Luke 19:18 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Luke 19:18

Comments

The second servant was also faithful to his master, and his master’s cause. When required to give account, he too expressed himself in the same modest language: ‘Thy pound hath gained five pounds.’ He made no mention of his own part in trading, but referred everything to his master’s original gift. The pound itself had gained five more pounds. Nevertheless his master responds in a way that recognises the part his servant played in this increase. He had told them to ‘occupy’, to trade with the pound given them, and that is what also this second servant had done. What he has done in his master’s absence is now going to be acknowledged and rewarded. In the distinct parable in Matthew 25, The Parable of the Talents, the various servants are given different amounts to trade with (and much larger amounts). That indicates the different degrees of light and understanding given to different individuals. Those given more are expected to do more with what they receive. In this parable in Luke 19 each of the servants is given the same amount, and yet by trading they increase what they have received by different amounts of gain. That indicates that even with the same degree of light from God, different individuals make different use of what they have received. It is a significant feature of the parable, though not the main emphasis. All receive the same gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, but some study it more, mediate on it more, allow it to influence their lives more, and more thankful for it, and serve the Lord more earnestly on the basis of it. That brings a great gain in terms of advance in holiness, instrumentality in publishing the gospel, love and devotion to God. The Lord loves all his children, and every one of them will be with him forever. ‘The second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.’ What is happening here? Well, there are some people who are little children, and they understand very little, but they understand enough. They say, ‘I am a sinner. I need a Saviour. Christ has come and suffered and died to pay the price for sinners. I will repent of my sin. I will throw myself at the feet of Jesus Christ, say, Lord, save me. I believe in Thee. I trust Thee’, and they say this even on the limited understanding of a child. The child comes to Christ; he is saved; he dies young. He has never had the opportunity to learn the great doctrines of the faith, but nevertheless, only with five pounds going to glory with a limited experience and a limited knowledge, he gets the great reward.

Application

Invest the awareness you have that God is, that he is there, that this is a designed universe, that you have a soul. Start making inquiries. Open your Bibles. Find out the way of salvation. Invest that knowledge and you will be given first of all a deep concern for your soul. You will see your need of Christ. You will really understand like you never did before what he did for a needy sinner like you, and you will hear his call. Not like hearing an audible voice, but you will hear it within you. ‘Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden.’ Come to me and I will forgive you and I will change you and I will make you my child.

Questions

This verse raises the issue of different rewards in heaven. Some do not like to talk about rewards in heaven, because all that we receive in the eternal future is the result of grace, and no believer could ever say that, strictly speaking, they deserved what they receive in glory. Like the servant here, they are quick to draw attention to the fact that it was their Lord’s gift that did all the gaining. Like the twenty-four elders in the Book of Revelation, they will ‘cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ¹¹ Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created’ (Revelation 4:10-11). Honesty demands that we give back to God all the credit for any reward we have received from him. And yet the parable speaks of differences in the eternal future between one servant and another, for that is what the different number of cities allocated represents. It is about different responsibilities in the kingdom of heaven, responsibilities given to us on the basis of what has happened in this life. It is not about a reward given to us in this life. In the parable the return of the nobleman to take up his kingdom stands for the return of Christ at the end of the world, and the rewarding of the various servants stands for their position in the kingdom of heaven after death and after the resurrection, a position which relates to how they handled what was deposited with them in this short life. The reward will take into account their faithfulness, and their usefulness to the Lord in handling his gospel during their earthly life. Matthew Henry says, ‘Blessed Paul was surely this servant that gained ten pounds, double to what any of the rest did, for he laboured more abundantly than they all, and fully preached the gospel of Christ.’ [Ed.]

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Luke 19:18 Commentary and Bible Study

Explain meaning of Luke 19:18