Day 43

After spending several months on the other side of the Jordan River in Perea, Jesus makes his way back across the Jordan and into the town of Jericho, where he will reinforce many of the leadership principles that he has been teaching His growing team of leaders. He will live them out and put them into practice once again. Jesus was a person who did not just talk about things but acted on them. He still desires to live out these principles through you and me today if we only yield to Him. So check out Jesus in action, living out what he teaches, unlike the Pharisees.

Read Luke 19:1-27

What do you know about Jericho?

What do we know about Zacchaeus from this passage?

What lessons can we learn from the Zacchaeus experience?

Why do you think Jesus told this parable of a certain nobleman in Luke 19:11-27?

What are the major life lessons that we can get from this parable?

In Jericho, Jesus meets another wealthy man who is the chief tax collector of the region for Rome. He most likely knows Matthew and is a good friend. It is also possible that Zacchaeus had been one of the many tax collectors Matthew had invited to his house to meet Jesus (Luke 5:29). Maybe that's why when Jesus sees Zacchaeus up in the tree, He calls him by name. Jesus goes to his house, and he becomes a believer, and the Savior saves ol' Zacchaeus from Himself. Zacchaeus is so overjoyed at the forgiveness he receives that he does what all true believers do- he asks for forgiveness. He makes things right with those they have hurt in life. It is on this note that Jesus begins His final walk to Jerusalem. And even though Jesus had made it clear many times that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer at the hands of the religious leaders, His followers must not have wanted to believe this truth. In their defense, everything around them shouted that this would not happen since the movement had grown large and multitudes of people were following Jesus. As a result, he had a large crowd of committed disciples all descending on Jerusalem for the Passover.

As Jesus walks along, listening to the disciples chatting (no doubt about what they had just seen- a rich person giving his wealth to the poor), Jesus realizes that they think the kingdom of God will appear immediately. However, they do not understand that He will die and leave them for some time. So Jesus decides to give them a parable to help them understand that there will be a period in which they will be entrusted with the message of the Gospel and that they are to be good stewards of it.

Let me unwrap this parable for you. We have several characters. The nobleman (Jesus) comes from a faraway place (heaven) to redeem His rightful kingdom. So he calls ten slaves, gives them one mina (three and a half months' wages), and tells them to do business with the mina until he returns. The nobleman expected these ten slaves to get busy and multiply the mina he entrusted them with. But many of the citizens of the land did not want the nobleman to reign over them, just like many of the citizens of this world don't want Jesus to reign over them. So they send a delegation to tell the nobleman just that. He was made King, however, and then returned. Upon returning now as King, he calls the slaves to give an account of how they have used the mina entrusted to them. One by one, they appear before the King and give an account of what they have done with the investment he has made in them. The first says, "Sir, your mina has earned me ten more" (Luke 19:16). The second five more. Note that the first two servants knew whose mina it was. They took their job seriously and went to work. They obeyed the Master and received rewards proportionate to their faithfulness and ability to multiply what the Master had given them.

Another servant appears before the Master with nothing but excuses and pretty lame ones at that. He had not obeyed and multiplied the investment made by the Master in him. The Master is very displeased with the disobedient and lazy slave. So he takes the one mina away from him and gives it to the one that had multiplied tenfold. Jesus' audience is furious and shouts, "That's not fair: that guy already has ten!". But Jesus replies, "I tell you that to everyone that has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be King over them– bring them here and kill them before me" (Luke 19:26-27).

We do not want to accept the truths in verses 26 and 27. They seem harsh, unloving, and unfair. But they are not– in God's eyes, they are just, well deserved, and more than fair. So I will leave you to struggle with the truth of God's word. Like me, you need a transformation of your mind to open your eyes. So I entrust you to the One who can transform your thinking- Jesus (Romans 12:1-2).

We are stewards of the mysteries or hidden things, Paul says. We are stewards of not just material things but spiritual things. God is teaching you some things about Jesus that are to be passed on. They are entrusted to you through studying Jesus' life; now, you must pass them on.

May God help you to be faithful in this assignment. The disciple of Jesus owns nothing but is a steward of everything His father gives him charge over. And each of us will be held accountable for what He has been called to steward: our time, our words, our thoughts, our actions, and the Gospel of Jesus.

So take some time to consider the concept of stewardship.