The following is the link to a video of the sermon for Sunday, April 13, 2025, as posted on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/4409sspotswoodrdgordonsvilleva/videos/606638289064133
Also, here is the text of the sermon:
Today is Palm Sunday. It marks Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as He started the week that would bring His crucifixion and end with His body lying in a borrowed tomb. People were waving palm branches and shouting “hosanna’s.” Some of them, who had traveled down the road from Jericho, had an opportunity to hear Him preach a sermon shortly before entering the Holy City. Luke’s Gospel provides us with the ending portion of that sermon. It was a sermon that conveyed something very important those palm-waving people just didn’t seem to understand. Luke’s tells us: “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.” Luke 19:11 (NLT)
In other words, Jesus knew that when He reached Jerusalem, the crowd that would greet Him would also hail Him as the Messiah. But, the Messiah they longed for was one who’d be a military leader. Specifically, they wanted Him to defeat the Romans and drive them from the land. Once that was accomplished (or so they thought), Jesus would then set up a Kingdom of the Jews right there in Judea. But, Jesus wasn’t coming to Jerusalem to kill the Romans. Instead, He was there for them to kill Him by nailing Him to a cross. Jesus’ mission wasn’t to defeat Rome. He came to defeat Satan and death upon His Resurrection from the tomb.
So, in order to clarify this, Jesus gave a parable to teach them the true nature of the Kingdom of God. Jesus proceeded as follows: “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.” Luke 19:12 (NLT) Now, let me explain what Jesus is referring to here. Jesus was aware that everyone knew about a terrible ruler who had cruelly slaughtered many Jews when Jesus was still a small child. The man was one of the sons of King Herod named Archelaus. When Herod died, Archelaus headed to Rome to ask Caesar to make him the king of Judea. But, the Jews hated Archelaus because they had already experienced a taste of his brutality. In fact, not long before leaving for Rome, he had killed 3,000 Jews for a minor disturbance in the Temple. So, a delegation of Jewish leaders followed him to Rome to lobby against his appointment as king. Although Caeser withheld the title of “king” from him, Archelaus was given defacto power to reign like a king. So, when he returned to Judea, those Jews who had been rebellious against him were treated to more of his bloody abuse. These historical events were still fresh in the people’s minds. Thus, when Jesus mentioned a “nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return,” they immediately thought of Archelaus. Having established that historical point of contact, Jesus proceeded to tell His parable:
13 Before he left [referring to this “nobleman”], 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.” Luke 19:13-21 (NLT2)
Notice that here in Luke’s Gospel, each servant was given exactly the same amount of valuable treasure in the form of silver. Some Bible translations refer to this silver as “minas.” In Greek, a mina was a weight measurement of between one to two pounds. This was a sizable amount of silver that amounted to about three months’ wages. Therefore, you will sometimes hear this parable being referred to as the “Parable of the Minas.” In this parable, two of the servants were very successful in making a profit for their king. The first servant reported a 1,000% return on the silver he’d invested. The second servant also did well, having made a 500% return. But, the third servant did nothing with the silver allotted to him. All he did was hide it. Upon his return, the nobleman who’d been crowned king praised servants 1 and 2, but the third servant was in for a very difference reaction. Luke states that the king was enraged by his insolence:
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.” Luke 19:22-27 (NLT2)
The people who heard this parable knew Jesus was not implying that He was wicked like Archelaus. They understood that much. Unfortunately, they didn’t understand very much else regarding the meaning of this parable. Jesus was telling them that the time had not yet come for His Kingdom to be established here on earth. He would not be fighting the Romans. Instead, Jesus would be battling Satan and death. Jesus defeated both of them when God the Father raised Him from the tomb. Following His eventual ascension into Heaven, He would take up a throne in Heaven that God the Father had ready for Him. And yet, the parable did link Jesus with Archelaus in one respect. Just as Archelaus had returned from Rome with Caesar’s power conferred upon him, so too will Jesus return from Heaven one day soon. And when He does return, Jesus will be coming with all the power and dominion granted to Him by God the Father. Just as the Jews who hated Archelaus were dealt with harshly once he returned from Rome, so too will Jesus be dealing harshly (but absolutely justly) with all those who have rejected Him.
