As they were hearing these things, he added and spoke a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately be manifested.
ακουοντων δε αυτων ταυτα προσθεις ειπεν παραβολην δια το εγγυς αυτον ειναι ιερουσαλημ και δοκειν αυτους οτι παραχρημα μελλει η βασιλεια του θεου αναφαινεσθαι
9 Church Fathers comment on this verse
I believe that those individuals, upon learning about the kingdom of God, recognized the significance of God's blessing on the salvation of the Jewish people. Consequently, they presumed that as Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, He would be granted this kingdom.
Certain Jews, upon hearing Him frequently speak of the imminent kingdom of God, believed He intended to ascend to Jerusalem to establish His reign there. Recognizing this misunderstanding, He clarified their misconception through a parable, illustrating that His kingdom is not of this earthly realm but is instead spiritual and everlasting.
After departing from the home of Zacchaeus, Jesus made His way to Bethany, likely on track to arrive that day if it weren't for the proximity of the Passover and if He had not allowed Lazarus to be buried, having been dead for four days. Consequently, He took His time, stopping at various villages along the route, seizing every chance to teach His disciples and the crowd around Him. Yet, the disciples, influenced by the overwhelming bias of public opinion, overlooked Lazarus’s death and the recent discussions concerning their Master's impending suffering. Instead, they indulged in daydreams, strong in their belief that the upcoming festival would bring an end to their trials and tribulations.
They envisioned that their Master would publicly affirm His role as the Messiah during the great assembly of the Jewish people at the feast (Luke 19:11). This hope likely gained strength from the praise He received as the Son of David from the blind men at Jericho, leading the disciples to conclude that such recognition was an unmistakable signal for all to acknowledge Him as the Messiah. They reasoned that if He intended to reveal Himself, what better occasion could there be than during the Passover celebration? Many of those traveling with Him shared in this anticipation, eager to behold His glory, having journeyed and conversed with Him along the same path.
Since the Jewish understanding of the Messiah's earthly reign contained elements of truth, it would have been inappropriate to simply dismiss the disciples' aspirations as futile. Their hopes would not have been unfounded had they grasped the distinction between the Messiah’s initial humble coming and His future majestic return, without mistakenly conflating His spiritual dominion with His earthly sovereignty over Judah. To guide them toward the rightful understanding of their expectations and to unlock the meaning of the events to come—events far beyond their current comprehension and filled with wonders—Jesus resorted to His familiar method of teaching through parables.
As He made known the true understanding of His actions to those who were upset with Him, and observing that as they drew closer to Jerusalem, the thoughts of the crowd and His disciples were increasingly consumed by the anticipation of His kingdom's arrival, the Lord intended to provide His disciples with further guidance. To ensure it captured their attention more deeply, He skillfully framed it as a parable. Through this parable, He imparted crucial insights to temper their expectations: in Jerusalem, obstacles would arise to hinder the establishment of His kingdom; consequently, He would need to depart from that city and return later to confront the resistance from His adversaries and establish His reign.
In the interim, the apostles were not to remain passive or idle, expecting the kingdom of the Messiah to emerge effortlessly, but should actively engage in work that would benefit this kingdom.
In this parable, more explicitly than in other similar narratives, the Lord indicated His departure from the earthly realm, His exaltation in heaven, and His eventual return for judgment upon His people, leading to the full unveiling of His kingdom. It describes a wealthy man traveling to a far-off land to secure authority from a powerful ruler, returning crowned with the title of king. This figure in the parable represents the Savior Himself, who ascends from earth to reign in heaven and will return in judgment upon the Jews who spurned Him, refusing His sovereignty. The parable stresses the importance of the apostles' active involvement over a prolonged period; it states that the wealthy man, upon entering the court, entrusted ten of his servants with a mina each for trading, and upon his return, He rewarded each according to the profit they generated by assigning them cities to govern. One servant, who failed to utilize his mina, lost everything.
The reason that Jesus Christ shared the parable of the minas is explained by the Evangelist: at that moment, Jesus was preparing to continue His journey to Jerusalem, which had been interrupted by His visit to Zacchaeus's home. Many in the crowd believed that this would be His grand entrance to Jerusalem to establish the Messiah's kingdom. The purpose of this parable is to convey that prior to the revelation of His kingdom, there will be a period of waiting. Christ will introduce His kingdom in all its glorious majesty; however, there will be a rejection of Him as King by His subjects and a distinction made between Him and His followers. During this interval, each individual must faithfully use the gifts of grace bestowed upon them, preparing themselves for the Lord's return.
