17
Nov
Nov
Reflection: Luke 19: 11-28
Jesus and his disciples are nearing Jerusalem. The disciples had a feeling that the reign of God was about to appear. As the beginning of the Acts of Apostles reveals, they “were hoping” that Jesus was about to restore the political kingdom of Israel. But the Kingdom of Jesus was not at all in the way they expected. Jesus uses a popular story of those days about Herod the king to speak about the Kingdom that he was going to establish. The parable of the noble man going to a distant land to get appointed as the king is perhaps the story of Herod Archelaus who had gone to the emperor in Rome, seeking to be declared the king of Judaea and Samaria. His two brothers as well as a delegation of key people from both Judea and Samaria opposed his move. When Jesus spoke this parable, his audience could immediately associate the story with the incidents of the past that they knew well. Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great, had gone to Rome in the year 4 BC to get himself appointed king. On his return, he succeeded his father. Similarly, Jesus is soon to depart and in the future will return as king. During his absence, his servants are entrusted with their master’s affairs. In the parable, the king, before leaving, gives ten units of money to each of ten servants and tells them to invest the money until his return. Luke’s narrative differs from that of the Matthew. In Luke, all the tenants are given equal amount to do business with. A major difference is that there are people who despised this man and did not want him as their king. In the same way, Jesus was soon to go away and return some day as King and Judge. While he is ‘away’, his ‘servants’ will be entrusted to take care of their Master’s affairs. But many will reject him completely. Today we are asked to reflect on the special gifts that God has given to each one of us and how are we using them – investing them? When we invest our riches – talents in love of God and neighbour, we multiply our riches. Where do we invest our gifts, our talents both inborn and acquired? The message is clear: the more we invest, the more we will gain. We cannot stand still or just cling to what we have. The only way to gain is to let go, to give and to share. It is not collecting but sharing that generates wealth, the wealth that really matters – freedom, security and peace.