Thus, the Parable of the Minas refers to Jesus’ Second Coming when He will establish His Kingdom and judge the world. Faithful servants who invest the treasure He gives them will be praised and given higher heavenly responsibilities. But, the ones who behave like the unfaithful servant and hide the treasure will face severe punishment. They will be put to death. In fact, it will be the worst kind of death. For they will experience eternal death in a place of torment and regret called Hell. That was the message Jesus’ parable offered to the crowd as He rode humbly into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
Now, you might be thinking that you’ve heard this Parable of the Minas somewhere before. It may sound a lot like a parable that is found in Matthew’s Gospel known as the Parable of the Talents. If that is what you were thinking, then you are correct—they do sound alike. These two parables provide us with powerful messages today. But, they are slightly different messages. In any event, we can get the maximum benefit from these two parables by comparing them with each other and then implementing their teachings together. Let me explain.
You may recall that in the Parable of the Talents, a master gave his three servants varying amounts of money called “talents”. In the ancient Roman world, a “talent” was the largest denomination of money that you could obtain. Some New Testament scholars have estimated that it was worth about 20 years of income for the average 1st century worker[1]—i.e., just one talent was a tremendous amount of money. So, again, focus on the fact that the master gave each servant a different number of talents. Matthew’s Gospel says: 15 “To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent, depending on each one’s ability. Then he went on a journey. Immediately, 16 the man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more. 17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.” Matthew 25:15-18 (CSB)
Although each was given a different amount, the master expected all three of the servants to take what was given them and invest it for the master’s benefit. The first two servants did exactly that. They made tremendous profits for their master. But, the third servant buried his talent in the ground and made no money whatsoever. His efforts for the master, as well as his profits, equaled “0”. Upon the master’s return, the first two servants were praised, but the third one was condemned for his lack of effort. The master was so angered by this that he said: “Throw this good-for-nothing servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30 (CSBBible) That is pretty much how the Parable of the Talents goes.
Although this may sound like the Parable of the Minas, they each have their own unique message. The messages are different because the “money” or “silver” that the master gave in each parable represent two different things. For centuries, theologians have debated what the varying amounts of “money” symbolized in the Parable of the Talents. Some have claimed it represented God’s Word. But, that does not make sense because God’s Word does not vary—it never changes. Others say the “money” represents the spiritual and material gifts God gives to His children. This is more on point, but still does not capture the message completely. What needs to be added is that God gives believers “gifts” in varying amounts in the form of responsibilities or opportunities.[2] As the parable says, these gifts are given according to each person’s abilities. No matter who you are, God gives you one or more abilities that are uniquely yours to serve Him. They are abilities to act upon those responsibilities and opportunities that come your way. Our responsibilities relate to acting the way followers of Jesus Christ should act when confronted with varying circumstances in life—whether they are times of trials and troubles, or times of success and prosperity. In addition, we are also called to perceive and act upon the opportunities that God puts before us to further His Kingdom. So often, these opportunities are presented in the form of things that we can do for others. We need to seize those opportunities and not let them pass us by. In addition, we have a responsibility to share the Gospel and to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ in becoming better Christians. We need to always be on the lookout to further God’s Kingdom by seizing those opportunities when they come along.
Now, compare all this to the Parable of the Minas in Luke’s Gospel. In that parable, the master gave each servant exactly the same amount of money. He gave them a treasure that never varies. So, what is it that does not change or ever vary? I hinted to this earlier: It is God’s Word that never changes. The Prophet Isaiah said: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8 (NIV) And, Jesus proclaimed: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35 (NIV) We, like the servants in the Parable of the Minas, have been given an unchanging treasure—the blessing of God’s Word. We have been especially blessed because we have both the “treasures” of the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. Today, it is available in so many translations and formats that virtually no one in this country can claim they cannot get access to it if they truly want it.
Now, here is how we can apply the teachings of both parables at the same time. In this regard, there are those who are hungry for God’s unchanging Word, but don’t even know it. It is our responsibility to share the Good News of the Gospel with them every opportunity that may be presented to us. In other words, we need to let them know that the only thing that can satisfy their spiritual hunger is to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ. You might be surprised how your witnessing to another person may affect their lives.
