Parable of the Minas

This final message in our six part series on parables challenges all who has been given responsibility by God, to take His business interests seriously and work hard at investing His resources in this world. Jesus used repetition by sharing another parable, giving an ACCOUNT of a nobleman who traveled to a distant country to receive a kingdom, and then returned. Before leaving, he gave financial responsibilities to ten slaves, entrusting a mina (100 days wages) to each of them, with the command to transact his business with each mina until he came back. Though his own citizens hated him, seeking to have him rejected as their ruler, he returned. He required his slaves to give an ACCOUNTING of their business gains. Three slaves reported their results with two doing well, but one had been lazy and made excuses. Two slaves were rewarded generously, but the third slave was rebuked because he had not obeyed. Finally, the nobleman made an ALLOCATION of his resources - the worthless slave lost his reward - the mina, but greater responsibilities were also taken away; the nobleman's enemies lost their lives - those who did not want him to reign over them were brought before their king and slain in his presence.