I’ve been working on balance issues lately. After six total joint replacements and some related complications, a few body parts have become a bit self-willed at times and prone to behave in unpredictable ways. For instance, they apparently take great delight in the prospect of initiating  unannounced, totally unnecessary, and painful plunges to the floor. Repeated expressions of exasperation have proven worthless, so I quite reluctantly decided to enlist the help of a professional trainer at the gym. 

Unexpected Challenges ~
I was surprised to hear that we would begin our work in the facility’s pool. She said it would not only be more effective in teaching my body to balance better, but at least falling down wouldn’t hurt. It sounded easy, but once we got in and the process began, it was a different story. While the unpredictable changes in the direction and force of the swirling water made balancing myself a lot harder than I had thought, the struggle kicked in some thoughts about the struggle to maintain a spiritual balance in swirling, unpredictable, and uncontrollable surroundings. And as you might suspect, there happens to be a story Jesus told that seems perfect for exploring this issue.

To get to that story, we’re returning once again to Jericho. If you’ve seen our last two posts, you’re aware that we’ve been following Jesus as He made His way through Jericho on His final journey to Jerusalem. As we drop in today, it’s time to leave Jericho behind, but as Jesus concluded His time with Zacchaeus, He made a parting comment that was characteristically simple, but doctrinally profound. A more powerful and concise definition of His mission cannot be imagined. Jesus declared: 

…For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10 NKJV)

A Problem Emerges ~
As glorious as that announcement was, those who heard it almost certainly failed to grasp all that Jesus intended to convey. From the Jewish perspective being saved would have been interpreted in the context of what they expected their Messiah to do when He arrived, and that presented a problem. The Jewish people were very nationalistic and communal, and the salvation they anticipated would be a national event, not just a personal, individual one. It would be a triumphant victory over their Roman oppressors and a re-establishment of Israel as a divinely-directed, sovereign nation. No one could imagine a Messiah who would submit to being publicly mocked, humiliated, and condemned by their most venerated religious leaders, much less allow Himself to be beaten, tortured, and hung on a cross to die. What could a Messiah like that do for them? What would a Messiah like that expect of them? And what would serving a Messiah like that look like?

Jesus had a problem to address and some issues to resolve. To do that, Hedid what He was always so prone to do. He told a story. It was a story designed to help prepare His followers, Jewish and otherwise, to deal with what being saved would really be like for them. Luke introduces the story like this: 

Now as they [the followers] heard these things, He [Jesus] spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. (Luke 19:11 NKJV)

The cast includes three principle players – a certain nobleman, ten servants, and his citizens. There were some certainties involved that all of them had to contend with, things of vital importance that were absolutely going to happen. They also had to deal with some associated uncertainties, things that couldn’t be predicted, controlled, or manipulated. Here’s how the story begins:

Therefore He [Jesus] said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’ (Luke 19:12–14 NKJV)

Adjusting to a Different Framework ~
The kind of scenario Jesus chose would have been recognizable to virtually everyone in Israel. At that time, Rome held the authority to decide who would be installed as ruler, or king, of their provinces. Herod the Great, for instance, a name Israel would long remember, had made just such a trip to Rome years earlier, in 40 BC. He left seeking to be named as the official King of the Jews. His quest was successful, and he ruled Israel as King for 41 years. So, the backdrop of the story would have needed no additional explanation. The challenge here was how to fit the realities that the Messiah would face into that framework and then how to apply the principles Jesus sought to teach in their day-to-day lives, which, by the way, is a challenge we face as well. 

Identifying the characters in an allegorical story is vital to understanding it, and in this case, the identity of most of the characters is pretty obvious. The certain nobleman represents the Lord, Himself, of course, and the servants are His followers, folks like you and me. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus was already King, but He had not assumed that position on a global scale. There was a torturous mission to be accomplished and a journey to a far country that He had to make first. That presents us with the first set of certainties to be dealt with. That the Master would be leaving was a certainty, and it was just as certain that He would be coming back. Nothing could change either of those established pillars of truth, but serving Him would involve learning to deal with many uncertainties along the way.

Uncertainty #1 ~ An Unexpected Summons
The servants in the story had no control over who, where, when, or why they might be called. The Master simply chose ten and called them to come before Him. He didn’t ask what they thought about his proposed trip, whether they approved of it, or whether the plan would suit them. They were, after all, servants, not consultants. Even though in our day we sometimes seem to forget it, that’s what we are as well. Jesus highlights the intimacy of our relationship by calling us friends, but that doesn’t negate our status as willing servants, and the servant’s role is to show up when we’re called and to carry out the instructions we’re given.

Uncertainty #2 ~ An Unexpected Mission
Jesus unveiled another unexpected and non-negotiable element in the story when the Master began to distribute money to the servants He had called. With no prior discussion, each servant was handed a mina, which is a Greek coin worth about three month’s wages. Apparently, they had no input regarding any of it. They were all given the same amount and the same directive, which was simply, “Do business till I come,” and there were no details offered about what that meant.   

And More ~ An Unfriendly Environment
We should mention one other character for our first installment that blends a certainty and brings along many associated uncertainties. The story includes some characters simply called his citizens (Greek polítēs – having to do with cities, and ultimately, politics). All we know about these citizens is that they hated the servants’ master and declared an open rebellion against him, King or not. The problem for the servants was that they had to carry out their master’s directive surrounded by a populace that hated him . . . Beginning to sound familiar?

Jesus told this story to clarify some things about what being saved would entail for His followers once He was gone. It’s interesting that He began with a story about serving and responsibility.  There are some points we don’t want to miss thus far:

• • As followers of Christ, we are servants, not consultants. Our job is not to revise, criticize, or edit our Master’s instructions. Our job is to carry them out. 
  • We’ve been entrusted with commodities that are His property. Our orders are to invest them in ways that enrich His Kingdom.
  • Our task is not predicated on obtaining the citizens’ approval. It’s to put His gifts to work, regardless of their opinion.
  • The standard for the coming appraisal of our work will not be the volume we produced, but how faithfully the gifts He gave us were invested.  

There’s more to come next week, but for now, we’ll pause with this reminder . . . Our mission is not just to engage in praise and worship once or twice a week. It’s to invest the gifts He gave us. That’s hard to do while balancing life in chaotic, unpredictable, and oppositional surroundings, but the gifts He gave us to invest include power to overcome.

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • “From the Jewish perspective, being saved would have been interpreted in the context of what they expected their Messiah to do when He arrived. The salvation they anticipated would be a national event, not just a personal, individual one.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
  • “Jesus told this story (Luke 19:12–14) to clarify some things about what being saved would entail for His followers once He was gone. It’s interesting that He began with a story about serving and responsibility.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • “We are servants of Christ, not consultants. Our job isn’t to revise, criticize, or edit our Master’s instructions, but to carry them out. We’ve been entrusted w/commodities from His property, to invest in ways that enrich His Kingdom.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet) 
  • “Our task is to put Jesus’ gifts to work, regardless of the citizens’ opinion. The standard for the coming appraisal of our work won’t be the volume we produced, but how faithfully the gifts He gave us were invested.” @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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