Luke 19.11-27 (2)

Now, we’ve seen other things like this before: the Harry Potter novels and films tell one large story through seven smaller stories; the same goes for The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix, and so on and so. (You can even see it in certain series which were created centuries ago, like the stories of the Three Musketeers from Dumas.)

Have you ever wondered why these series exist? Arguably, today, the answer is, “To make money.” But why does it work? Why does it make money?

Because when a story is really good, you want to know what happens AFTER the end. The story comes to a really satisfying conclusion—so satisfying, in fact, that we want to know what happens to the main characters after the final moments.

That’s kind of what we see in today’s text: it’s the sequel, the what now? that comes after a really satisfying story.

That satisfying story, if you remember, was the story of Zacchaeus.

We have Jesus coming into Jericho and calling Zacchaeus out of the tree. He goes to his house, and something happens in Zacchaeus to radically change him: he gives away nearly everything he has because of the change Jesus has produced in him. And we find out that everything that’s happened to Zacchaeus has happened on Jesus’s initiative: he summarizes these event in verse 10:

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

So Jesus came to seek and save his people; and when he does it, he draws them to himself, he transforms them from the inside out, and he saves them, so that they are now his. That’s wonderful…but just like we want to know at the end of our favorite series, the thing we want to know at this point is, What happens next?

What does Zacchaeus do with this grace he’s been given? What do any of us do? What is the experience after meeting Christ supposed to be?

Today’s text deals with that question, and it deals with it in no uncertain terms.

In fact, this text should be taken together with the previous one, because the two passages take place one right after the other. V. 10 has Jesus saying, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And in v. 11, we read,

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable...

So what he’s going to say in today’s text, he’s saying to those people who were either in Zacchaeus’s house or within earshot, listening (including Zacchaeus himself).

So let’s read the text together, then we’ll get into it. :

Serviteurs et citoyens

How many people in here saw Avengers: Endgame? That movie is unlike anything that’s ever been done before, not because it’s great (it is), but rather because it’s the culmination of twenty-two films, made over ten years, telling individual stories which each contribute to one much larger story.

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

Servants and Citizens

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

Serviteurs et citoyens

(Luc 19.11-27)

()

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

While Endgame is the biggest example we’ve ever seen, we have seen other things like this before: the Harry Potter novels and films tell one large story through seven smaller stories; the same goes for Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, and pretty much all long-form storytelling on television. (You can even see it in certain series which were created a very long time ago, like in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, or Dumas’s d’Artagnan novels.)

How many people in here saw Avengers: Endgame? That movie is unlike anything that’s ever been done before, not because it’s great (it is), but rather because it’s the culmination of twenty-two films, made over ten years, telling individual stories which each contribute to one much larger story.

Before we start digging into this, just a quick note on parables, to explain why we’re going to do this the way we are.

Combien de personnes ici ont vu Avengers : Endgame ? Ce film est unique : non pas parce qu’il est génial (il l’est), mais parce qu’il est le point culminant de vingt-deux films qui racontent des histoires individuelles, qui contribuent chacune à une histoire plus grande.

Have you ever wondered why these series exist? Arguably, today, the answer is, “To make money.” But why does it work? Why does it make money?

Combien de personnes ici ont vu Avengers : Endgame ?

While Endgame is the biggest example we’ve ever seen, we have seen other things like this before: the Harry Potter novels and films tell one large story through seven smaller stories; the same goes for Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, and pretty much all long-form storytelling on television. (You can even see it in certain series which were created a very long time ago, like in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, or Dumas’s d’Artagnan novels.)

Ce film est unique : non pas parce qu’il est génial (il l’est),

Parables are, to use Jen Wilkin’s definition, “deceptively simple stories meant to illustrate a larger truth.” So they’re fictional stories Jesus tells to get his point across; they’re always easy to understand at face value, but when you start digging at the deeper truths behind the stories, you start uncovering layer upon layer of meaning.

C’est le plus grand exemple de cela qu’on a vu, mais on a déjà vu d’autres exemples : les films et les livres d’Harry Potter racontent une longue histoire à travers sept plus petites histoires ; c’est pareil pour Star Wars, Les chroniques de Narnia, et plus ou moins toutes les séries télé modernes. (On peut même le voir dans certaines séries qui ont été créées il y a longtemps, comme les histoires de Sherlock Holmes ou les romans d’Artagnan de Dumas.)

Because when a story is really good, you want to know what happens AFTER the end. The story comes to a really satisfying conclusion—so satisfying, in fact, that we want to know what happens to the main characters after the final moments.

Have you ever wondered why these series exist? Arguably, today, the answer is, “To make money.” But why does it work? Why does it make money?

mais parce qu’il est le point culminant de vingt-deux films qui racontent des histoires individuelles, qui contribuent chacune à une histoire plus grande.

Parables weren’t unique to Jesus; they were a common teaching tool at this place and time. So the problems we often have when reading the parables are problems the first readers (or listeners) probably didn’t have.

That’s kind of what we see in today’s text: it’s the sequel, the what now? that comes after a really satisfying story.

Vous vous êtes déjà demandé pourquoi ces séries existent ? Bien sûr, aujourd’hui la réponse est : « Pour gagner de l’argent. » Mais pourquoi ça marche ? Pourquoi ces séries font-elles autant d’argent ?

We read parables and we want to attach meaning to every detail we see. But parables are not allegories, in the strict sense of the word: they are illustrations. So some details are included simply to help the story feel more immediate and real to its listeners—not every detail means something.

Parce que quand une histoire est vraiment excellente, tu veux savoir ce qui se passe APRÈS la fin. L’histoire arrive à une conclusion vraiment satisfaisante—à un tel point que nous voulons savoir ce qui se passe pour ces personnages après les derniers moments.

Because when a story is really good, you want to know what happens AFTER the end. The story comes to a really satisfying conclusion—so satisfying, in fact, that we want to know what happens to the main characters after the final moments.

That satisfying story, if you remember, was the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19.1-10).

C’est le plus grand exemple de cela qu’on a vu, mais on a déjà vu d’autres exemples :

Most of the time, parables follow a fairly predictable pattern. There are often sets of three: three characters, three images, three statements, etc. (In this parable we have the three servants.) So when the listeners noticed those sets of three, they instinctively paid attention to those things, because those things were the meaning was usually to be found. (Although Jesus almost always added unpredictable twists in his parables, which is why they were so compelling. We’ll come back to that in a few minutes.)

les films et les livres d’Harry Potter racontent une longue histoire à travers sept plus petites histoires ;

Last week we saw Jesus coming into Jericho and calling Zacchaeus out of the tree. He goes to his house, and something happens in Zacchaeus to radically change him: he commits to give away nearly everything he has because of the change Jesus has produced in him. And we find out that everything that’s happened to Zacchaeus has happened on Jesus’s initiative: he summarizes these events in verse 10:

That’s kind of what we see in today’s text: it’s the sequel, the what now? that comes after a really satisfying story.

Ça, c’est un peu ce qu’on voit dans le texte d’aujourd’hui : c’est la suite qui vient après une histoire vraiment satisfaisante.

And because that is the case, we readers in the modern West have to be careful not to dump too much onto a particular parable. For example, people will often read this parable and start to tease out complex theologies of what heaven and the final judgment will look like. Now, a lot of the observations they will make are probably true, but it’s difficult to arrive at them from this text, because the goal of Jesus’s parable isn’t to establish a clear-cut theology of the judgment and heaven. His goal is to teach specific truths about the kingdom.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

That satisfying story, if you remember, was the story of Zacchaeus ().

Cette histoire, si vous vous souvenez de dimanche dernier, c’est l’histoire de Zachée (Luc 19.1-10).

So if you read this text ahead of time and thought we were going to look at a complex theology of the judgment and of rewards in heaven, we’ll mention those things, absolutely—but they are not the main point.

c’est pareil pour Star Wars, Les chroniques de Narnia,

La semaine dernière on a vu Jésus arriver à Jéricho et appeler Zachée à descendre de l’arbre où il se trouvait. Ils vont chez lui, et quelque chose se passe en Zachée pour le changer de manière radicale : il s’engage à donner quasiment tout ce qu’il a, à cause de ce changement que Jésus a produit en lui. Et on apprend que tout ce qui s’est passé à Zachée a eu lieu suite à l’initiative de Jésus : il résume ces événements au verset 10 :

To see the main point, let’s go back and look at the parable, and then we’ll try to see what Jesus is getting at here.

