I am going to take you through a familiar Bible story but show you that, perhaps, our view of it is perhaps, somewhat skewed.
To start with, let me tell you a bit of history.
The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that, in 4BC, Herod Archelaus (a son of Herod the Great) headed off to Rome from Judea in order to be confirmed as king by the the Imperial bigwigs. His role was a kind of Roman “puppet king” for the Jewish nation, although he was not really Jewish, and was only there to give them a false sense of autonomy. He was hated by his people and a delegation went out to protest his appointment. Upon his return he punished those who opposed him severely.
This happened during Jesus’ ministry.
Right, now, let us look at Luke 19:12-28…
He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 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.’ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’
“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. The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’
“ ‘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.’
“The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’
“ ‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’
“But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’
“ ‘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, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
“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.’
“ ‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’
“ ‘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. 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.’ ”
Hmmm. Does that story sound like it might mean something different from what we’ve been told.
Did you think that the “nobleman” was Jesus? (I know I did). Let us look again at this passage and read it in the context of the background scenario of Archelaus?
Suddenly, Archelaus looks like the king. Suddenly, investing those minas looks like investing in and supporting the oppressive Imperial system. Suddenly, refusing to do so looks like an act of extreme bravery and a refusal to compromise or support a corrupt system built on injustice, even knowing that the consequence is likely to be death.
The king rewards those who will sell out for him. The system rewards those who will show their devotion.
The Kingdom of God stands in total opposition to the Empires of the world. The two are mutually exclusive. You cannot serve Jesus and serve the Empires of the world (be they the UK, USA, France, India etc etc.). Obviously I am not saying that we do not seek the best for the nation, but we cannot buy into or serve the systems, which Paul identifies as demonic “Powers and Principalities,” and against whom we wage war (Eph 6:10-12).
It is no coincidence that this parable immediately follows the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Tax collectors were Roman collaborators, and made a tidy profit in so doing. His first act was to give up the wealth that he had made by investing in the Empire. Jesus then tells the parable, in which he lays out the cost of resisting the powers.
Different view, isn’t it?
Just by knowing something of the political events of the time, we find that the entire meaning is turned on its head. Did we really think that Jesus was a harsh king? How easily we, in the west, who have not known poverty or oppression and who exist in a church that occupies a central and powerful role, gravitate towards all authority figures being Christ, of the father.
How different it reads if you are on the underside of Empire.
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