus come down; I am going to eat dinner at your house today.” It would be like the president passing through Paola, and without any warning he stops, points YOU out in the crowd, and says, “I am going to eat dinner at YOUR house today.”

Zacchaeus was even more surprised, because Jesus was a holy man, and everyone considered Zacchaeus a terrible sinner. He was the local tax collector for the occupying Roman government, a job that made him very rich, but also very despised, a collaborator with the hated enemy. Jesus picks out THIS man from the crowd, this terrible sinner, and says, “I am going to eat dinner at YOUR house today.”

EVERYONE is surprised, not just Zacchaeus, that this famous rabbi, this famous holy man, would eat dinner at HIS house.  “All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a “sinner.”’”

But, Jesus silences their muttering with his declaration: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  The Good News of Jesus isn’t for those who think they are holy and perfect, because when we think that we are not admitting our sin and helplessness—our need for a Savior. “For I did not come to call the righteous,” Jesus says, “but sinners to repentance.” Sinners like you, sinners like me, sinners like Zacchaeus.

Through this encounter with Jesus, Zacchaeus comes to faith in him.  Faith that Jesus is much more than a famous rabbi; much more than a famous holy man; much more than a human. For, Zacchaeus accepts Jesus as the Messiah, his Savior and Lord.

Later at dinner, Zacchaeus repents, and responds to Jesus’ message of forgiveness. “Look, Lord!” he says. “Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus calls Zacchaeus to faith, Jesus forgives Zacchaeus his many sins, and then Zacchaeus responds by promising to serve Jesus, living from now on a life of generosity, repentance, love.

It was right at that moment Jesus told this Parable of the Faithful Servants: At Jericho, during dinner in the house of Zacchaeus, to Zacchaeus and all the guests seated around his table. This parable was for them, and this parable is also for us. For, just as Jesus called out to Zacchaeus, he calls you to accept him as your Savior and Lord.

Like that wee little man, many of us were called while we were still wee little children. For, just as Jesus welcomed Zacchaeus back into God’s family by declaring “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham,” in Baptism your big brother Jesus welcomed you into the family of God, made you born again as God’s own child.

Just as Jesus announced to Zacchaeus, “I will go to your house today,” when the church bells ring, Jesus is calling to you, “Come to MY house today.”

Just as Jesus invited himself to dinner at the house of Zacchaeus, he invites you to eat and drink at the holy table in his house, his own body and blood, given and shed for you.

Just as Jesus forgave Zacchaeus, Jesus forgives you all your sins. He paid for your sins when he bore them in his body on the cross. Your debt—paid; your guilt—canceled; your sins—forgiven!

Just as Zacchaeus responds to this Good News by repenting and promising to give himself and his possessions to Jesus, today we confess our sins, and receive Christ’s Absolution, and commit our lives to him.  And, in a few moments when we take our offering, like Zacchaeus we will give Jesus a part of our possessions.

Just as Jesus spoke this parable to those gathered in the house of Zacchaeus, he now speaks the same parable to us, gathered here in his own house. That is the SETTING in which this parable was told.

A parable is sometimes called an “earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” To understand the heavenly meaning of the parable, we must also understand the EARTHLY ELEMENTS behind the story.

It made sense for Jesus, in that setting, to tell a story about money and business. Because, Zacchaeus was a tax collector, and his friends gathered for dinner were probably also wealthy businessman. It was a common business practice for them to entrust their servants with a certain amount of capital, expecting a return on their investment.

The “mina” was a gold coin equal to 100 drachmas, like this reproduction of an ancient drachma.  One drachma was a day’s pay, so the mina was equal to 100 days of work, or about three months wages. So, you can figure the mina in the parable would be worth about what you make in three months.  The one unfaithful servant hid his mina in a piece of cloth, probably like this, the traditional men’s headdress in the Middle East.

Finally, the king in the parable, who went away to a distant country to have himself appointed king, was followed by a delegation opposing him, and later killed those who did not want him to be their king. About 30 years before Jesus told this parable, that exact scenario actually occurred.

King Herod the Great died, and one of his sons went to far-off Rome to be appointed the new king. But, just as in the parable, a delegation of citizens followed to Rome, protesting this appointment. And, just as in the parable, when he was made king he had those opponents killed.

That same king built a large palace near Jericho, the city where Jesus was telling this parable. In that area, the story of what had happened was well remembered. Perhaps the ruins of that king’s palace were still visible through the window of Zacchaeus house.  Maybe Jesus even pointed over to it as he told the parable.

So, the earthly story Jesus tells in this parable made sense to Zacchaeus and his friends: a real-life story of finance, business, money, politics.  But, what is the POINT of the parable? What is Jesus saying? What is the HEAVENLY MEANING of this EARTHLY STORY?

What is Jesus saying in this parable to you and me?  Don’t bury what YOUR King has entrusted to YOU.  Until he comes, use YOUR gifts for HIS glory.  For, just as an earthly king expects his servants to faithfully use what he entrusts to them, in the same way WE are expected to faithfully use for the kingdom of God all that the King of Kings entrusts to us.

We must be not like the UNfaithful servant in the parable but the FAITHFUL servants—God’s faith-FULL servants. For, he fills us with faith through the waters of Baptism; he fills us with faith through eating his body and drinking his blood with the bread and wine in Communion; he fills us with faith through reading, hearing, and studying his Word.

Like the faithful servants in the parable, we are God’s faith-FULL servants.  And each of us has been entrusted with certain gifts from him. Our gifts are not all the same, but he has not forgotten anyone. Each of us has something to contribute to the kingdom of God.

Zacchaeus gave of his treasure, and that is an important service.  Psalm 96 says, “Give to the Lord the glory due his name, bring an offering and come into his courts.”  Paul puts it this way in 1st Corinthians: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up [for the collection].” 

In addition to serving the Lord in the way Zacchaeus did, by offering to him a portion of your treasure, you may recall that in the Gospel of Matthew a different Greek word is used in this parable for the money given to the servants: a “talent.”  Because of the influence of the Bible on western culture, it really was from this parable about a king giving “talents” to his servants that we got the English word “talent,” meaning a “special ability” that someone possesses.

Paul says in Romans, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us,” and Peter tells us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

Don’t bury what YOUR King has entrusted to YOU.  Whether it be sharing your treasure, or sharing your “talents,” until he comes, use YOUR gifts for HIS glory.  And when your King returns, he will say to YOU: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”