Last week we saw Jesus coming into Jericho and calling Zacchaeus out of the tree. He goes to his house, and something happens in Zacchaeus to radically change him: he commits to give away nearly everything he has because of the change Jesus has produced in him. And we find out that everything that’s happened to Zacchaeus has happened on Jesus’s initiative: he summarizes these events in verse 10:

et plus ou moins toutes les séries télé modernes.

So Jesus came to seek and save his people; and when he does it, he draws them to himself, he transforms them from the inside out, and he saves them, so that they are now secure in his salvation. That’s wonderful…but just like we want to know at the end of our favorite series, the thing we want to know at this point is, What happens next?

What does Zacchaeus do with this grace he’s been given? What do any of us do? What is the experience after meeting Christ supposed to be?

(On peut même le voir dans certaines séries qui ont été créées il y a longtemps, comme les histoires de Sherlock Holmes ou les romans d’Artagnan de Dumas.)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

En effet, le Fils de l’homme est venu chercher et sauver ce qui était perdu.

Alors Jésus est venu chercher et sauver son peuple ; et quand il le fait, il les attire à lui-même, il les transforme depuis l’intérieur, et il les sauve, pour que maintenant, ils soient en sécurité dans son salut. C’est merveilleux…mais tout comme quand on arrive à la fin d’une histoire excellente, la chose qu’on veut savoir à ce moment-là, c’est : Qu’est-ce qui se passe ensuite ?

Setting the Stage (v. 11-14)

Vous vous êtes déjà demandé pourquoi ces séries existent ?

So Jesus came to seek and save his people; and when he does it, he draws them to himself, he transforms them from the inside out, and he saves them, so that they are now secure in his salvation. That’s wonderful…but just like we want to know at the end of our favorite series, the thing we want to know at this point is, What happens next?

Today’s text deals with that question, and it deals with it in no uncertain terms.

Que fait Zachée avec cette grâce qu’il a reçu ? Qu’est-ce que nous en faisons ? Quelle devrait être l’expérience après avoir rencontré Jésus ?

What does Zacchaeus do with this grace he’s been given? What do any of us do? What is the experience after meeting Christ supposed to be?

So Jesus sets the stage in v. 11-14: Luke tells us that Jesus tells this parable to these people (v. 11) because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

Bien sûr, aujourd’hui la réponse est : « Pour gagner de l’argent. »

In fact, this text should be taken together with the previous one, because the two passages take place one right after the other. V. 10 has Jesus saying, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And in v. 11, we read,

These people with Jesus know he’s on his way to Jerusalem, the central focal point for all of Judaism. And he knows that despite what he’s said in the past, some people still think that when he comes to Jerusalem, this huge, explosive uprising that the Messiah was (they thought) going to bring about would happen.

But Jesus has already said that this isn’t the case. We know (from ) that the kingdom has come in the person of Christ, but has not yet been fully accomplished. We know that before that could happen, Christ would have to suffer, and die, and bear the punishment of his people, and be resurrected, and ascend to heaven, and spread the gospel through the church, over the course of millenia.

So as of today, May 19th, 2019, Christ has done what he needed to do in order to accept the throne; he has been given the throne and now reigns over this earth from heaven; but he hasn’t yet returned to earth, to establish his eternal kingdom here.

) that the kingdom has come in the person of Christ, but has not yet been fully accomplished. We know that before that could happen, Christ would have to suffer, and die, and bear the punishment of his people, and be resurrected, and ascend to heaven, and spread the gospel through the church, over the course of millenia.

In other words, in between the time when these people were listening to Jesus, and the time when he would fully establish his kingdom on earth, there would be a time of waiting. So he’s telling them this parable to help them understand what their lives should look like while they wait.

The Faithful Servants (v. 12-19)

So that being said, he begins his parable, saying there is a nobleman who has a kingdom waiting for him somewhere far away; he’s going to go away, receive the kingdom, then come back and reign over his subjects as king.

So he calls ten of his servants, gives them one mina each (a mina is a coin, worth about three months’ wages), and tells them to engage in business until I return. Take this money, and invest it.

At the same time, there is another group of people, the citizens of his country. These citizens don’t want him to reign over them, so they send a delegation after him, in outright rebellion against his reign.

The nobleman goes away, receives his kingdom, and returns to the country as king. And the first thing he does is call his servants to him, to see what they’ve done with his money.

The first two servants invested that money wisely, and made it multiply. Now, one of them did a better job than the other: the first servant showed up with ten minas more, while the second showed up with five minas more. In both cases, the king gives them rewards based on how well they invested his money: to the first servant, he gives authority over ten cities, and to the second he gives authority over five cities. But in both cases, the servants are rewarded for their faithful stewardship of the king’s money.

The Wicked Servant (v. 20-26)

Then a third servant comes along, and he shows up with…exactly the same amount the king had left with him. He says (v. 21):

...I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

So because he’s afraid of the king, rather than investing the money to good use, he hides the money away in a handkerchief, essentially doing nothing with it.

And the king is furious: he calls him a wicked servant (v. 22). He turns the servant’s words back against him, saying that even if he were the “severe man” the servant thought he was, he could have at least put it in the bank and collected interest on it! But he did nothing.

And so the king takes his mina away, and gives it to the servant who made ten minas, saying (v. 26),

I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

The Rebellious Citizens (v. 27)

Finally, we see, in no uncertain terms, the end of those rebellious citizens who refused the king’s reign. The king orders that they be brought before him and slaughtered in front of him. It’s brutal and terrifying…and it’s meant to be. There will be no citizens in this kingdom who do not joyfully submit to the king’s reign, like the good servants we saw before. There will be no dissention here.

Now, the question is, What is Jesus trying to teach his listeners through this parable? The easiest way to start digging at that is by looking for the set of three we talked about earlier. And we can see it pretty clearly—there are three distinct types of people in this parable.

We have:

Good and faithful servants, who obey the king’s commands (to varying degrees);

Wicked servants, who don’t obey his commands;

Rebellious citizens, who reject his reign.

These three groups describe three different kinds of people and the way they relate to the kingdom of God. And we can see what he’s getting at when we observe what characterizes them.

Let’s start with the rebellious citizens. The main thing that characterizes these rebellious citizens is the fact that they don’t want the king to reign over them.

Who does that sound like to you? (Remember, parables are simple: we don’t need to look too far.) Well, that’s everyone—at least, everyone of us if we act in accordance with our sinful human nature.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of human nature is the desire for independence, for freedom. We don’t want to be subject to anyone, we don’t want anyone to have authority over us. So we rebel—against our parents, against our bosses (even if that rebellion may just take the form of complaining about them loudly), hostility against the ruling authorities (anyone who lives near the Champs-Elysées has seen that hostility very clearly over the last six months).

So we can see it in ourselves, and the Bible tells us why that is. The Bible says that human beings, because of the first rebellion of Adam in the garden, are now born in sin, with a sinful human nature, and we are naturally enemies of our God. We don’t want him to reign over us. We want to be self-sufficient and independent. We want to be our own gods. Outside of Christ, this is the way we all are.

And outside of Christ, our end is the same: death, in no uncertain terms. Eternal separation from God, eternal torment apart from him.

Then we have the wicked servant. Two things characterize the wicked servant. First, it’s his hypocrisy: he calls himself a servant of the king, but doesn’t obey the king’s commands. He doesn’t serve the king at all, much less well. And he doesn’t obey the king because (secondly) he doesn’t really know the king.

He says he does; he says the king is a severe man who is basically a profiteer: someone who makes money off the work of others, without lifting a finger on his own: he says (v. 21), “You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”

That is a woefully unfair description of the king—it’s true that he took the minas his good servants had made for him, but in return, he gives them far more than that: he takes their money, and gives them cities to rule over. And he does the same thing for both servants, even the one who made less than the other. He doesn’t punish him for earning less; he simply gives him a reward in proportion to his service.

So the wicked servant doesn’t really know his king, and because he doesn’t know him, he doesn’t actually serve him.

We see people like this in church all the time. They are what we frequently call “nominal Christians”: people who say they are Christians, and who have many of the outward trappings of a Christian—they go to church, they go to community group, they “speak the language” of the Christian faith—but when they’re not with other Christians, their lives are no different than they were before they started coming to church.

They don’t really have a relationship with God; they don’t take any pleasure in knowing him; they haven’t made any steps to repent of their sin or put it to death or live like Christ. Most of the time, you’d never be able to tell the difference between these “Christians” and an unbeliever. And those times when it seems there is a difference, if you scratched the surface you’d see that that difference is superficial and phony: it’s the play-acting of an unbeliever masquerading as a believer.