This return, when He will manifest His kingdom in glory, will involve a final judgment, wherein the diligent will receive their rewards, the idle will face punishment, and those who rejected the Lord as their sovereign will be condemned to eternal suffering. The imagery of this parable is drawn from the political climate of Judea at the time, which was under Roman authority. Initially, it had its own kings, appointed with the consent of the Roman government, necessitating that new kings sometimes traveled to Rome for confirmation. Such was the case with Archelaus following the death of Herod the Great; however, due to Archelaus's cruelty, the Jews rejected his rule and sent an embassy to Rome, requesting that he not be recognized as king.
Many of those who journeyed with Jesus believed that upon reaching Jerusalem, He would proclaim Himself as the King of Israel, heralding the long-anticipated reign of the Messiah. Aware of these thoughts, Jesus took the opportunity to clarify to His listeners that His present kingdom, which is the kingdom of God on earth, was emerging now, albeit in a subtle manner, as it only impacts the inner being of a person—their spirit. In contrast, His everlasting kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, would arrive in a striking and immediate fashion, but not as soon as some anticipated.
Without reiterating earlier teachings or directly stating that the kingdom of God had already begun, Jesus deemed it important to reemphasize that the kingdom of heaven would not commence in the immediate future, and thus the Jewish expectations regarding the swift establishment of the Messiah's reign were unfounded.
As both the ordinary people surrounding Christ and His disciples maintained the erroneous belief that the kingdom of God would soon manifest in a tangible form in Jerusalem, He shared a cautionary parable regarding a nobleman who “went into a far country to receive a kingdom for himself and return” (Luke 19:12-27). This imagery was drawn from a well-known event familiar to the Jewish audience, specifically the journey of Archelaus to Rome after his father Herod the Great's death in pursuit of royal authority from the emperor. Before his departure, Archelaus entrusted a mina of silver to his servants for use during his absence.
Despite the opposition he faced from various citizens, he was granted the kingdom upon his return and rewarded both his faithful servants and his adversaries according to their actions. One servant, however, proving to be slothful and untrustworthy, chose to conceal the mina of silver entrusted to him in a cloth and presented it back to his master with a disrespectful accusation of cruelty. Consequently, the silver was taken away from him and given to the most deserving and diligent servant, who received abundant rewards, while the rebellious citizens who resisted his rule were captured and executed. This parable contained multiple layers of meaning: it foreshadowed the departure of Christ the Savior from the world, illustrated the animosity with which He faced rejection, underscored the responsibility of stewardship over what He entrusted, highlighted the uncertainty surrounding His return, affirmed the necessity for all to account for their actions upon His return, condemned laziness, promised significant rewards for the faithful, and foretold the ultimate destruction of those who turned away from Him. Additionally, this parable is expounded further in Matthew 25. For details on Archelaus, refer to Matthew 2:22.
While still in the home of Zacchaeus, He ‘added the parable.’ The Evangelist also explains the reason the Lord chose to share this parable with His listeners at that moment, thereby revealing its essential purpose and significance. As the Lord approached Jerusalem, a large crowd accompanied Him; His disciples believed Him to be the Messiah, yet they misconstrued the nature of His mission. They anticipated that the Messiah’s kingdom would soon be established, but their understanding of this kingdom was flawed. They envisioned the Messiah as an earthly ruler, like other kings, who would liberate the Jews from the oppressive dominion of Rome, restore their liberty, and create a powerful kingdom in which the Jews would reign supreme, with all Gentiles as their subjects.
Their expectation was palpable, particularly as they envisioned the Lord entering Jerusalem with royal splendor. To correct this deeply entrenched misunderstanding and to convey that He, as God, was aware of their thoughts, the Lord imparted this particular parable among others. The narrative's outer framework draws partly from events that were nearly contemporary, which would have been fresh in their memories and served to reinforce the impact of the parable; its central theme bears resemblance to that of the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-28.
During His time at Zacchaeus' home, Jesus sought to clarify the unrealistic hopes that many held regarding His identity. Even His most devoted disciples were not immune to these misconceptions, as evidenced by the request made by the sons of Zebedee (Mark 10:35-37). There was a widespread belief that the Messiah's earthly kingdom would soon be unveiled in its full majesty, with many anticipating that this revelation would occur following Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. As they approached the sacred city—where Jewish representatives from various nations had gathered—the allure of the Messiah's universal reign grew stronger for Jesus' followers each day. It became essential to prepare them for the forthcoming events, to refine their understanding and remove any extraneous notions, and to emphasize the true significance of what they were about to witness in Jerusalem.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 24 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS