(Luke 19:1-271And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2And, behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 11And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. 16Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. (Luke 19:1‑27).)
SHORT but weighty words 1 Important in their significance and in their setting. Verses 1-10 tell of the salvation the Lord Jesus brought at His first coming; and what a great salvation it is, that could put the despised publican into the place of a son of Abraham, and which still puts “as many as receive Him” into the place of “sons of God.”
How necessary it is for each saved one to be deepening in the knowledge of “the grace of Christ”!
But we read that our Lord added and spake a parable for those who thought the kingdom of God should immediately appear, and the teaching of this parable should greatly affect our hearts. The Lord Himself is the nobleman who has gone away into a far country to receive for Himself a kingdom, and He will presently return. Before He went He called unto Him His ten servants and entrusted them with ten pounds, saying to them, “Occupy till I come,” or, “make use of them for My service.”
Have you, reader, ever asked yourself for what purpose God saved you, gave you eternal life, sealed you with His Spirit, and filled you with joy and peace in believing? Surely it is that you may serve the Lord now in His absence. It has been thought that the pounds in our chapters and the talents in Matt. 25 represent the gifts of the Spirit, with which each saint is graced in his measure. In Matthew the point would seem to be that some are, by the sovereignty of the Master, more richly endowed than others, while in Luke all the servants are gifted alike, and their responsibility is more in view.
It is a decisive day in your christian life when you own, with joy, the Lord’s claim on you, and when, yielding yourself to Him, you say, “I am not only a dear child of God, but He has given me the great privilege of being His servant.” Henceforth, by His gracious help your one object and interest in this world, whether in His service, or in life’s daily round, will be to occupy till He come, and to use whatever gift He has given you, with a fervent and holy zeal; knowing that very soon your Lord will return, and that then He will take account with His servants.
Before He sets up His kingdom in this world, He will ask each one, How much has been gained by trading with His pound? How blessed then to hear from His lips “Well done thou good servant; because thou hast been faithful [not successful] in a very little” —in Luke the reward is, authority over cities, and in Matthew, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”
Be encouraged dear brother or sister to use His pound faithfully. Remember grace alone will put you in heaven, but for faithfulness in His service He will confer a reward in His kingdom.
“Of What Sort.”
This is another matter and a very serious one. Some earnest servants apparently mistake quantity, “how much,” for quality “of what sort;” but both must be considered. We read of builders who use wood, hay, stubble, instead of gold, silver and precious stones.
Without going deeply into it, we may say that gold typifies Divine righteousness, silver the truth of redemption, and precious stones have each their significance of that which is beautiful in the sight of the Lord. We need to be constantly in His presence in order to receive His direction in all the service we attempt for Him, so that it may be such as shall abide when tried by fire, for “the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.”