And Jesus makes it very clear that there is no reward for this servant, because he wasn’t a servant at all—there is, instead, punishment and judgment: the king calls him a “wicked servant,” and takes what he has and gives it to the faithful.

So lastly we have the other, good servants; and what characterizes them is their faithfulness. They take what the king has given them, and they invest it to profit. They don’t do it in exactly the same way, apparently, because one is more effective than the other; but in both cases, there is a return on their investment.

And the king says why the investment was fruitful—he calls the first servant (v. 17) a “good servant,” who has been faithful in a very little. So in return, he rewards them both, according to their faithfulness.

So who are these “good servants,” and what did they do?

Firstly, we need to see what they received from the king to invest. A lot of people will almost automatically think that the ten minas are the various gifts and talents and resources that God has given us. And they think that because they know the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in .

But there is a big difference between the two. In the parable of the talents, the master gives different things to different people. In this parable, that doesn’t happen: he gives the same amount of money to all of his servants.

So the “minas” here are what God has given to all believers. And there are a number of things he’s given to all of us. He’s given us all the same gospel. He’s given us all the same Spirit. He’s given us all the same call, to go and make disciples of all nations. He’s given us all the same commandments, to delight in him and put our sin to death and to live as dead to sin and alive in Christ. Paul says in :

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Now what’s interesting here is that this parable is very similar to the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in . But there is one striking difference. In the parab

In other words, the “minas” in this parable are the whole of the Christian life. God has given a number of things to all of us.

The question is, How faithfully are we going to put all these things he’s given us to good use, for his glory?

THAT is what this parable is getting at.

We are living in the time between: Jesus lived, died, and was raised; he ascended into heaven, and he rules from his throne at the right hand of the Father; and one day, he will return to judge the living and the dead, and establish his kingdom forever on the new heavens and the new earth.

But in the meantime, how are we to live? What will we do with the salvation he has given us? How faithfully are we going to take this new life he has given us in Christ, and put it to use for his glory?

Today’s text deals with that question, and it deals with it in no uncertain terms.

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable...

Mais pourquoi ça marche ? Pourquoi ces séries font-elles autant d’argent ?

So what does Jesus want us to see and do in response to his parable?

Le texte d’aujourd’hui répond à cette question.

On devrait toujours prendre ce texte avec le précédent, parce que les deux moments ont lieu l’un après l’autre. Au v. 10, Jésus dit : « Le Fils de l’homme est venu chercher et sauver ce qui était perdu. » Et au v. 11, nous lisons :

First of all, Jesus wants us to see that this is not salvation through works; it is works because of salvation.

So what he’s going to say in today’s text, he’s saying to those people who were either in Zacchaeus’s house or within earshot, listening (including Zacchaeus himself).

In fact, this text should be taken together with the previous one, because the two passages take place one right after the other. V. 10 has Jesus saying, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” And in v. 11, we read,

Parce que quand une histoire est vraiment excellente, tu veux savoir ce qui se passe APRÈS la fin.

Comme la foule écoutait cela, Jésus ajouta une parabole.

A Note on Parables

The servants who are rewarded for their faithfulness are already servants, before the king ever leaves to receive his kingdom. They are already on his team. And the rewards at the end doesn’t fundamentally change the nature of their relationship of him, just the measure of their enjoyment of that relationship.

L’histoire arrive à une conclusion vraiment satisfaisante—

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable...

We say this all the time, but it always bears repeating because we are so quick to forget. We do not serve God in order to be saved; we serve God because we have been saved. Everything we do for God comes from God in the first place.

Before we start digging into this, just a quick note on parables, to explain why we’re going to do this the way we are.

à un tel point que nous voulons savoir ce qui se passe pour ces personnages après les derniers moments.

So what he’s going to say in today’s text, he’s saying to those people who were either in Zacchaeus’s house or within earshot, listening (including Zacchaeus himself).

Alors ce qu’il va dire aujourd’hui, il le dit à ces gens qui étaient soit dans la maison de Zachée, soit assez proches pour pouvoir écouter (y compris Zachée lui-même).

The apostle Paul says in :

Un mot sur les paraboles

Parables are, to paraphrase Jen Wilkin’s definition, deceptively simple stories meant to illustrate a larger truth. They’re fictional stories Jesus tells to teach something.

Ça, c’est un peu ce qu’on voit dans le texte d’aujourd’hui :

So let’s read the text together, then we’ll get into it. :

Parables weren’t unique to Jesus; they were a common teaching tool at this place and time. So the problems we often have when reading the parables are problems the first readers (or listeners) probably didn’t have.

c’est la suite qui doit venir après une histoire vraiment satisfaisante.

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works.

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

Avant de commencer à creuser, juste un mot rapide sur les paraboles en général : ça va expliquer pourquoi on va procéder de cette manière.

Une parabole est, pour paraphraser la définition de Jen Wilkin, une histoire d’une simplicité trompeuse qui illustre une vérité plus grande.

Today we tend to read parables and attach meaning to every detail we see. But parables are not allegories, in the strictest sense of the word: they are illustrations. There are important elements we can learn to look for (we’ll come back to that in a few minutes), but not every detail means something: some details are included simply to help the story feel more immediate and real to its listeners.

A Note on Parables

Cette histoire, si vous vous souvenez de dimanche dernier, c’est l’histoire de Zachée (Luc 19.1-10).

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Do you see how it works? God doesn’t save us because of anything we do, but only because of his own mercy. Simply because of his love and grace, he regenerates us in the Spirit and renews us in the Spirit; he justifies us by his grace and makes us heirs to eternal life. And we have to know these things (Paul tells Titus, “I want you to INSIST on these things”), because it is only that knowledge which will allow us to devote ourselves to good works.

Les paraboles n’étaient pas uniques à Jésus ; elles étaient des outils d’enseignement assez répandus à l’époque. Alors les problèmes que nous avons quand on lit les paraboles sont des problèmes que les premiers lecteurs n’avaient probablement pas.

La semaine dernière on a vu Jésus arriver à Jéricho et appeler Zachée à descendre de l’arbre où il se trouvait.

Before we start digging into this, just a quick note on parables, to explain why we’re going to do this the way we are.

So how could they know what to listen for, to know what details were meaningful? Well, parables almost always came with a series of predictable characteristics. And one of those characteristics was that they often contain sets of three: three characters, three images, three statements, etc. So when the listeners noticed those sets of three, they instinctively paid attention to those things, because those things are where the meaning was usually to be found. (That isn’t to say they always understood. Since Jesus’s meaning was usually so high above what anyone imagined, most of the time they still didn’t get it; but at any rate they would have known what to look for.)

We serve God because we are saved, not to be saved.

Ils vont chez lui, et quelque chose se passe en Zachée pour le changer de manière radicale :

Parables are, to paraphrase Jen Wilkin’s definition, deceptively simple stories meant to illustrate a larger truth. They’re fictional stories Jesus tells to teach something.

Aujourd’hui nous avons tendance à lire les paraboles et à donner une signification symbolique à chaque détail qu’on voit. Mais les paraboles ne sont pas des allégories, dans le sens stricte du terme : ce sont des illustrations. Il y a des éléments importants qu’on peut apprendre à remarquer (on en parlera dans quelques minutes), mais chaque détail ne signifie pas nécessairement autre chose : certains détails étaient là simplement pour aider l’histoire à sembler plus immédiate et réaliste.

But at the same time, the faithfulness with which we serve God makes a difference.

The same thing holds true for this parable. I’m not going to give it away yet, but as we go through the parable together, keep an ear out for the group of three—see if you can find it as we go through—because that is where we are going to see what Jesus is trying to say here.

And that’s the second thing Jesus wants us to see: What we do in this life MATTERS.

Alors du coup, comment auraient-ils pu savoir à quoi il fallait prêter attention ? Quels détails étaient porteurs de sens ? Et bien, les paraboles venaient presque toujours avec certains aspects prévisibles. Et un de ces aspects était qu’elles contenaient souvent une série de trois : trois personnages, trois images, trois dictons, etc. Alors quand les écouteurs remarquaient ces groupes de trois, instinctivement ils faisaient attention à ces choses-là, parce que c’est là où on trouvait souvent le sens de la parabole. (Ce n’est pas pour dire qu’ils ont toujours compris. Puisque le sens que Jésus avait en tête était généralement beaucoup plus haut et grand qu’on imaginait, la plupart du temps ils ne comprenaient toujours pas ; mais en tout cas ils savaient à quoi ils devaient prêter attention.)

il s’engage à donner quasiment tout ce qu’il a, à cause de ce changement que Jésus a produit en lui.

