The Parable of the Ten Pounds

Luke 19 begins by introducing us to Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector. Tax collectors served the Roman government but were Jewish citizens. As such, they were viewed as traitors because they made their living off excess taxes charged to poor Jewish people.

Zacchaeus became a follower of Jesus after Jesus invited himself to his home for lunch. Following his conversion, Zacchaeus dedicated stolen money to providing for the people he had swindled out of their life savings.

Jesus ended the encounter with these words: “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19.10).

The parable of the Ten Pounds is closely tied to the salvation of Zacchaeus, a man who was despised by many. It also connects to Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, where He would secure salvation for all humanity through His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later.

As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant region to receive royal power for himself and then return.

He summoned ten of his slaves and gave them ten pounds and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back.’

But the citizens of his country hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us” (Luke 19.12-14).

The people likely viewed Zacchaeus with the same disfavor they reserved for a nobleman who gained power from the Roman government and used it to oppress them.

This may also have been an allusion to Archelaus in 4 BC, who acted similarly. Archelaus traveled to Rome to obtain authority, but a delegation of Jews followed, petitioning the Roman government to remove him from his position of power.

Most Americans associate slavery with the field slaves who were forced to work in the American South during the early years of the country’s history.

However, in ancient Rome, slavery encompassed a wide range of roles, including field laborers, educators, physicians, and business agents. The slaves mentioned in this context likely served as business agents for the noblemen.

A pound was roughly equivalent to four months’ wages for a day laborer. Therefore, the amount entrusted to his servants was ten times that amount.

The Accounting

The first two servants reported to their master that they had successfully multiplied his money.

In response, the master commended them, acknowledging that they had been trustworthy with a small amount. As a reward, he increased their responsibilities, assigning them authority over a proportional number of cities (vs. 15-19).

The third servant responded differently, acting based on his perception of the nobleman’s character, who had entrusted him with the ten pounds.

“Then the other came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your pound. I wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you take what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow'” (Luke 19.20-21).

The servant believed the nobleman was a harsh and difficult man, someone he viewed as a fraud who engaged in deceptive business practices that disregarded conventional procedures and violated established laws.

What we truly believe about God in the depths of our hearts ultimately determines how we serve Him, regardless of what we say about Him. If we believe that God is a generous giver who cannot be outdone, we will give freely in return.

However, if we see God as less than what we profess, we may withhold our devotion and bury the gifts He has entrusted to us, preventing them from bearing fruit.

Judgment Day

Like the other servants, this one addressed the nobleman as “Lord,” acknowledging the nature of their relationship. However, his actions blatantly contradicted this acknowledgment through his disobedience.

His words reflect the kind of lip service Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7.21).

The nobleman’s question to the servant should resonate deeply with those who profess Jesus as their Lord. Just as he challenged the servant, we must also ask ourselves.

“He said to him, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked slave! You knew, did you, that I was a harsh man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?

Why, then, did you not put my money into the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest.’

He said to the bystanders, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the one who has ten pounds'” (Luke 19.22-24).

The theological term for God calling people to Himself is “election.” Election signifies that God has chosen to make us His own.

Similar to a political election, it carries both privilege and responsibility.

The privilege is that we belong to God. The responsibility is to reflect His character to the world. The fruit that servants of God are expected to produce is a reflection of Christ-like attitudes and actions.

That is the most important lesson to derive from this parable.

YouTube Discussion

Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I have discussed this parable on YouTube today.