For example, last week, Flo and I attended a seminar at the Billy Graham Training Center near Asheville, North Carolina. One of the speakers was Tony Dungy. Tony is currently a football commentator for NBC Sports and former Super Bowl winning coach in the National Football League. He is also an outspoken Christian speaker and writer. He told a story about the tremendous positive influence that one of his teammates made regarding Tony’s walk with the Lord. When Tony started his professional football career, he was a defensive back for the Pittsburg Steelers. During his rookie training camp, he was assigned to room with a veteran player named Donnie Shell. Shell would go on to become one of the best defensive backs in N.F.L. history and was eventually inducted into the Players’ Hall of Fame. But, as good as he was as a football player, he was even better at sharing the Gospel with others. Although Tony Dungy was a nominal “Christian,” in the sense so many claim to be Christians today, he had never really spent much time reading and studying God’s Word. After a day of practice, Tony and Donnie would head back to their room and Donnie would invariably ask him: “What did you read today?” Tony thought he was talking about reading the football playbook the coaches had issued to the players. When he would start telling Donnie about what he’d read in the football playbook, Donnie would cut him off. He wasn’t talking about any football playbook. Rather, Donnie Shell was referring to the only “playbook” that really matters. It is the “playbook” for life called the Bible! You see, Donnie Shell knew that reading and studying the Bible on a daily basis is essential to the life of a Christian. Each day, Donnie was persistent and asked Tony the same question: “What did you read today?” Eventually, Tony realized that, even though Donnie had a lot to teach him about the finer points of the game of football, Donnie was trying to teach him something infinitely more important. He was trying to show Tony that what he really needed was for the Holy Spirit to guide him in the game of life. Tony began to understand this once he developed the habit of reading and studying the Scriptures on a daily basis. He found that it made all the difference in his walk with the Lord. This shouldn’t be any surprise to us. Our bodies need food and water each day to be healthy. Likewise, our souls need God’s Word every day to be spiritually healthy.
The point is this: Donnie Shell accepted his responsibility to share with someone the importance of becoming intimately familiar with the Word of God. When Tony Dungy was introduced to him at training camp as his roommate, Donnie seized the opportunity to make good on that responsibility. Consequently, Donnie’s faithfulness in doing this, helped unleash Tony’s fire for Jesus Christ. And, since then, Tony has brought hundreds, if not thousands, of people to Christ. Just think what a change we can make in our communities if we adopt the enthusiasm for sharing the Gospel that Donnie Shell and Tony Dungy have! Accept your responsibility as a Christian to look for those opportunities to share with others the treasure of God’s Unchanging Word—never bury it in the ground as the unfaithful servant did.
Yes, as Jesus humbly rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, the sounds of “hosannas” resounded from the lips of some of the very same people who had heard Jesus preach His Parable of the Minas. It is certainly possible that some of them had even heard the Parable of the Talents. Sadly, those words of His parables were no longer perceptible to many in that crowd. They were focused on having a “king” who’d kill Romans, and not one who would allow the Jewish leaders and Rome to kill Him as an atonement for their sins—and your sins, and mine. As followers of Jesus today, we cannot be like those palm-wavers who were so wrapped up in what they wanted, rather than focusing on what God wanted. Jesus’ teachings (especially those in these two parables) somehow escaped them. But, we must not allow that to happen to us. Neither can we be like the unfaithful servants in those two parables.
So, this morning, we should all examine ourselves and ask which one of the three servants in those two parables do we resemble. Are you making spiritual profits for God? We cannot afford to shirk our spiritual responsibilities or allow opportunities to serve Christ escape us. The best way to guard against that happening is to invest in the greatest treasure God has given us—the treasure of His Son. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh.[3] Spend time with Him every day in His Word. Why?—because Jesus said: “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”[4] and all the real treasures of life will be given to you. If we want to make profits for our Master, Jesus Christ, then we need to invest in the treasure of cheerfully and diligently accepting our responsibilities. We also have to make good on those opportunities to serve Him, by serving others and informing them of their daily need to instill God’s Words in their hearts. Yes!—Seek His Word, and all the real treasures of life will be yours. They are worth all the talents, minas or any other wealth that the world could possibly offer you!
Darvin Satterwhite, Pastor
Forest Hill Baptist Church
April 13, 2025
©2025 All Rights Reserved as follows:
Anyone is at liberty to use this sermon or any portions thereof for educational or religious purposes, with or without credit. The pastor believes the material presented herein to be true to the teaching of Scripture, and desires to further, not restrict, its potential use as an aid in the study of God’s Word. The publication of this material is a grace ministry of Forest Hill Baptist Church in Louisa, Virginia.
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[1] Michael G. Vanlaningham, “Matthew,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 2014), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1504.
[2] Ibid.
[3] John 1:1, 14 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NIV)
[4] Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV)