So let’s go back and look at the parable, and then we’ll try to see what exactly the goal of this parable is.

Parables weren’t unique to Jesus; they were a common teaching tool at this place and time. So the problems we often have when reading the parables are problems the first readers (or listeners) probably didn’t have.

What we do in our lives, before an after salvation, makes a difference. The way we serve God is important; it has an impact; it has repercussions; it has rewards and punishments attached.

Today we tend to read parables and attach meaning to every detail we see. But parables are not allegories, in the strictest sense of the word: they are illustrations. There are important elements we can learn to look for (we’ll come back to that in a few minutes), but not every detail means something: some details are included simply to help the story feel more immediate and real to its listeners.

Et on apprend que tout ce qui s’est passé à Zachée a eu lieu suite à l’initiative de Jésus :

La même chose est vrai ici. Je ne le dirai pas tout de suite, mais au fur et à mesure qu’on avance dans la parabole, cherchez le groupe de trois—voyez si vous pouvez le trouver pendant qu’on en parle—parce que c’est là qu’on va voir ce que Jésus essaie de communiquer ici.

The Parable (Luke 19.11-27)

If we serve God faithfully, he will reward us in proportion to our faithfulness. Heaven will not be the same for everyone.

La parabole (Luc 19.11-27)

And because that is the case, we readers in the modern West have to be careful not to dump too much onto a particular parable. For example, people will often read this parable and start to tease out complex theologies of what heaven and the final judgment will look like. Now, some of the observations they will make may be true, but it’s difficult to arrive at them from this text, because the goal of Jesus’s parable isn’t to establish a clear-cut theology of the judgment and heaven.

11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ 20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ ”

il résume ces événements au verset 10 :

11Comme la foule écoutait cela, Jésus ajouta une parabole. En effet, il était près de Jérusalem et l’on croyait que le royaume de Dieu allait apparaître immédiatement. 12Il dit donc: «Un homme de haute naissance partait dans un pays lointain pour se faire désigner roi et revenir ensuite. 13Il appela dix de ses serviteurs, leur remit 10 pièces d’or et leur dit: ‘Faites-les fructifier jusqu’à ce que je revienne.’ 14Cependant, ses concitoyens le détestaient et ils envoyèrent une délégation après lui pour dire: ‘Nous ne voulons pas que cet homme règne sur nous.’ 15Lorsqu’il fut de retour après avoir été désigné roi, il fit venir les serviteurs auxquels il avait donné l’argent afin de savoir quels bénéfices chacun avait faits. 16Le premier se présenta et dit: ‘Seigneur, ta pièce d’or en a rapporté 10.’ 17Il lui dit: ‘C’est bien, bon serviteur. Parce que tu as été fidèle dans une petite chose, reçois le gouvernement de 10 villes.’ 18Le deuxième vint et dit: ‘Seigneur, ta pièce d’or en a produit 5.’ 19Il lui dit: ‘Toi aussi, sois établi responsable de 5 villes.’ 20Un autre vint et dit: ‘Seigneur, voici ta pièce d’or que j’ai gardée dans un linge. 21En effet, j’avais peur de toi parce que tu es un homme sévère; tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.’ 22Il lui dit: ‘Je vais te juger sur tes propres paroles, mauvais serviteur; tu savais que je suis un homme sévère, que je prends ce que je n’ai pas déposé et que je moissonne ce que je n’ai pas semé. 23Pourquoi donc n’as-tu pas mis mon argent dans une banque, afin qu’à mon retour je le retire avec un intérêt?’ 24Puis il dit à ceux qui étaient là: ‘Enlevez-lui la pièce d’or et donnez-la à celui qui en a 10.’ 25Ils lui dirent: ‘Seigneur, il a déjà 10 pièces d’or.’ 26‘Je vous le dis, répondit-il, on donnera à toute personne qui a, mais à celui qui n’a pas on enlèvera même ce qu’il a. 27Quant à mes ennemis qui n’ont pas voulu que je règne sur eux, amenez-les ici et mettez-les à mort devant moi.’»

En effet, le Fils de l’homme est venu chercher et sauver ce qui était perdu.

That’s a troubling idea for many people, because they imagine that differing rewards necessarily entails some kind of rivalry, or competition—how can I be eternally and perfectly happy if the guy next to me has more than I do?

Setting the Stage (v. 11)

So let’s go back and look at the parable, and then we’ll try to see what exactly the goal of this parable is.

I hope you can see—even by the way that question sounds when you ask it out loud—how that’s possible. Jonathan Edwards explained it this way:

Poser les décors (v. 11)

Alors Jésus est venu chercher et sauver son peuple ;

Luke tells us that Jesus tells this parable to these people (v. 11) because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

The Parable

“And there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society. Those who are not so high in glory as other, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness. Their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it…

These people with Jesus know he’s on his way to Jerusalem, the central focal point for all of Judaism. And he knows that despite what he’s said in the past, some people still think that when he comes to Jerusalem, they would see this huge, explosive uprising that the Messiah was supposedly going to bring about.

et quand il le fait, il les attire à lui-même,

Setting the Stage (v. 11)

Luc nous dit que Jésus raconte cette parabole à ces gens (v. 11) parce qu’il était près de Jérusalem et l’on croyait que le royaume de Dieu allait apparaître immédiatement.

“Such will be the union in their society that they will be partakers of each other's happiness. Then will be fulfilled in its perfection that which is declared in , ‘If one of the members be honoured all the members rejoice with it.’” (The Portion of the Righteous, Dec. 1740)

Ces gens avec Jésus savent qu’il est en route vers Jérusalem, le point central de tout le Judaïsme. Et il sait que malgré ce qu’il a déjà dit, certaines personnes pensent toujours que lorsqu’il arrivera à Jérusalem, ils verraient ce soulèvement énorme qu’ils attendaient de la part du Messie.

But Jesus has already said that this isn’t the case. We know (from Luke 17.20-37) that the kingdom has come in the person of Christ, but has not yet been fully accomplished. We know that before that could happen, Christ would have to suffer, and die, and bear the punishment of his people, and be resurrected, and ascend to heaven, and spread the gospel through the church, over the course of millenia.

Luke tells us that Jesus tells this parable to these people (v. 11) because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

il les transforme depuis l’intérieur,

And on the flipside, if we reject Christ in this life, or call ourselves Christians but don’t live as Christians, there are no do-overs. says that

Mais Jésus a déjà dit que c’est faux. Nous savons (de Luc 17.20-37) que le royaume de Dieu est venu dans la personne de Christ, mais qu’il n’est pas encore totalement accompli. Nous savons qu’avant que cela arrive, Jésus devait souffrir, et mourir, porter la punition de son peuple, être ressusciter, monter au ciel, et envoyer l’évangile à travers toute la terre par le moyen de l’église, pendant des millénaires.

So as of today, May 19th, 2019, Christ has done what he needed to do in order to accept the throne; he has been given the throne and now reigns over this earth from heaven; but he hasn’t yet returned to earth, to establish his eternal kingdom here.

These people with Jesus know he’s on his way to Jerusalem, the central focal point for all of Judaism. And he knows that despite what he’s said in the past, some people still think that when he comes to Jerusalem, they would see this huge, explosive uprising that the Messiah was supposedly going to bring about.

et il les sauve, pour que maintenant, ils soient en sécurité dans son salut.

it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.

C’est merveilleux…mais tout comme quand on arrive à la fin d’une histoire excellente, la chose qu’on veut savoir à ce moment-là, c’est :

We will be judged according to works—either according to our own works (which will always be deserving of punishment), or according to the works of Christ for us, if we have placed our faith in him.

In other words, in between the time when these people were listening to Jesus, and the time when he will fully establish his kingdom on earth, we’re in a time of waiting. So he’s telling them this parable to help them understand what their lives should look like while they wait.

But Jesus has already said that this isn’t the case. We know (from ) that the kingdom has come in the person of Christ, but has not yet been fully accomplished. We know that before that could happen, Christ would have to suffer, and die, and bear the punishment of his people, and be resurrected, and ascend to heaven, and spread the gospel through the church, over the course of millenia.

Alors à ce jour—aujourd’hui, le 19 mai 2019—Christ a fait ce qu’il devait faire pour accepter son trône ; il a reçu son trône et il règne maintenant sur la terre depuis le ciel ; mais il n’est pas encore revenu à la terre, pour établir son royaume éternel ici.

