Sermon Tone Analysis

He’s King and he’s returning so serve faithfully

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sometimes things take longer than you expect - Playmobil hospital

Working our way through Jesus’ story as told by Luke

The crowds who have seen Jesus teach and work his miracles increasingly see Jesus as Messiah, God’s promised, chosen deliverer - and his disciples certainly have ID’d him this way.

As a result, because of what’s taught and thought about this messiah at the time, they expect Jesus to begin his rule as king when he arrives in Jerusalem.

They’re thinking when he reaches his destination - just a few miles away as we pick up the story - right away he’ll start the job of restoring the place of God’s people, people who right now are under the thumb of the Romans.

They’re right that Jesus, the messiah-king will defeat all the enemies of God’s people - but it’s going to take a whole lot longer than they expect.

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READING: Lk 19:11-27

The story Jesus tells us here is about someone who is becoming King.

He tells us how their servants and their subjects behave while it’s happening, and what the results will be for each of them.

I think this passage asks us three big questions, and the first is

1.

Do you accept he’s King?

In the story, there’s this guy going off to another country to be appointed king - Jesus is talking about himself, knowing what’s coming next for him.

When he arrives in Jerusalem, he’s not going to declare himself king, pick up a big sword, and start smiting the Romans.

Instead, to the dismay of his followers, he’s going to die - to die a terrible death, a criminal’s death.

But that won’t be the end of the story - the people who think they can put and end to him are completely wrong.

Instead, he’ll rise again three days later, ascend to heaven, and be appointed king.

And then, one day, he’ll returning victorious and mighty, to judge.

It’ll be like he’s gone to another country first, to be made king, and then he’ll come back.

See how it connects to the story Jesus is telling?

So when he speaks about servants while the king is away, he’s telling us about how his people, servants of God, should conduct ourselves while he’s away, before he returns.

And let’s be honest, it can seem like it doesn’t matter what we do while the king is away - particularly when he’s been gone for a long time.

I mean it’s 2020 - it’s been two thousand years.

Picture kids in a classroom when their teacher has gone to the office for something - all is calm for, what, twenty seconds - and then it begins.

Someone says something.

Someone throws something.

And then it’s all-out mayhem!

Now imagine their teacher’s been gone for two thousand years!

There’s not going to be much classroom left!

Do you ever wonder, if God is real, how come all the people who ignore him, who reject him, even who are rude about him, how they are all still doing just fine?

Well Jesus pictures that for us here.

The king-to-be’s subjects object violently to him.

Look at v14 - they hate him; they reject him as king.

“We don’t want this man to be our king”.

People get to object.

People get to act like there is no king.

For a time.

But it doesn’t change the truth: see that in v14 “his subjects hated him” - much as they didn’t want him as king, in the end that doesn’t make any difference.

They are still his subjects.

It’s like objecting to gravity, declaring you are not under it’s power, and stepping out of a plane.

Things might look like they are going your way for a while - but then you realise there’s something coming your way instead!

That ground which seemed so far away at first does seem to be coming up pretty fast...

The Bible tells us God, as creator of everything, is it’s rightful ruler.

He made it - it’s his to do with as he pleases.

And he has given all power and authority to Jesus - he’s made Jesus king.

Do you accept that?

This king has the right to rule over you, and he has a way he wants you to live.

Well, whether you accept it or not, it doesn’t change the truth.

You might be able to ignore the truth for a while

But that ground sure is coming up fast - because one day this king will return - and Jesus’ story doesn’t mince words in speaking of how he’ll respond to those who hated and rejected him.

I bet v27 does’t get a picture page in many children’s bibles.

So that’s the first question this passage has for us: do you accept he’s king?

Because he’s coming.

The second question it asks us is do you really know the king

2. Do you really know the King?

You see, there are different people pictured as servants of the king in Jesus’ story - v13 ten servants - each one entrusted with a mina.

A mina’s an amount of money - about 100 days’ wages, so quite a lot, but not earth-shattering.

In fact, the king will later describe this as “a very small matter”.

Each servant is entrusted with the same dosh, and then each servant is given the same unmistakably clear marching orders “put this money to work.”

v13.

same money, same orders, but very different responses.

We only get to see three servants up close but they show us everything we need to see to understand the point of this story.

Two get busy trading, so it seems.

They take what’s been entrusted to them and manage to make more.

One makes ten times as much - would like him working with my pension.

Another makes five times as much.

Still ok with that.

How do you make money with money?

Back in the day I imagine you could lend it to a trader so they could buy more while they were away on their travels - in order to have more to sell at a profit when they got back.

Or lend it to a baker so they can buy more ingredients each day, and have more bread to sell at a profit each morning.

But in each of those things, there’s a measure of risk.

What if they can’t sell it all?

What if they’re robbed on the way?

I think those servants making money would be taking some risks, particularly if they’re making big money.

But this third one we see takes a radically different approach.

And to begin with it might even seem like quite an admirable approach.

He’s not taking any risks.

He wraps up that money and hides it away.

None of the king’s money will be lost.

But the problem is that’s not what he’s been asked to do.

It’s hardly putting this money to work, is it?

It’s putting that money to rest!

When the king comes back, he’s delighted with the first two servants - and he gives each of them a vast promotion; you made ten mina?

nice job - take charge of ten cities! Bet there’s so much more than ten minas going through his hands each day now!

You made five?

nice job - take charge of five cities!

But this third one - he’s in for a right royal roasting.

This third guy explains what he did in v20 “I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth” - and then he explains why “I was afraid of you because you are a hard man.”

Maybe he’s so afraid of losing any of the king’s money that he dare not take any risk with it at all.

But when he calls the king a hard man, that’s not in the sense of the guy with shaven head and tattoos you’d expect to find in prison shortly, but someone who’s super-demanding.

A difficult boss.

Someone who expects 60 hours when they pay for 40.

A teacher who demands you spend six hours on your art homework no matter what else you’ve got on.

Perhaps - just perhaps - this servant is even daring to suggest the king is a cheat, a fraud: “you take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow” - some commentators I read suggest these terms describe law-breaking theft.

Is he right about the King?

Would you want to serve a king like that?

But then, think about this: if you did actually have a king like that, would you dare not to serve him?

If you knew he was a hard, demanding master, would you really just sit on what he’d entrusted to you, and ignore his command to put it to work?