Luke 19:11-13, “And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. 12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
The text you just read is a part of the parable, commonly known as the “Parable of the Pounds.” There are some parables of which Matthew Henry says with equal quaintness and truth, “The key hangs beside the door.” The Holy Spirit Himself interprets them. There is no room left for doubts as to the purpose for which they were spoken. Of such parables, the Parable of the Pounds is an example.
This passage gives us a hint of the thoughts of the disciples of Jesus at that time. Verse 11 says, “And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.” Having heard their Master’s sayings, they thought that something remarkable was going to happen. They had a strong impression that the kingdom of God was going to come very shortly. Surely, they were thinking about “the,” if not “a” great event was going to happen. They were correct to think about a great event, but the nature of this event was not something they were anticipating.
First, let us think about their mistake. (1) The disciples thought that the Old Testament promises of Messiah’s visible kingdom and glory were about to be fulfilled very shortly. They believed rightly that Jesus was indeed the Promised Messiah. But they mistakenly assumed that He was going at once to take to Himself His great power, and reign gloriously over the earth. Thus, He was going to build His great and eschatological kingdom on earth. They appeared to conclude that now is the time that the Redeemer would build up Zion and appear in His glory as Psalm 102:16 states, “When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.” They expected that their Master, Messiah and King, would assemble the outcasts of Israel, gather the dispersed of Judah (Isaiah 11:4, 12), and break His enemies with a rod of iron and dash them into pieces like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2:8-9). They supposed that it was time to give the kingdom, dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven to the saints of the Most High (Daniel 7:27). Such appears to have been the mistake which our Lord’s disciples had made at the time when He spoke the Parable of the Pounds.
(2) Their mistake was truly grave, because they did not understand and overlooked the eternal providence of God for the redemption of His people through the suffering and death of the Messiah, the Son of God, the Servant of the Lord, the Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Luke 24:46 says, “And [Jesus] said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.” Their sanguine expectations went beyond the crucifixion and the long stretch of time to follow, and continued onward toward the final glory. They did not see that the first advent of the Messiah was “to be cut off” before the second advent of the same Messiah to reign. They did not understand that the sacrifices and ceremonies of the law of Moses were to receive their fulfillment in a better sacrifice and a better high priest, and the shedding of blood more precious than that of bulls and goats. They did not see that before “the glory”, Christ must be crucified, and an elect people gathered out from among the Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel. They understood only part of the prophetical word and not all of it. They perceived that Christ was to have a kingdom, but they did not see that He was to be wounded and bruised and be an offering for sin. It is like they understood Isaiah 11 but not 53. They understood Psalms 2, 97 and 98, but not 22.

(3) Their mistake was hanging over them for a very long time. It means even after the crucifixion of Jesus that they did not come to the clear understanding of the Lord’s instructions. Thus, they raised almost the same question in Acts 1:6, “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” This mistake appeared to be permeated in the Christian world, too. Paul warns the Thessalonian believers in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” If we think of their mistake a bit more, we may conclude that it is a case that the old Jewish leaven peeps out. Isn’t it true that one of the primary reasons of the Jewish rejection of Jesus was their ignorance of the Messiah’s suffering before His glory? They understood Jesus as a cursed being because He was hung on the tree. They could not believe that the Messiah must suffer and even die.
(4) Their mistake then is our mistake now. We cannot but admit that our mistakes are multiple. Think of such mistakes we have made so far: If the Jews thought too exclusively of the Messiah’s reign and His kingdom, have we not thought too exclusively of Christ’s suffering? If the Jews saw nothing in the Old Testament prophecy but the Messiah’s exaltation and final power, have we not seen nothing but Christ’s humiliation and the preaching of the Gospel? If the Jews dwelt too much on the Messiah’s second advent, have we not dwelt too exclusively on the first? If the Jews ignored the cross, have we not ignored the crown? Our mistakes do not dwell on these only. Conversely, as the Jews dwelt on the thoughts of the Messiah’s exaltation and glory, have we not dwelt on the same thought and despised suffering, trials, and pain? As the Jews anticipated the coming of the future kingdom and did not live by faith even in the physical presence of their Messiah, have we not dreamed of the second coming of Christ and neglected the duties of this present life as His people? There are even some heresies that interpret the first coming of Christ literally but the second coming spiritually. All these mistakes are the outcome of the misunderstanding of “all that the prophets have spoken” about the second coming of Christ.
The mistaken Jews were eagerly waiting for the arrival of the kingdom of God on earth, with which they denied the present reality of the coming of their Messiah. That is a serious mistake. The mistaken believers of Jesus today faithfully remember the sacrifice of their Saviour for their sins at His first advent, but they do not eagerly wait for His second coming and the arrival of the kingdom. “Thy Kingdom Come” is only an empty prayer. What are you going to do about it?
I’ll continue ….
Lovingly,
Pastor Emeritus Rev Timothy Ki

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