But if we have received the new birth by the Spirit placed our faith in Christ, that new birth and that faith will make a difference. It will be evident and visible. There is no such thing as a “nominal Christian”—there are born-again disciples of Christ, and there are enemies of Christ. That’s it. There is no third category. What we do in this life, before and after salvation, makes a difference.

So as of today, May 19th, 2019, Christ has done what he needed to do in order to accept the throne; he has been given the throne and now reigns over this earth from heaven; but he hasn’t yet returned to earth, to establish his eternal kingdom here.

Qu’est-ce qui se passe ensuite ?

Autrement dit : entre le moment où ces gens écoutaient Jésus, et le moment où il reviendra établir son royaume sur la terre, nous sommes dans une période d’attente. Et donc Jésus leur dit cette parabole pour les aider à comprendre ce qu’ils doivent faire pendant qu’ils attendent son retour.

The Faithful Servants (v. 12-19)

Que fait Zachée de cette grâce qu’il a reçu ?

Thirdly, Jesus wants us to see that anyone who will come to Christ can come to Christ.

Les serviteurs fidèles (v. 12-19)

In other words, in between the time when these people were listening to Jesus, and the time when he will fully establish his kingdom on earth, we’re in a time of waiting. So he’s telling them this parable to help them understand what their lives should look like while they wait.

So he begins his parable, saying there is a nobleman who has a kingdom waiting for him somewhere far away; he’s going to go away, receive the kingdom, then come back and reign over his subjects as king.

It’s really interesting that there are no ethnic distinctions in this parable. Those who rebel against the king are citizens of his kingdom. The servants are not servants because of their nationality, or ethnicity, but because of their willingness to serve the king.

Qu’est-ce que nous en faisons ?

So he calls ten of his servants, gives them one mina each (a mina is a coin, worth about three months’ wages), and tells them to engage in business until I return. Take this money, and invest it.

The Faithful Servants (v. 12-19)

Alors il commence sa parabole, en disant qu’il y a un homme « de haute naissance » qui est en ligne pour être roi ; il va partir pour accéder au trône, puis il va revenir régner sur ses sujets en tant que roi.

Et donc il appelle dix serviteurs, leur donne une pièce d’or (qui valait à l’époque à peu près trois mois de salaire), et il leur dit de faire fructifier ces pièces d’or jusqu’à ce qu’il revienne. Prenez cet argent, et investissez-le.

So he begins his parable, saying there is a nobleman who has a kingdom waiting for him somewhere far away; he’s going to go away, receive the kingdom, then come back and reign over his subjects as king.

At the same time, there is another group of people, the citizens of his country. These citizens don’t want him to reign over them, so they send a delegation after him, in outright rebellion against his reign.

The implication is that they were all citizens of the kingdom, and that the rebellious citizens could have been servants, if only they hadn’t wanted to be free of the king’s reign.

Quelle devrait être l’expérience après avoir rencontré Jésus ?

En même temps, il y a un autre groupe de personnes, les citoyens de son pays. Ces concitoyens ne veulent pas qu’il règne sur eux, alors ils envoient une délégation après lui, en rébellion contre son règne.

Friends, the gospel call goes out to everyone, at all times, in all places. Jesus says in , :

The nobleman goes away, receives his kingdom, and returns to the country as king. And the first thing he does is call his servants, to see what they’ve done with his money.

Le texte d’aujourd’hui répond à cette question.

So he calls ten of his servants, gives them one mina each (a mina is a coin, worth about three months’ wages), and tells them to engage in business until I return. Take this money, and invest it.

The first two servants invested that money wisely, and made it multiply. Now, one of them did a better job than the other: the first servant showed up with ten minas more, while the second showed up with five minas more. In both cases, the king gives them rewards based on how well they invested his money: to the first servant, he gives authority over ten cities, and to the second he gives authority over five cities. But the second servant isn’t punished for producing less than the first: in both cases, they are rewarded for their faithful stewardship of the king’s money.

L’homme qui sera roi part, il reçoit son royaume, et il retourne à son pays en tant que roi. Et la première chose qu’il fait, c’est appeler ses serviteurs, pour voir ce qu’ils ont fait avec son argent.

At the same time, there is another group of people, the citizens of his country. These citizens don’t want him to reign over them, so they send a delegation after him, in outright rebellion against his reign.

On devrait toujours prendre ce texte avec le précédent, parce que les deux moments ont lieu l’un après l’autre.

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst… 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

The nobleman goes away, receives his kingdom, and returns to the country as king. And the first thing he does is call his servants, to see what they’ve done with his money.

Les deux premiers serviteurs ont investi son argent avec sagesse ; ils l’ont fait fructifier. L’un d’eux a fait un meilleur travail que l’autre : le premier serviteur arrive avec dix pièces d’or en plus, et l’autre arrive avec cinq pièces d’or en plus. Dans les deux cas, le roi leur donne des récompenses selon l’efficacité de leur investissement : au premier serviteur, il donne de gouverner dix villes, et au deuxième, il donne de gouverner cinq villes.

Anon, 2016. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Whoever will come, can come. Whoever will receive his grace, can receive his grace. If you are a “rebellious citizen” today, and you want to change, you can change. If you are a “wicked servant” today, if you say you are a Christian but don’t live like a disciple of Christ, you can change. Whoever comes to him, he will never cast out.

Au v. 10, Jésus dit : « Le Fils de l’homme est venu chercher et sauver ce qui était perdu. »

The Wicked Servant (v. 20-26)

Et au v. 11, nous lisons :

The first two servants invested that money wisely, and made it multiply. Now, one of them did a better job than the other: the first servant showed up with ten minas more, while the second showed up with five minas more. In both cases, the king gives them rewards based on how well they invested his money: to the first servant, he gives authority over ten cities, and to the second he gives authority over five cities. But the second servant isn’t punished for producing less than the first: in both cases, they are rewarded for their faithful stewardship of the king’s money.

Lastly, Jesus wants us to see that God’s grace in rewarding us far outweighs our faithfulness in serving him.

Then a third servant comes along, and he shows up with…exactly the same amount the king had left with him. He explains why, saying (v. 21):

Mais le deuxième serviteur n’est pas puni pour avoir moins fait fructifier sa pièce d’or : dans les deux cas, les serviteurs reçoivent une récompense pour leur service fidèle envers le roi.

Le mauvais serviteur (v. 20-26)

The Wicked Servant (v. 20-26)

It would be easy to look at this parable and to wonder, Where do I rate on this scale? What will be the return on my investment? Will I stand before God with ten minas? Seven? Five? Two?

Comme la foule écoutait cela, Jésus ajouta une parabole.

...I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

That’s an important question to ask, as we saw before—our faithfulness in serving God has definite repercussions for our eternal life.

Then a third servant comes along, and he shows up with…exactly the same amount the king had left with him. He explains why, saying (v. 21):

So because he was afraid of the king, rather than investing the money to good use, he hid the money away in a handkerchief, essentially doing nothing with it.

Ensuite un troisième serviteur arrive, et il arrive avec…la même pièce d’or que le roi lui avait laissé. Il explique pourquoi il n’a rien fait de cet argent, en disant (v. 21) :

Alors ce qu’il va dire aujourd’hui, il le dit à ces gens qui étaient soit dans la maison de Zachée,

And the king is furious: he calls him a wicked servant (v. 22). He turns the servant’s words back against him, saying that even if he were the “severe man” the servant thought he was, he could have at least put it in the bank and collected interest on it. But he did nothing.

...I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

But no matter how perfectly we serve God in this life, his grace in rewarding us will far outweigh that faithfulness.

soit assez proches pour pouvoir écouter (y compris Zachée lui-même).

...j’avais peur de toi parce que tu es un homme sévère; tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.

Un mot sur les paraboles

Alors puisqu’il avait peur du roi, plutôt que d’investir et de faire fructifier sa pièce, il l’a cachée dans un linge. Il ne l’a pas dépensé, mais il ne l’a pas non plus fait fructifier.

And so the king takes his mina away, and gives it to the servant who made ten minas, saying (v. 26),

He receives ten minas for his investment…and rewards with ten cities.

So because he was afraid of the king, rather than investing the money to good use, he hid the money away in a handkerchief, essentially doing nothing with it.

I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Avant de commencer à creuser, juste un mot rapide sur les paraboles en général.

