Luke 19:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For the Word, being divine, became incarnate: although He assumed the likeness of sinful humanity and is thus termed a servant, He remains the eternally begotten Son of the Father: indeed, He is also God, transcending all in essence and glory, surpassing not only our state but all of creation with His immeasurable fullness. Thus, humanity is called freeborn as the Son of God: not merely due to His goodness and love for humanity, but by nature, as He is indeed of the Father, superior to all created beings. Yet when the Word, who exists in the likeness and equality of the Father, became like us, He “became obedient unto death, the death of the cross; wherefore God also, it is said, highly exalted Him, and gave Him a Name above every name, that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, Amen.” Did the Father bestow upon the Son the Name above every name as one distinct from God by nature? How, then, if this assertion is valid, has the new God not been revealed to us? Yet the Scriptures clearly proclaim: “Let no new God be in you, and you shall not worship a strange God.” If He were not of God by nature, He would be different and alien to Him. Hence, the Son is undoubtedly God by nature: but how could the Father confer upon Him a Name above all names? We assert that when He became flesh, that is, human like us, He assumed the title of servant and embraced our poverty and lowliness; but upon fulfilling the mystery of His earthly mission, He was elevated to the glory that is His by nature—not as something foreign or unexpected bestowed from outside, but as that which is inherently His. For He addressed God the Father, saying, “Father, glorify Me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world existed.” As one who existed before the ages as both God and of God, He possessed the glory characteristic of the Divine; and in His incarnation, as I mentioned, He did not undergo any alteration or transformation, but remained in the essence that He eternally possessed, mirroring His Father in every way. He is “the image of His face,” possessing in right of His nature all that belongs to Him who begot Him, being of the same essence, equal and unchanging, resembling Him in all aspects. Thus, as one who is by nature God, He is understood to have received from the Father the Name that is above every name in His humanity, that He may be acknowledged as God and King of all, even while in the flesh united with us. When He endured the sufferings of the cross for our sake, and overcame death through the resurrection of His physical body, He ascended to the Father, like a man journeying to a distant land, for heaven is indeed a separate realm from earth — ascending to claim His kingdom. Again, let us recall the blessed Paul, who teaches us to “Cast out reasoning and every arrogance that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and turn every thought to obedience to Christ.” How could He who reigns alongside the Father ascend to Him to receive the kingdom? I respond that the Father grants it to the Son because He became man. For upon His ascension into heaven, He took His seat at the right hand of the Highest, and from there He awaits until His adversaries are made a footstool for His feet, as the Father proclaimed, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

In the interim, the apostles were not to remain passive, idly awaiting the coming of the Messiah's kingdom, as if it would manifest itself without effort or support from them, but rather, they should be diligently engaged in advancing this kingdom. This parable, more explicitly than others of its kind, illustrated the Lord’s ascension from earth to His glorification in heaven, along with His eventual return to judge His people and fully unveil His kingdom. It depicted a wealthy man traveling to a far-off land to secure from a powerful sovereign the authority to govern his realm, returning with the title of king. Through the figure of this man, the Savior clearly intended to represent Himself, His ascension from this world to reign in the heavenly realm, and His return in judgment on those Jews who rejected Him and refused to accept His sovereignty. To emphasize the necessity of the apostles' active engagement during this extended period, the parable mentioned that the rich man entrusted each of his ten servants with a mina to invest. Upon his return, based on the profit each servant generated, he allocated a corresponding number of cities for them to govern, while one servant, who failed to utilize his mina, was stripped of everything.

This return will be marked by a glorious unveiling of His kingdom, accompanied by a universal judgment in which the faithful will be rewarded, those who are negligent will face consequences, and the unbelievers, who once failed to acknowledge Him as King, will be doomed to eternal punishment. The parable draws from the political situation in Judea during that era, as it was under Roman control. Initially, it was governed by its own kings, although with the Romans' sanction, necessitating that new monarchs sometimes travel to Rome for confirmation, as exemplified by Archelaus following Herod the Great's death. The Jewish people, however, rejected Archelaus as their king due to his cruel nature, mirroring his father, and thus dispatched a delegation to Rome requesting that he not be granted royal authority.

Despite considerable opposition from local citizens, he successfully gained the kingdom and, upon his return, rewarded both his loyal servants and his adversaries according to their faithfulness and actions. One unfaithful servant, however, neglected to put the mina to use; instead, he hid it away and returned it with a disrespectful accusation against his master’s severity. As a result, the mina was taken from him and given to a more faithful servant, who was richly rewarded. The rebellious citizens who had opposed his reign were captured and executed. This parable holds numerous lessons: it foreshadowed Christ’s imminent departure from the world, the animosity He faced, the responsibility to utilize the gifts entrusted to us, the uncertainty regarding His return, the inevitability of account-giving upon His arrival, the condemnation of the lazy, the generous reward for faithful service, and the ultimate fate of those who reject Him. A more detailed interpretation of this parable can be found in Matthew 25. Regarding Archelaus, refer to Matthew 2:22.

The nobleman symbolizes the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who must endure considerable suffering before attaining His royal authority and splendor; however, it is important to note that not all details in parables can be examined in depth. "Just as we refer to those of noble lineage as descendants of royalty, so truly is He of noble descent who derives His existence from the essence of the Father."