Nothing, Part Four (4/10-12)

10-12 April 2015 – Nothing, Part Four – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Luke 19:13 “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, “Occupy (trade, transact business) till I come.”

Jesus’ words in the “Parable of the Ten Pounds, “Occupy till I come.” What did Jesus do with one of the servant that did “nothing” with the pound that the master gave him? Let’s study Jesus’ words and we’ll come to the answer eventually.

Occupy till I come: The parable of the pounds illustrates that each redeemed believer has the responsibility to use what God has given him. Each one of us has been given the chance, the time, and the means to live for Christ by word and deed, by acts of kindness, in prayer, through offerings, and in many others ways. (Note from The Full Life Study Bible for Luke 19:13)

The word, occupy means to take up the attention or energies of <reading occupied me most of the summer> b: to fill up space or time. In another word, keep yourself busy. Do something to make yourself worthy of your time and labor.

Talents: The parable of the talents warns us that our place and service in heaven will depend on the faithfulness of our lives and service here. A talent represents our abilities, time, resources, and opportunities to serve God while on earth. These things are considered by God as a trust that we are responsible to administer in the wisest possible way. (Note from The Full Life Study Bible for Matt. 25:15)

Thou hast been faithful: Whoever has been faithful in his service for the Lord and has sincerely shared His burden and His concerns here on earth, will be richly rewarded in the future kingdom. He will be given even greater tasks in the new heaven and the new earth (Rev. 21:1). Those who have been faithful to a lesser degree will receive a smaller place and responsibility. (Note from The Full Life Study Bible for Luke 19:17)

This story shows Jesus’ followers what they were to do during the time between Jesus’ departure and His second coming. Because we live in that time period, it applies directly to us. Jesus expects us to use these talents or pounds so that they multiply and the Kingdom grows. While we are waiting for the coming of the Kingdom of God in glory, we must do Christ’s work and “occupy till He comes.”

So the question remain: What did Jesus do with one of the servant that did “nothing” with the pound or talents that the master gave him? The answer is found in Matthew 25:30 KJV, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Reading from Luke 19:20-27 NTL, why was the King so hard on this man who had not increased the money?

Here’s the reason why he punished the man: (1) He didn’t share his master’s interest in the Kingdom, (2) He didn’t trust his master’s intentions, (3) His only concern was for himself, and (4) He did “NOTHING” to use the money.

So in NLT Matt. 25:30 quote: “Now throw this USELESS servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Let this be a warning to us how very important to listen to Jesus’ warning, “Occupy till I come.”