Et le roi est furieux : il l’appelle un mauvais serviteur (v. 22). Il retourne les paroles du serviteur contre lui, en disant que même s’il était « un homme sévère, » le serviteur aurait pu au moins mettre sa pièce à la banque pour avoir de l’intérêt dessus. Mais il n’a rien fait avec.

He gives us new life in his Spirit, calls us to live for him…and rewards us with eternal life in his presence, transformation from one degree of glory to the next (), grace upon grace ().

And the king is furious: he calls him a wicked servant (v. 22). He turns the servant’s words back against him, saying that even if he were the “severe man” the servant thought he was, he could have at least put it in the bank and collected interest on it. But he did nothing.

Une parabole est, pour paraphraser la définition de Jen Wilkin,

Alors le roi lui enlève sa pièce, et la donne au serviteur qui en a gagné dix, en disant (v. 26) :

And so the king takes his mina away, and gives it to the servant who made ten minas, saying (v. 26),

The Rebellious Citizens (v. 27)

Whatever we’re going through, however faithfully or unfaithfully we’ve lived up to now, we can rest in the knowledge that his grace to us is always greater than our faithfulness to him.

Je vous le dis…on donnera à toute personne qui a, mais à celui qui n’a pas on enlèvera même ce qu’il a.

And knowing that simple fact of his infinite generosity to us, we are filled with the joy of knowing him, and rush out to serve him faithfully, because he is good enough to deserve it.

une histoire d’une simplicité trompeuse qui illustre une vérité plus grande.

Finally we see, in no uncertain terms, the end of those rebellious citizens who refused the king’s reign. The king orders that they be brought before him and slaughtered in front of him. It’s brutal and terrifying…and it’s meant to be. There will be no citizens in this kingdom who do not joyfully submit to the king’s reign, like the good servants we saw before. There will be no dissension here.

I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Les paraboles n’étaient pas uniques à Jésus ;

The Rebellious Citizens (v. 27)

Three Types of People

Les citoyens rebels (v. 27)

Now, the question is, What is Jesus trying to teach his listeners through this parable?

Finally we see, in no uncertain terms, the end of those rebellious citizens who refused the king’s reign. The king orders that they be brought before him and slaughtered in front of him. It’s brutal and terrifying…and it’s meant to be. There will be no citizens in this kingdom who do not joyfully submit to the king’s reign, like the good servants we saw before. There will be no dissension here.

elles étaient des outils d’enseignement assez répandus à l’époque.

As we saw before, when Jesus told this parable, he was still with the people who were with him just before…including Zacchaeus. I often wonder how Zacchaeus heard this parable as it was told. He had just received Jesus with joy, and committed to giving all he had to follow him.

Enfin nous voyons, dans des termes très clairs, la fin de ces citoyens rebels qui refusaient le règne du roi. Le roi ordonne qu’ils soient amenés et mis à mort devant lui. C’est brutal et terrifiant…et c’est le but. Il n’y aura pas de citoyen dans ce royaume qui ne se soumette pas avec joie au règne du roi, comme les bons serviteurs qu’on a vu. Il n’y aura aucune rébellion ici.

Alors les problèmes que nous avons quand on lit les paraboles sont des problèmes que les premiers lecteurs n’avaient probablement pas.

Well, remember what we said before—that the important elements of the parables often came in sets of three.

But now, it would be crystal clear: he would have to go do it.

Three Types of People

Trois types de personnes

Aujourd’hui nous avons tendance à lire les paraboles et à donner une signification symbolique à chaque détail qu’on voit.

And that’s what we see here. In this parable we see three distinct types of people.

Now, the question is, What is Jesus trying to teach his listeners through this parable?

The joy he felt and the change he had experienced would have to make a difference in his life. This was not just a matter of one, isolated experience; it couldn’t be just an emotional moment which he would always remember.

Alors la question, c’est : Qu’est-ce que Jésus essaie d’enseigner à travers cette parabole ?

Mais les paraboles ne sont pas des allégories, dans le sens stricte du terme :

We have:

Et bien, souvenez-vous de ce qu’on a vu avant—que les éléments importants des paraboles venaient souvent en groupes de trois.

His encounter with Jesus would have to drive him to action.

Like I said before, parables were a common teaching tool at the time, with a series of predictable characteristics. And one of those characteristics was that they often contain sets of three: three characters, three images, three statements, etc. So when the listeners noticed those sets of three, they instinctively paid attention to those things, because those things are where the meaning was usually to be found. (That isn’t to say they always understood. Since Jesus’s meaning was usually so high above what anyone imagined, most of the time they still didn’t get it; but at any rate they would have known what to look for.)

Et c’est ce qu’on voit ici. Dans cette parabole nous voyons trois types de personnes distincts.

1. Good and faithful servants, who obey the king’s commands (with varying degrees of success);

ce sont des illustrations.

That holds true to this parable—we see here three distinct types of people.

So like him, we have to ask ourselves: What will we do with what he has given us? How now shall we live?

We have:

Let us live in such a way that what Jesus says in v. 17, he’ll say of us: “Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall receive much more.”

Il y a des éléments importants qu’on peut apprendre à remarquer (on en parlera dans un instant),

2. Wicked servants, who don’t obey his commands;

Nous avons :

3. Rebellious citizens, who reject his reign.

mais chaque détail ne signifie pas nécessairement autre chose :

1. Good and faithful servants, who obey the king’s commands (with varying degrees of success);

1. Les bons serviteurs fidèles, qui obéissent aux commandements du roi ;

2. Wicked servants, who don’t obey his commands;

certains détails étaient là simplement pour aider l’histoire à sembler plus immédiate et réaliste.

We have three different groups of people, with three different ways of responding to the king, with three different end results for each of them.

2. Un serviteur mauvais, qui ne lui obéit pas ;

3. Des citoyens rebels, qui rejettent son règne.

3. Rebellious citizens, who reject his reign.

Let’s start with the rebellious citizens. The main thing that characterizes these rebellious citizens is the fact that they don’t want the king to reign over them.

Alors du coup, comment les gens auraient-ils pu savoir à quoi il fallait prêter attention ?

On a trois types de personnes différents, qui ont trois manières différentes de répondre au Roi, et qui reçoivent trois jugements différents de la part du Roi.

These three groups describe three different kinds of people and the way they relate to the kingdom of God. And we can see what he’s getting at when we observe what characterizes them.

Who does that sound like to you? Everyone. Outside of Christ, this is an apt description of every human being who has ever lived.

Quels détails étaient porteurs de sens ?

Let’s start with the rebellious citizens. The main thing that characterizes these rebellious citizens is the fact that they don’t want the king to reign over them.

Et bien, les paraboles venaient presque toujours avec certains aspects prévisibles.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of human nature is the desire for independence, for freedom. We don’t want to be subject to anyone, we don’t want anyone to have authority over us. We want to be our own masters.

Commençons par les citoyens rebels. Ce qui caractérise ces citoyens rebels, c’est qu’ils rejettent le règne du roi.

Et un de ces aspects était qu’elles contenaient souvent une série de trois :

So we rebel—against our parents, against our bosses (even if that rebellion may just take the form of a lot of complaining), against the ruling authorities, you name it.

Ça vous rappelle quelqu’un ? En fait, ça nous rappelle tout le monde. En dehors de Christ, c’est une description très appropriée de tout humain qui a jamais vécu.

Who does that sound like to you? Everyone. Outside of Christ, this is an apt description of every human being who has ever lived.

Peut-être la chose qui caractérise la nature humaine le plus, c’est le désir d’indépendance, de la liberté. C’est un bon désir quand il est appliqué de manière appropriée, mais le problème, c’est que nous ne voulons être sujets à personne ; nous ne voulons que personne ait l’autorité sur nous. Nous voulons être nos propres maîtres, nos propres rois.

trois personnages, trois images, trois événements similaires, etc.

Perhaps the defining characteristic of human nature is the desire for independence, for freedom. We don’t want to be subject to anyone, we don’t want anyone to have authority over us. We want to be our own masters.

We can see this rebellious tendency in ourselves, and the Bible tells us why that is. The Bible says that human beings, because of the first rebellion of Adam in the garden, are now born in sin, with a sinful human nature, and we are naturally enemies of our God. We don’t want him to reign over us. We want to be self-sufficient and independent. We want to be our own gods. Outside of Christ, this is the way we all are.

So we rebel—against our parents, against our bosses (even if that rebellion may just take the form of a lot of complaining), against the ruling authorities, you name it.

Alors nous nous rebellons—contre nos parents, contre nos employeurs, contre les autorités de notre pays, etc.

