PARABLES OF CHRIST
THE POUNDS
DR. JIM DIXON
LUKE 19:11-26
NOVEMBER 1, 1998
Herod the Great was on the throne when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Herod ruled over Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. He died when Jesus was approximately one year old. Herod’s will divided his kingdom. Half of his kingdom, the southern half, went to his oldest son, Herod Archelaus. The other half of the kingdom was divided between two other sons, Herod Philip and Herod Antipas. All of these Herods are mentioned in the Bible, but it was through the will of Herod the Great that Herod Archelaus became king over the southern kingdom of Herod the Great. He began to rule over Judea and Samaria. This gave him authority over the great cities of Jerusalem and the city of Caesarea, the city of Joppa (which today is called Tel Aviv), and the city of Jericho.
Before Archelaus could affect the will, before he could have kingly power, he had to journey to Rome. He had to journey to Rome and the will of Herod the Great had to be approved by Augustus Caesar. When he traveled to Rome, the Jews sent an embassy after him, an embassy of fifty men to appear before Augustus Caesar to say, “We don’t want this man to reign over us.” But Augustus Caesar ignored them and Herod Archelaus was given kingly power.
Many Bible scholars believe that this historical event prompted our Lord Jesus’s telling of the Parable of the Pounds as recorded in Luke, chapter 19. Perhaps it did, perhaps it did not, but this much is clear: The parable itself has not to do with Archelaus even if that historical event prompted the parable. The parable has to do with Jesus Christ Himself, and on this all Bible scholars agree. Jesus Christ is the subject of the parable. He is the subject of the parable, it is Jesus Christ who is the nobleman who has gone to a far country to receive kingly power, and it is Jesus Christ who will come again and receive the kingdom.
From this parable, we have two messages this morning, and the first message is this: Make good on His investment. This is the first message to us as Christians. Make good on the King’s investment.
This is November 1. On this day 19 years ago, on November 1, 1979, the Carter administration orchestrated a $1,500,000,000 loan to Chrysler Corporation to keep the automobile manufacturer from entering into bankruptcy. This Chrysler bailout involved a United States president, the United States Congress, 452 banks, four state governments, three foreign governments, 1,600 suppliers, and 6 different labor unions. It was a massive effort. Critics of the government bailout of Chrysler said that this was an improper infringement of the United States government and to free enterprise. They said it was a violation of pure capitalism. Critics also said that it was a bad investment and that the government was throwing good money after bad. Those who supported the government bailout of Chrysler said that it was a good investment and it would serve not only Chrysler but it would serve the entire automobile industry. But this much is clear: The United States government did rescue Chrysler. They ransomed Chrysler from a debt they could never have paid. They redeemed Chrysler from the brink of bankruptcy. I think it is safe to say that the United States government would have been very upset if Chrysler had received this bailout with grateful laziness, if they had not made good on the government’s investment.
As Christians, we know that 2,000 years ago the government of heaven rescued us. We know that God intervened. We know that God redeemed us from a debt we could never have paid, that God ransomed us from spiritual bankruptcy. This involved a great cost as God sent His Son to shed His blood in substitutionary atonement. We express our gratitude every time we take communion, and we express our gratitude every time we look at a cross, as we look at a cross today. We express our gratitude every time we sing “Amazing Grace.” But it is not enough, the Bible tells us, that we simply have gratitude. God wants us to make good on His investment. Every once in a while, we come to passages of scripture that make that very clear. We are involved in such a passage today as we look at the Parable of the Pounds. We understand what it means to make good on God’s investment when we look at this parable.
In this parable, there are four critical principles. The first principle is ownership. God owns everything. I own nothing. God owns everything. You own nothing.
We see in this parable that the nobleman went on a journey to a distant country to receive kingly power and he entrusted his property to his subjects. You notice that when the servants came forward they said, “Lord, your pound has made ten pounds. Lord, your pound has made five pounds.” If you would make good on His investment, you must understand ownership. You may have a car out in the parking lot. You may have a house to go home to (hopefully you do), but it all belongs to the King. He is the owner. He owns our very souls, the Bible tells us.
The second principal in this little parable is the principal of stewardship. The parable tells us that the nobleman went to a far country to receive kingly power. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds, saying, “Trade with these until I come.” He called them before him when he returned to see what they had gained by trading. This is stewardship. Of course, I think most of you know that the word steward comes from the old English word “styward.” It refers to a warden of the sty, a keeper of pigs. Pig keepers did not own the pigs. Pig keepers did not own the pigs, but they were entrusted to their care. They were to grow the pigs in size and in number for the benefit of their master. That is stewardship. So, all that you have and all that I have belongs to him (ownership), but it has been entrusted to us (stewardship) that we might use it for the benefit of the master.
So, each of us have been given time, talent, and treasure. How much time you have in this world, how much time I have, I do not know. Some of us have fifty years. Some might have a hundred years. But we all have time. We all have talent and abilities. We all have treasure, and we have the ability to make treasure. Stewardship asks us the question: Whether or not we are willing to use all this to benefit the Master. This is the second principal of the parable. Are you using your time, talent, and treasure in the service of the Master and to benefit His kingdom?
