Seven Servants / June 2000

Yeshua the Messiah was going up to Jerusalem for the last time. For nearly three and one-half years, He had taught of the Kingdom of God. He had given sight to the blind; He had made the lame walk; He had cleansed the leper. His closest followers knew He was the Messiah; that is, they believed He was about to establish the Kingdom. They believed that Yeshua would take control of Jerusalem and then all Israel. He would surely kick out the Romans and all the pagans. Expectations were running high. The crowds were growing. It was just a matter of time. But then something strange happened. He taught another parable.

And while they were listening to these things, He went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately.

Luke 19:11

The teaching of parables was not strange for Yeshua, but this parable seemed strange for that moment. They were supposing that the Kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. They were near Jerusalem. It was logical that all their expectations were about to be fulfilled. But, instead, the Messiah taught a parable about going away for a while. It was a parable about the second coming!

"Going away!" AI thought He was going to come as King now and set up the Kingdom!" "What do you mean that you are going away and coming back?"

The mistake the brethren made was simple. Their expectations got in the way of the prophecies. The truth was that before the Kingdom could come, the Messiah needed to do the great work of redemption. The Messiah needed to go and make sacrifice for us. This was Yeshua's purpose in going to Jerusalem at that time.

This mistaken understanding of when the Kingdom begins was still on the minds of the disciples at the ascension from the Mount of Olives after the resurrection.

And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

Acts 1:6

Many of us, who were looking for the Messiah's end time return have made the same mistake the brethren made nearly 2,000 years ago B only we did it at the coming of the year 2000. We had a very definite expectation that the Kingdom was coming soon. Our particular scenario included the Middle East Peace Accord, Y2k, and the start of the Great Tribulation. The expectation was just as real for us as it was for the disciples near Jerusalem. The problem is that the Messiah needs to do one more work before the Kingdom is setup.

"What could that one more work be?" "He has done the work of redemption already. What else could He want to do first before setting up His Kingdom?"

We will answer that in a few moments but let's take a look at this unusual parable Yeshua taught that concerns the second coming. Both Matthew and Luke record the parable, but let us use Luke's account.

He said therefore, A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, "Do business with this until I come back." But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, "We do not want this man to reign over us." And it came about that when he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done. And the first appeared, saying, "Master, your mina has made ten minas more." And he said to him, "Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities." And the second came, saying, "Your mina, master, has made five minas." And he said to him also, "And you are to be over five cities.” And another came, saying, "Master, behold your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow." He said to him, "By your own words I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man, taking up what I did not lay down, and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not put the money in the bank, and having come, I would have collected it with interest?" And he said to the bystanders, "Take the mina away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas." And they said to him, "Master, he has ten minas already." AI tell you, that to everyone who has shall more be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence."

Luke 19:12-27

A mina is approximately 100 days worth of wages. The parable is about making investments with the King's resources prior to His return. It is about being profitable in the Kingdom while facing opposition to the coming King. Remember, everyone else does not want this man to reign over us. How does this parable help us with our misexpectations?

When most believers think of the coming Kingdom, we expect a dramatic change. Doesn't the Scripture speak of the Day of the Lord and other catastrophic events with sudden changes? We tend to think of the Kingdom as perfection, with us lounging around eating from the tree of life under the shade of a tree just outside our own mansion. Some, go so far as to see the Kingdom as a small select community (just their church) and the members ruling over other people. Probably the most bizarre of these expectations is the pretribulation teaching of a seven year party followed by the church leaders and pretrib faithful reigning over nations in the millennial kingdom. We don't see a process, rather, we see an event.

The parable does speak of a coming Kingdom and does speak of rewards and judgments. Three of the ten servants are reviewed concerning their results. The emphasis seems to be placed on the one who wrapped the Lord's resources into a handkerchief and refused to work profitably for the Kingdom. Listen to this unfaithful servant's explanation again.

Master, behold your mina, which I kept put away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.

What exactly does the servant mean when he refers to the Master as an exacting man? Exacting means that the man is hard, taxing, difficult, heavy, demanding, rough, tough, severe, trying, formidable, rigorous, arduous, weighty, laborious, oppressive, onerous, burdensome, backbreaking. I made this list long and redundant for effect. This is not a fair and appropriate description of our coming King. We know God much differently. God has even described Himself differently for us when Moses encountered Him on the mount.

Then the Lord passed by in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

Exodus 34:6-7

The King we know is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and full of mercy and truth. He is just and judges righteously. However, the unfaithful servant with the single mina had listened to citizens who did not want the man to reign over them. They slandered the King. Those who did not want the kingdom wanted to reign over themselves so they resisted the King by defaming Him. Does the parable not say that his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him? There is much more to this unfaithful servant's unbelief about the Master. This servant even goes so far as to accuse the Master as you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow. This particular statement is distorted. The Master judges the unfaithful servant with his own words. The truth is that we are God's servants. It is our task to sow and reap, to lay down and take up, to be profitable servants of the kingdom. It is not the task of the King to do the servant's work. The unfaithful servant was trying to usurp the position of the King and not do the work of a servant. By his own mouth he was judged accordingly.