And outside of Christ, our end is the same as that of these rebellious citizens: it is death, in no uncertain terms. Eternal separation from God, eternal torment apart from him.

Alors quand les écouteurs remarquaient ces groupes de trois,

We can see this rebellious tendency in ourselves, and the Bible tells us why that is. The Bible says that human beings, because of the first rebellion of Adam in the garden, are now born in sin, with a sinful human nature, and we are naturally enemies of our God. We don’t want him to reign over us. We want to be self-sufficient and independent. We want to be our own gods. Outside of Christ, this is the way we all are.

Next we have the wicked servant. Two things characterize the wicked servant. First, it’s his hypocrisy: he calls himself a servant of the king, but doesn’t obey the king’s commands. He doesn’t serve the king at all, much less well. And he doesn’t obey the king because (secondly) he doesn’t really know the king.

On peut voir cette tendance rebelle en nous-mêmes, et la Bible nous dit pourquoi elle est là. La Bible dit que les êtres humains, à cause de la première rébellion d’Adam dans le jardin, sont nés dans le péché, avec une nature pécheresse. Le péché, ce n’est rien de moins que la rébellion contre Dieu, et de ce fait nous sommes naturellement ennemis de Dieu. Nous ne voulons pas qu’il règne sur nous. Nous voulons être auto-suffisants et indépendants. Nous voulons être notre propre dieu. En dehors de Jésus-Christ, nous sommes tous comme cela.

instinctivement ils faisaient attention à ces choses-là,

parce que c’est là où on trouvait souvent le sens de la parabole.

He says he does; he says the king is a severe man who is basically a profiteer: someone who makes money off the work of others, without lifting a finger on his own. He says (v. 21), “You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”

And outside of Christ, our end is the same as that of these rebellious citizens: it is death, in no uncertain terms. Eternal separation from God, eternal torment apart from him.

Et en dehors de Christ, notre fin est la même que celle de ces citoyens rebels : c’est la mort. La séparation éternelle de Dieu, le tourment éternel loin de lui.

(Ce n’est pas pour dire qu’ils ont toujours compris.

Next we have the wicked servant. Two things characterize the wicked servant. First, it’s his hypocrisy: he calls himself a servant of the king, but doesn’t obey the king’s commands. He doesn’t serve the king at all, much less well. And he doesn’t obey the king because (secondly) he doesn’t really know the king.

Ensuite nous avons le mauvais serviteur. Deux choses caractérisent le mauvais serviteur. D’abord, c’est son hypocrisie : il s’appelle lui-même serviteur du roi, mais il n’obéit pas au commandement du roi. Il ne sert pas le roi qu’il prétend servir. Et il ne lui obéit pas parce que (deuxièmement), il ne le connaît pas vraiment.

That is a woefully unfair description of the king—it’s true that he took the minas his good servants had made for him, but in return, he gives them far more than that: he takes their money, and gives them cities to rule over. And he does the same thing for both servants, even the one who made less than the other. He doesn’t punish him for earning less; he simply gives him a reward in proportion to his service.

Puisque le sens que Jésus avait en tête était généralement beaucoup plus haut et grand qu’on imaginait,

Il dit qu’il le connaît ; il dit savoir que le roi est un homme sévère qui profite du travail des autres. Il dit (v. 21) : tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.

He says he does; he says the king is a severe man who is basically a profiteer: someone who makes money off the work of others, without lifting a finger on his own. He says (v. 21), “You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.”

So the wicked servant doesn’t really know his king, and because he doesn’t know him, he doesn’t actually serve him.

Ça, c’est une description terriblement injuste du roi—c’est vrai qu’il a pris les pièces d’or que ses bons serviteurs ont fait fructifier pour lui, mais en retour, il leur donne beaucoup plus que cela : il prend leurs pièces, et il leur donne des villes entières à gouverner. Et il le fait pour les deux serviteurs, même pour celui qui a gagné moins que l’autre. Il ne le punit pas pour avoir moins fait fructifier ; il lui donne simplement une récompense qui correspond à son service.

That is a woefully unfair description of the king—it’s true that he took the minas his good servants had made for him, but in return, he gives them far more than that: he takes their money, and gives them cities to rule over. And he does the same thing for both servants, even the one who made less than the other. He doesn’t punish him for earning less; he simply gives him a reward in proportion to his service.

We see people like this in church all the time. They are what we frequently call “nominal Christians”: people who say they are Christians, and who have many of the outward trappings of a Christian—they go to church, they go to community group, they “speak the language” of the Christian faith—but when they’re not with other Christians, their lives are no different than they were before.

la plupart du temps ils ne comprenaient toujours pas ;

So the wicked servant doesn’t really know his king, and because he doesn’t know him, he doesn’t actually serve him.

Alors le mauvais serviteur ne connaît pas vraiment son roi, et puisqu’il ne le connaît pas, il ne le sert pas.

mais en tout cas ils savaient à quoi ils devaient prêter attention.)

They don’t really have a relationship with God; they don’t take any pleasure in knowing him; they haven’t made any steps to repent of their sin or put it to death or live like Christ. Most of the time, you’d never be able to tell the difference between these “Christians” and an unbeliever. And those times when it seems there is a difference, if you scratched the surface you’d see that that difference is superficial and phony: it’s the play-acting of an unbeliever masquerading as a believer.

We see people like this in church all the time. They are what we frequently call “nominal Christians”: people who say they are Christians, and who have many of the outward trappings of a Christian—they go to church, they go to community group, they “speak the language” of the Christian faith—but when they’re not with other Christians, their lives are no different than they were before.

Nous voyons de telles personnes à l’église tout le temps. C’est ce qu’on appelle d’habitude des « chrétiens nominaux » : des gens qui se disent chrétiens, et qui se comportent souvent comme un chrétien—ils vont à l’église, ils vont au groupe de communauté, ils « parle le langage » de la foi chrétienne—mais quand ils ne sont pas avec d’autres chrétiens, leurs vies sont pareilles qu’avant.

And Jesus makes it very clear that there is no reward for this servant, because he wasn’t a servant at all—there is, instead, punishment and judgment: the king calls him a “wicked servant,” and takes what he has, and gives it to the faithful.

La même chose est vrai ici.

Ils n’ont pas vraiment une relation avec Dieu ; ils n’ont pas de plaisir à le connaître ; ils n’ont pas manifesté une repentance pour leur péché, ou essayé de mettre à mort ce péché ou de vivre pour Christ. La plupart du temps, on ne verrait aucune différence entre ces « chrétiens » et un non croyant. Et ces moments où il semble y avoir une différence, si on grattait un peu on verrait que cette différence est superficielle et fausse : c’est du théâtre, un non croyant qui se déguise en croyant.

They don’t really have a relationship with God; they don’t take any pleasure in knowing him; they haven’t made any steps to repent of their sin or put it to death or live like Christ. Most of the time, you’d never be able to tell the difference between these “Christians” and an unbeliever. And those times when it seems there is a difference, if you scratched the surface you’d see that that difference is superficial and phony: it’s the play-acting of an unbeliever masquerading as a believer.

Now I’ll just be honest here and say that there is a lot of debate in theological circles as to whether or not this wicked servant goes to heaven—but without a particular reward—or not. The text isn’t super clear, because Jesus does seem to differentiate between what happens to him and what happens to the rebellious citizens; but at the same time, it’s hard to imagine what heaven without reward would look like. (I personally think Jesus is saying this wicked servant isn’t saved at all, that this is a particular way of describing the punishment of hell, because he was rebellious in a particular way.)

Je ne vous donnerai pas tout de suite,

But even if we’re not sure where to land on that question, the very ambiguity of the text should fill us with fear of being in this man’s position. It is a fearful thing to be rebellious against God, of course; but how frightening must it be to claim to be a servant of God, and to be exposed as a fraud by God himself? In either case, this is a woeful position to be in.

Et Jésus est très clair qu’il n’y a pas de récompense pour ce serviteur, parce qu’il n’était pas vraiment un serviteur—il y a plutôt de la punition et du jugement pour lui : le roi l’appelle un « mauvais serviteur, » prend ce qu’il a, et le donne au fidèle.

mais au fur et à mesure qu’on avance dans la parabole,

And Jesus makes it very clear that there is no reward for this servant, because he wasn’t a servant at all—there is, instead, punishment and judgment: the king calls him a “wicked servant,” and takes what he has, and gives it to the faithful.

cherchez le groupe de trois—

Petit parenthèse rapide : je veux être honnête ici et dire qu’il y a beaucoup de débat dans les cercles théologiques pour savoir si ou non ce mauvais serviteur va au paradis—mais sans une récompense particulière—ou non. Le texte n’est pas super clair, parce que Jésus semble bien différentier entre ce qui lui arrive et ce qui arrive aux citoyens rebels ; mais en même temps, il est difficile d’imaginer ce à quoi pourrait ressembler le paradis sans récompense. (Personnellement, je pense que Jésus dit que ce mauvais serviteur n’est pas sauvé, qu’il utilise un moyen particulier pour décrire la punition de l’enfer, qui correspond à sa rébellion particulière.)