The third principal in this parable is the principal of accountability. The Master is going to come back. He is going to come back and He’s going to hold us accountable. One servant came forward and said, “Lord, your pound has made ten pounds.” Another servant came forward and said, “Your pound has made five pounds.” Another servant came forward and said, “Lord, here is your pound which I kept laid up in a napkin because I knew you were a severe man.” Now, we might well ask, “Well, what happened to the other seven servants, since he called ten servants and gave ten pounds?” But it doesn’t matter because there are really only two types of people in this world: good stewards and bad stewards, people who make good on the Lord’s investment and people who do not. There’s going to come an accountability.
A fourth principal in this parable is the principal of reward. There is going to come a reward for those who are faithful. Christ gives us this incentive that we might know that there are rewards. The word “reward” is used 101 times in the Bible. Sometimes the word reward is used to refer to earthly rewards, sometimes heavenly rewards.
There are three different Greek words translated reward. There are four different Hebrew words. But we are to understand that there are rewards in heaven and on earth for faithfulness. And so, we have this first message from this parable. Make good on His investment. We are not saved by our works. We’re saved by Christ’s works. We’re saved by His grace and by His mercy and by His sacrifice on that cross, but He has called us to good works and our good works will be rewarded.
I saw in the U.S. News And World Report the story of an elderly man, and his wife who were watching television. A commercial came on. The man got up and he said to his wife, “Dear, I’m going into the kitchen to get some ice cream. Would you like some?” She really appreciated that he had asked her, and she said, “Yes, I would like some vanilla ice cream with hot fudge.” She said, “However, write this down because you tend to forget. So make a note.” He laughed and just waved her off and headed into the kitchen. A little time later, he came back into the TV room and gave her a plate of scrambled eggs. She said, “I told you to make a note. I told you to write it down. Instead of making a note, you come and bring me this plate of scrambled eggs and you forgot to bring me my bacon!”
Now, it is true, is it not, that we all at times tend to forget? I think as we get older, perhaps we forget more and more. But there is one thing God wants you to remember today. If you don’t remember anything else, one thing He wants you to remember this morning is that everything in your life belongs to Him. You are a steward and you have been called to make good on His investment.
Now, there is a second teaching from this parable. The second teaching is this: Embrace His reign. The first teaching is to make good on His investment, and then the second teaching is to embrace His reign. This teaching is not in the parable of the talents. Making good on His investment is in the parable of the talents but this teaching, embrace His reign, is in this parable, the Parable of the Pounds. Embrace His reign.
There is a guy living in this nation, a man who just turned 38 years old yesterday. He lives here in America. He has taken the titles, “King of Kings,” “Light of Men,” “Shadow of God on Earth.” You probably think, “Well, this guy has got to be crazy,” but not really. He attended the Air Force Academy and the University of Southern California. He is a billionaire. Most believe he is a multibillionaire. Some believe that his wealth is virtually beyond measure. This man has six hundred thousand subjects in the state of California. He has two hundred thousand subjects in the state of Texas, in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. He has subjects in virtually every state of this nation. He has fifteen thousand subjects in our nation’s capital, in Washington, D.C. But, of course, this nation is not this man’s realm. This man’s realm is overseas. This man’s realm is 636,000 square miles of land called Iran. His royal city is the city of Teheran, and his seat is the Peacock Throne. His name is Cyrus Reza II Pahlavi. His father was Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, better known as the Shah of Iran.
This man and his father were exiled from Iran in the year 1979. His father died in 1980. This man, residing in the United States, is crown prince and head of the royal family. He is a king in waiting. He is a king in exile. I think, sadly for Cyrus Reza II Pahlavi and all of his subjects, the future is not bright. The throne, the government of Iran, is in the hands of Islamic regime. They are not likely to relinquish control in Pahlavi’s lifetime.
But what about Christ and His subjects? What about Christ and His people? What about Christ and Christians? The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ, in a sense, is Crown Prince. He is the Son of God, the heir of all things. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is a King in waiting. He is a king in exile. Indeed, the Bible tells us that all of the subjects of Christ—all of the people of Christ, the church of Christ, everyone in the church of Christ—are in exile. The gospel calls men and women throughout the world to become exiles. The gospel calls men and women around the world to join the King in waiting.
It is not easy for many people in this world to embrace the gospel because the King is in waiting. It is not easy for many people in this world to embrace the gospel because the King is in exile. The Bible tells us that the day will come when Jesus Christ will come again and He will come with power, come with glory, and sit on His throne. The Bible tells us, “The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and forever.” But it takes faith. It takes faith to believe that.
Now, there are 1,700,000,000 nominal Christians in the world. Only God knows those who truly embrace the reign of His Son. Only God knows those who truly believe. But this much is clear: Those who believe in Christ, those who have embraced His reign, are engaged in a great struggle. It is a struggle between light and darkness. “We do not battle,” the Bible says, “against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenlies.”