I once heard an important principle of leadership that is appropriate to God's Kingdom. Leadership is not doing the work; it is instructing and guiding others in doing the work. If you're doing the actual work then you are not leading. The servants do not rule over the king. Yeshua instructed us this way, AA servant is not greater than his Master." In fact, He went on to teach that in the Kingdom, greatness among the servants is based upon who serves the most.

It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

Matthew 20:26

This brings us back to the parable and how each made their investments in the future kingdom. One servant produced ten more, one servant produced five more, and one wrapped his mina up in the handkerchief. Each was rewarded accordingly. But, there is a mystery here in this parable. What about the other seven? There were ten servants given a mina each; where are the other seven? What did they report? (Hint: Anytime you see seven of anything in Scripture; it is significant.)

Here we are waiting for the Kingdom to come. The Master has gone away for a while and we are expecting Him very soon. What exactly are we doing? What preparations have we made for His return? What sort of investment have we made in the coming Kingdom?

Here comes a bolt of lightning from heaven B (are you ready for this?) B You and I are the other seven servants. It is you and I who will give the future report as to what we have done. Doesn't the Messiah warn seven churches before He comes? The seven servants in the parable are about us.

Our expectation has been about the Kingdom coming immediately. But, we missed something. Earlier in this article, we began with a question. What great work, like unto redemption, is God doing prior to the Kingdom? The answer is in the question of the disciples at the ascension. "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?"

It is the work of restoration. Step back and get the big view of God's great work with mankind. The long range plan of God begins with Creation, then Redemption, and finally Restoration. We have seen the creation and the work of redemption. Where or what is this great work of restoration? Consider the parable again.

Why did the Master want the servants to invest and increase His resources before the Master returned? Why did the faithful servants increase what they were given into five and ten-fold? The answer is simple. They were participating in the restoration of the kingdom. They were rewarded according to their part in the restoration of the kingdom. But restoration is more than increased resources. The prophet Elijah is promised to come before the Lord to restore something very special.

Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse.

Malachi 4:5

The prophets have said that fathers and children are to be restored to one another. Let's review our present day again and see how this restoration is taking shape. Family unity in the world is at all time shambles. Fathers and children are being separated throughout the known world. How are we being restored to our fathers and our fathers to us?

In our days, we have seen Torah studies appear in numerous communities, a revival of sorts is happening with Sabbath, and the hidden identity of Israel is coming forth. You and I are being restored to our ancient fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Each Torah lesson, each reference to the greater exodus, the wilderness and the tribulation, the crossing of the Jordan and the anticipated resurrection is bringing us one step closer in our hearts to the fathers. The Lord has said that He will be merciful to us for the sake of the fathers. He has said that He will remember us and the covenant because of the fathers. Our ancient fathers received promises. We are their descendants and therefore are the recipients of those promises. The Kingdom belongs to the children of God B the children of the fathers. We are being restored to our fathers in preparation of the coming Kingdom!

Since the turn of the year 2000 many brethren have lost the wind in their sails regarding world shaking events, preparing for God's great judgment, and seeing the coming Kingdom. This is not the time to lose heart brethren. Everything is right on schedule. The Kingdom is still coming. Don't be so bewildered. Now you know how Peter and John felt when Yeshua went to Jerusalem and didn't set up the Kingdom immediately. Now you can understand their feelings, how they had to come to terms with the work of redemption. We need to understand this great restoration that is at work today. We need to remain faithful, get through this period, and follow the path of the earlier disciples.

In recent years, the stock market has increased dramatically. Many are getting rich on worldly things. We need to be investing also, but in the Kingdom of God where rust and thief can not reach.

Yeshua's parable is to help us to focus on the real work of God and not be disturbed by our unfulfilled expectations. I urge you brethren to continue being restored to our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Above all, be restored to our Heavenly Father. Let us be about the business of investing in those things that will be in the Kingdom, not the wood, hay, and stubble of the world. Only gold, silver, and precious stones will be making it through the fire and into the Kingdom. I am not talking about gold and silver coins, nor gem stone jewelry either. Instead, let us invest in the pure gold of the Kingdom (the interior of the Holy of Holies, the things of God), in silver (the coin of Redemption and the work of the Gospel ministry), and finally real precious stones (the lives of individual believers). Let us pour out our lives for the benefit of others in the Kingdom and increase the Kingdom. Let us labor to hear the Master's words, "Well done, good and faithful servant, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over much…"

Remember, there are still seven servants to report. You and I are those seven servants. You and I will give an account of how we prospered and helped restore the Kingdom. What are you doing with the resources God has given you, your life? Are you involved in your believing community sowing and reaping? Are you laying down and taking up with other brethren? Have you made a deposit in the bank to draw interest or are you hiding it in your pocket wrapped in a handkerchief?

And after He had said these things, He was going on ahead, ascending to Jerusalem.

Luke 19:28

It is still true today. He is still heading for Jerusalem and His Kingdom is coming.

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