The beloved physician Luke wrote how Jesus said, “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, your pound has gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, you good servant: because you have been faithful in a very little, have you authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, your pound has gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be you also over five cities. And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is your pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin”, and in chapter nineteen and verse twenty-one of his book Luke shared how Jesus says the third servant told the nobleman, “I feared you, because you are an austere man” where we read:
For I feared you, because you are an austere man:
you take up that you laid not down, and reap that you did not sow.
The verse reads, “For I feared you, because you are an austere man:” Luke began with the words, “for I feared you” or “because, since and on account that I, your servant, was afraid, struck with fear and seized with alarm by the nobleman”, “because you are an austere man” which means “since and on account that you, the nobleman, are rough, rigid and harsh of mind and manners”. Luke shared how Jesus said the third servant told the nobleman he was afraid of him because he was “rough, rigid and harsh”.
The verse goes on to say, “you take up that you laid not down, and reap that you did not sow.” Luke continued with the words, “you take up” or “you, the nobleman, raise up and elevate from the ground” “that you laid not down” which means “what you, the nobleman, have not set, put, established or ordained”, “and reap” or “and harvest or cut down crops with a sickle” “that you did not sow” which means “what you, the nobleman, did not scatter or plant in the ground”. Luke shared how Jesus said the servant told the nobleman he “gathered” from places where he did not invest and “harvested” from places where he did not plant.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we see how this third servant attempted to give reasons for preserving his “pound” rather than investing it. He believed the nobleman to be “rigid and harsh” and therefore he was afraid of him. The servant knew the nobleman would gather from places he did not set and establish, and he would harvest from places where he did not plant. This evaluation of the nobleman caused the servant to “preserve” or “hide” that which had been given to him. Proverbs chapter eleven and verse twenty four says, “There is that scatters, and yet increases; and there is that withholds more than is meet, but it tends to poverty”, and because this servant did not use what was given to him, he only obtained that which was in his hand. God wants to have a personal, loving relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when they yield their lives to Him as their “Savior and Lord”, He will provide them with gifts they are to use in His Kingdom. Those who put their “gifts” at risk will increase them and be blessed and commended by the Lord for doing so. Those who only preserve them will find themselves giving an account to God for their fear.
Next time Luke shares how Jesus says the nobleman told the third servant, “out of your own mouth will I judge you, you wicked servant”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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