Bible Study: DECIPHERING THE PARABLE OF THE TEN MINAS

In a previous article, I went through the parable of the workers in the vineyard. I explained how it relates to justification by grace alone through faith alone apart from works. One of the most common questions the rises after this parable which really doesn’t need much deciphering, is that why should we work then? Or why should we obey God? The answer is quite simple to be honest. The short answer is that because working is good and obeying God is also a good thing because God only wants what’s best for us and everyone else. That’s why He deserves all the glory! Because He is the best and wants the best for everyone! Another reason is that God blesses and rewards us based on our works, both in this life and in the afterlife. The gift of eternal life is only one of the many gifts God has in store for human beings. There is so much more to life than simply escaping death and getting to live forever!

In the parable of the ten minas in the gospel of Luke, we read about a man of noble birth who goes to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. So he calls ten of his servants and gives them ten minas and tells them to put this money to work until he comes back. But his subjects hate him and send a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ He is made king, however, and returns home. Then he sends for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they have gained with it. Two of the servants who have put the master’s money to work and have earned ten and five more minas respectively are rewarded by the master.

Then we see something very interesting happen here which is often ignored by most readers; it’s the way the master treats the rest of his servants. We see the master get angry at the third servant who has not worked with the money and as a result has not earned anything. The master tells him off that he should have at least put the money on deposit so that when the master returned, he could now collect it with interest! Then the master orders that even the one mina that this servant has should be taken away from him and should be given to the one who has ten minas. Catching the other servants by surprise, he tells them that whoever has earned something, more will be given to them and to those who have earned nothing, even what they have will be taken away from them. He goes on and says, “But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me!”

What most readers miss here and assume that this parable proves that eternal life is not by grace alone through faith alone, is that the servant who has no works whatsoever is not put to death! It is clear that the death sentence in this passage refers to the second death or the destruction of both body and soul, as Jesus warned the unbelievers in Matthew 10:28. So as we can see, even in this parable, eternal life is purely by grace through faith alone. However, this parable is also clear that works play a crucial role in heavenly rewards. No wonder why Jesus told his followers not to store up for themselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal but instead he encouraged them to store up for themselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Critics of this theology and interpretation of this parable refer to Matthew 25:14-30, specifically verse 30. They claim that this is the same parable that is being told by Matthew, and then they fixate on verse 30 which says, “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” They argue that the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is something that Matthew uses to refer to the second death. But a careful examination of the book of Matthew shows that this is just an eisegesis or reading something into the passage. The phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is used six times in the book of Matthew. In Matthew 13:42 for example, it comes after “being thrown into the blazing furnace” whereas in Matthew 25:30, it comes after “being thrown into the darkness.”

Therefore, it is not exactly the same phrase and we need more proof-text to conclude whether or not this phrase alone refers to the second death. The proof-text from the parable of the ten minas in Luke 19:11-27 that I just went through above, provides enough evidence for us to conclude that the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth” does not refer to the second death alone, but also to miss out on heavenly rewards and the priviledge to rule with Christ or to be glorified with Christ. To recap, while the two parables appear to be the same, it’s clear that the one in Luke 19:11-27 contains more details and distinguishes between those who did not want the master to be king over them vs. those who did not work with the master’s money.

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