We acknowledged in our Bible study yesterday that one day, Jesus will return, and when He returns, every single person will bow down before Him and declare that He is Lord. This truth raises an important question. How do we live in light of this wonderful truth as we wait for His return? You see, the news of Jesus’ return compels us to prepare for the glorious second coming of Jesus. As followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to live with Jesus’ return in mind. Jesus encourages us in Scripture to leverage everything we have to honor God as we wait for His return.
Jesus told a parable to a listening crowd in Luke 19 “to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away” (verse 11). You see, at this time, the Jewish people were waiting for the promised Messiah, whom they believed would establish an earthly kingdom and rescue the Israelites from the Romans. Jesus’ kingdom, however, is not of this earth; it is eternal. As a result, He told a parable to help His listeners understand that it was not the current time for God’s eternal kingdom to be established on this earth. This parable was about a nobleman who “was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone’” (verses 12-13). This man’s servants were responsible for investing his money well until he returned. Then, the parable focused on the response of three of those servants. Two of the servants invested the money well. To both of those servants, the king said, “Well done!” (verses 17 and 19). He was pleased with how they had stewarded his money well. The third servant, however, did not invest the money well. He hid the money, refusing to invest the money he had been given (verse 20-21). As a result, the kings rebuked him for how he had handled investing his money (verses 22-23).
It is important to recognize that Jesus told the parable in Luke 19 while on His way to Jerusalem, where He would be arrested and crucified and then rise from the grave three days later, overcoming sin and death. Because His time on earth was coming to an end, Jesus was teaching the listening crowd (and us) how they were to wait for Jesus’ return. You see, we are not called to wait passively for Jesus’ second coming. We have a job to do: to leverage everything we have and all of the gifts, skills, and abilities we have been given for the kingdom, focusing on knowing Christ and making Him known all around us.
One day, Jesus will return. When He returns, we will account for how we lived for Him while on this earth, waiting for Him. Let’s make the most of every moment we have on earth so that one day, we, too, will hear the words, “Well done.”
How has God gifted you to make Him known? He has given you specific abilities and skills to point others to Him. How are you leveraging everything that God has given you to honor Him by the way you live your life? Take a moment to reflect on how you are using your gifts by serving at Sagebrush. If you are currently serving, how can you grow as you utilize your gifts and abilities at Sagebrush? If you are not currently serving, find out about opportunities to serve at Sagebrush here and take steps to find out more information about serving one of these areas. Let’s commit to utilizing every gift God has given us to make Him known all around us.
Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.
5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”
6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.
8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”
9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
Parable of the Ten Servants
11 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. 12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, 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.’
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.’”
Jesus’ Triumphant Entry
28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.
38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem
41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. 43 Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you."
Jesus Clears the Temple
45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”
47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.
