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In this lesson:
Some believe Jesus is going to Jerusalem to establish His Kingdom. But the parable of the "ten pounds" tells us otherwise. Study Tip: Think what God is saying and what it means to you. |
Ten servants each received ten pounds.
By an unknown artist |
The Gospel According to St. Luke
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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Luke 19:11-27
Parable of the ten pounds 11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15 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. 16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. 27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. |
Margin notes:
"Occupy till I come." (19:13) - Means, "Invest this until I return." "Well, thou good servant." (19:17) - "Well done, good servant." "Thou art an austere man." (19:21) - "You are a hard man." "With usury." (19:23) - "With interest." "That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not." (9:26) - These are similar to Jesus' words in Matthew 13:12, Mark 4:15, and Luke 8:18. "Which would not that I should reign over them." (19:27) - "Who did not want me to reign over them." See verse 19:14. "Slay them before me." (19:27) - This means that sinners will be punished when the King (Jesus) returns. |
Jesus taught us a similar parable in Matthew 25:14-30 (lesson 52).
New Living Translation
Luke 19:11-27
Parable of the Ten Servants
11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.
12 He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.
13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, 'Invest this for me while I am gone.'
14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not want him to be our king.'
15 "After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.
16 The first servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!'
17 "'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'
18 "The next servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.'
19 "'Well done!' the king said. 'You will be governor over five cities.'
20 "But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.
21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
22 "'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I'm a hard man who takes what isn't mine and harvests crops I didn't plant,
23 why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.'
24 "Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.'
25 "'But, master,' they said, 'he already has ten pounds!'
26 "'Yes,' the king replied, 'and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king-bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.'"
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Parable of the Ten Servants
11 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.
12 He said, "A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.
13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, 'Invest this for me while I am gone.'
14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We do not want him to be our king.'
15 "After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.
16 The first servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!'
17 "'Well done!' the king exclaimed. 'You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'
18 "The next servant reported, 'Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.'
19 "'Well done!' the king said. 'You will be governor over five cities.'
20 "But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, 'Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.
21 I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn't yours and harvesting crops you didn't plant.'
22 "'You wicked servant!' the king roared. 'Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I'm a hard man who takes what isn't mine and harvests crops I didn't plant,
23 why didn't you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.'
24 "Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, 'Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.'
25 "'But, master,' they said, 'he already has ten pounds!'
26 "'Yes,' the king replied, 'and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn't want me to be their king-bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.'"
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"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." (19:12-13)
"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, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." (19:15-17)
"And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow." (19:20-22)
"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, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." (19:15-17)
"And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow." (19:20-22)
Today's Question:
1. What is the meaning of the parable of the ten pounds?
Let us know your comments and suggestions.
1. What is the meaning of the parable of the ten pounds?
Let us know your comments and suggestions.
Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. As Jesus approached Jerusalem and crucifixion, many believed He was on His way to defeat the Roman army and establish a new government (9:11; Acts 1:6). The parable of the ten pounds teaches us that God's Kingdom won't be established until Jesus returns (9:15). While we wait, believers are accountable to God and should be productive. How?
Each Christian has the ability to work for Christ and should utilize their talents for God. Some believers possess biblical knowledge, spiritual gifts, teaching abilities, experience, training, financial resources, oratory, or other skills, and the time to invest in the church. All Christians should put their talents to work for the glory of God.
Furthermore, believers are not only responsible for their sins, but they are also accountable for the good they could have done but didn't (James 4:17). As we await Jesus’s return, the parable of the ten pounds teaches us how to be active and engaged in our faith.
Application thought for the day:
How can you apply the teachings of the Parable of the Ten Pounds to your life?
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible". All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2026 evolke
© 2026 evolke