You see, the Bible tells us that there is a usurper on the throne of this world. The Bible tells us that Satan is the archon, the prince, the ruler of this world. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ will come again, and Satan will not be able to withstand him. But this world is in darkness because Satan is the archon of this world. You want to know why this world is such a mess? You want to know why there is such a problem with drugs and crime and why Judeo-Christian values are eroding in our midst? We should not be surprised, because the Bible tells us Satan is the archon of this world. But if you embrace the reign of Christ, the King in waiting, then you are called to be light in the darkness. It is not an easy call.
I was reading just yesterday from a message that was given by Chuck Colson just a few days ago, the Breakpoint Commentary. Colson was speaking of the relationship of Christians to government. He points out that, at our nation’s inception, Christians thought it very natural that they would be involved in government and things related to government. They thought it very natural. The first permanent European settlement in America is the settlement of St. Augustine in Florida, dating back to the 16th century. Of course, St. Augustine is named after St. Augustine, the famous theologian who spoke more of politics and the obligations of Christians with regard to politics than any other theologian of his time.
Of course, the first English-speaking settlement in America was the settlement of Jamestown in Virginia. Those who founded that settlement were by and large Christians seeking to expand the boundaries of Christendom. The Pilgrims who came to Massachusetts by and large sought religious freedom within this so-called New World.
Colson tells us that until the dawn of the 20th century, until the turn of this last century, the ethos of America was by and large Christian. But then there came a series of what Colson calls “intellectual shocks.” In theology, there came form criticism. People began to question parts of the Bible and the Bible began to lose authority.
In anthropology, there came cultural relativism. Anthropologists and those who believe in cultural relativism taught that each culture has its own truth and each culture’s truth is equally valid. So, the claim of Christianity to absolute universal truth began to be questioned. In science, there came Darwinian evolution. For some, this brought into question the whole concept of a Creator God.
In psychology, Sigmund Freud said that Christianity was a crutch for the weak. In response to this assault from intellectuals, some nominal Christians exchanged the gospel for social activism and liberalism. Other Christians held on to their faith, but they retreated. They retreated from society and their involvement in society. They retreated into their churches and their seminaries and their Bible schools. This, of course, left the culture in the hands of by and large non-Christians and secularists. We have seen decades and decades of consequences with regard to the retreat of Christians into their own little world.
Of course, eventually, secularism began to move from the culture into the area in which Christians retreated. It began to move into the churches and into the seminaries and into the Bible schools. About 25 years ago, Colson tells us, Christians began to realize, “It ain’t workin’!” We are going to have to go back and try and be light in the darkness. We are going to have to go back and try to be salt in the decay. We are going to have to go back and try to interface with the country in which Christ has placed us.
I hope you understand the call of Christ if you really embrace His reign. I hope that whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you’ll vote Tuesday. I hope you want to be involved in this culture. I hope you want to effect change. I hope you are willing to use your time and your talent and your treasure to help the poor because you belong to the King and you want to honor His will and His instructions. I hope that you are faithful in the life of the church. I hope that you want to do the work of an evangelist and take the gospel to this world that is in darkness and desperately needs the reign of Christ.
If you feel insecure about taking the gospel to this culture and to your neighborhood, we have classes on how to share your faith and you can sign up for those classes in the lobby today. Of course, you may have friends who have rejected the reign of Christ because they have intellectual questions. We have, two weeks from today, a guest speaker named Dr. Hugh Ross. We have this insert in your Grace Notes. He is an astrophysicist and an international author and lecturer. He is going to speak on the subject, “Has Science Found God?” This would be a great time for you to bring friends who are not believers and have not embraced the reign of Christ, the King in waiting. If they have intellectual questions, what a great time to have them come and hear Dr. Hugh Ross. I hope that each of you have truly embraced the reign of Christ no matter what the cost.
As we close, I want to tell you a little story about archeologists who have examined the geographical land space of the former Greek Empire and Roman Empire. Through their digs, these archeologists have beautifully carved Greek and Roman statues. They have found statues of athletes, honored throughout the Greek and Roman world, with muscular bodies, beautifully sculpted. These archeologists have found an amazing thing. They found that many of these statues have removable heads. They came to understand that, in the Greek and Roman world, the heroes were constantly changing, and rather than having the sculptors carve brand new statues, they simply put on new heads.
That is like our culture—constantly changing. Of course, the Babe Ruth head goes off and the Roger Maris head comes on. The Roger Maris head goes off and Sammy Sosa and McGuire heads go on. The heads are constantly changing.
The archeologists have found that it is not only true in the Roman and Greek worlds of athletic statues but also of their robed statues—their statues of their philosophers, those who gave them theology and morality. Those statues sometimes also had removable heads because their morality and their philosophy was constantly changing. That is also true in our culture. The morality is constantly changing, and the philosophies are constantly changing.
But if you have embraced the reign of the King in waiting, then you have one head, and that head is Jesus Christ. He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His word is forever true. If you have really embraced His reign, you want to submit every aspect of your life to His authority, regardless of what the culture says and regardless of what the culture is doing.
So here is an invitation from this parable to make good on His investment and to embrace His reign. Let us look to the Lord with a word of prayer.