So lastly we have the other, good servants; and what characterizes them is their faithfulness. They take what the king has given them, and they invest it to profit. They don’t do it in exactly the same way, apparently, because one is more effective than the other; but in both cases, there is a return on their investment.

And the king says why the investment was fruitful—he calls the first servant (v. 17) a “good servant,” who has been faithful in a very little. So in return, he rewards them both, according to their faithfulness.

Mais même si on n’est pas sûr de comment répondre à cette question, l’ambiguïté même du texte devrait nous remplir de crainte de nous trouver à sa place. C’est une chose effrayante d’être trouvé rebel contre Dieu, bien sûr ; mais combien est-ce effrayant de se dire serviteur de Dieu, et d’être exposé par Dieu lui-même comme un imposteur ? Dans les deux cas, c’est une situation misérable.

And the king says why the investment was fruitful—he calls the first servant (v. 17) a “good servant,” who has been faithful in a very little. So in return, he rewards them both, according to their faithfulness.

voyez si vous pouvez le trouver pendant qu’on en parle—

So who are these “good servants,” and what did they do?

Et dernièrement nous avons les autres, les bons serviteurs ; et ce qui les caractérise est leur fidélité. Ils prennent ce que le roi leur a donné, et ils le font fructifier. L’un d’entre eux est plus efficace et fidèle que l’autre, apparemment ; mais dans les deux cas, il y a un retour sur leur investissement.

parce que c’est là qu’on va voir ce que Jésus essaie de communiquer ici.

Firstly, we need to see what they received from the king to invest. A lot of people will almost automatically think that the ten minas are the various gifts and talents and resources that God has given us. And they think that because they remember the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in , a parable quite similar to this one.

Et le roi dit pourquoi l’investissement a porté ses fruits—il appelle le premier serviteur (v. 17) un bon serviteur, qui a été fidèle dans une petite chose. Alors en retour, il les récompense tous les deux, en fonction de leur fidélité.

Firstly, we need to see what they received from the king to invest. A lot of people will almost automatically think that the ten minas are the various gifts and talents and resources that God has given us. And they think that because they remember the parable of the talents that Jesus tells in Matthew 25, a parable quite similar to this one.

La parabole (Luc 19.11-27)

Alors qui sont ces « bons serviteurs, » et qu’est-ce qu’ils ont fait ?

11Comme la foule écoutait cela, Jésus ajouta une parabole. En effet, il était près de Jérusalem et l’on croyait que le royaume de Dieu allait apparaître immédiatement. 12Il dit donc: «Un homme de haute naissance partait dans un pays lointain pour se faire désigner roi et revenir ensuite. 13Il appela dix de ses serviteurs, leur remit 10 pièces d’or et leur dit: ‘Faites-les fructifier jusqu’à ce que je revienne.’ 14Cependant, ses concitoyens le détestaient et ils envoyèrent une délégation après lui pour dire: ‘Nous ne voulons pas que cet homme règne sur nous.’ 15Lorsqu’il fut de retour après avoir été désigné roi, il fit venir les serviteurs auxquels il avait donné l’argent afin de savoir quels bénéfices chacun avait faits. 16Le premier se présenta et dit: ‘Seigneur, ta pièce d’or en a rapporté 10.’ 17Il lui dit: ‘C’est bien, bon serviteur. Parce que tu as été fidèle dans une petite chose, reçois le gouvernement de 10 villes.’ 18Le deuxième vint et dit: ‘Seigneur, ta pièce d’or en a produit 5.’ 19Il lui dit: ‘Toi aussi, sois établi responsable de 5 villes.’ 20Un autre vint et dit: ‘Seigneur, voici ta pièce d’or que j’ai gardée dans un linge. 21En effet, j’avais peur de toi parce que tu es un homme sévère; tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.’ 22Il lui dit: ‘Je vais te juger sur tes propres paroles, mauvais serviteur; tu savais que je suis un homme sévère, que je prends ce que je n’ai pas déposé et que je moissonne ce que je n’ai pas semé. 23Pourquoi donc n’as-tu pas mis mon argent dans une banque, afin qu’à mon retour je le retire avec un intérêt?’ 24Puis il dit à ceux qui étaient là: ‘Enlevez-lui la pièce d’or et donnez-la à celui qui en a 10.’ 25Ils lui dirent: ‘Seigneur, il a déjà 10 pièces d’or.’ 26‘Je vous le dis, répondit-il, on donnera à toute personne qui a, mais à celui qui n’a pas on enlèvera même ce qu’il a. 27Quant à mes ennemis qui n’ont pas voulu que je règne sur eux, amenez-les ici et mettez-les à mort devant moi.’»

But there is a big difference between the two. In the parable of the talents, the master gives different things to different people to invest. In this parable, that doesn’t happen: he gives the same amount of money to all of his servants—one mina each.

Alors Luc nous dit que Jésus raconte cette parabole à ces gens (v. 11) parce qu’il était près de Jérusalem et l’on croyait que le royaume de Dieu allait apparaître immédiatement.

So the “minas” here are what God has given to all believers.

D’abord il faut voir ce qu’ils ont investi—ce qu’ils ont reçu du roi. Beaucoup de gens vont dire automatiquement que les dix pièces d’or représentent les dons et les talents et les ressources variés que Dieu nous a donné. Et ils disent cela parce qu’ils se souviennent de la parabole des talents que Jésus raconte dans Matthieu 25, une parabole très similaire à celle-ci.

So the “minas” here are what God has given to all believers.

There are a number of things he’s given to all of us. He’s given us all the same gospel. He’s given us all the same Spirit. He’s given us all the same call, to go and make disciples of all nations. He’s given us all the same commandments, to delight in him and put our sin to death and to live as dead to sin and alive in Christ. Paul says in :

Mais il y a une grande différence. Dans la parabole des talents, le maître donne de différentes choses aux différentes personnes, pour qu’elles les fassent fructifier. Dans cette parabole, ce n’est pas pareil : le roi donne la même chose à chacun de ses serviteurs : une pièce d’or chacun.

Ces gens avec Jésus savent qu’il est en route vers Jérusalem, le point central de tout le Judaïsme.

There are a number of things he’s given to all of us. He’s given us all the same gospel. He’s given us all the same Spirit. He’s given us all the same call, to go and make disciples of all nations. He’s given us all the same commandments, to delight in him and put our sin to death and to live as dead to sin and alive in Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 4.4-5:

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Alors les pièces d’or ici, c’est ce que Dieu a donné à tous ses enfants.

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Et il sait que malgré ce qu’il a déjà dit, certaines personnes pensent toujours que lorsqu’il arrivera à Jérusalem,

Il y a un grand nombre de choses qu’il nous a tous donné. Il nous a tous donné le même évangile. Il nous a tous donné le même Esprit. Il nous a tous donné le même appel, d’aller faire de toute les nations des disciples. Il nous a tous donné les mêmes commandements, de nous réjouir en lui et de mettre à mort notre péché et de vivre comme morts au péché et vivants pour Christ. Il nous a tous donné (Paul dit dans Ephésiens 4.4-6) :

ils verraient ce soulèvement énorme qu’ils attendaient de la part du Messie.

In other words, the “minas” in this parable are the whole of the Christian life. They are those things which God has given to all of his children.

…un seul corps et un seul Esprit… une seule espérance… un seul Seigneur, une seule foi, un seul baptême, 6un seul Dieu et Père de tous.

And the big question of this parable is, How faithfully are we going to put all these things he’s given us to good use, for his glory?

Mais Jésus a déjà dit que c’est faux.

We are living in the time between: Jesus lived, died, and was raised; he ascended into heaven, and he rules from his throne at the right hand of the Father; and one day, he will return to judge the living and the dead, and establish his kingdom forever on the new heavens and the new earth.

Ce sont des choses que Dieu a donné à nous tous.

Nous savons (de Luc 17.20-37) que le royaume de Dieu est venu dans la personne de Christ, mais qu’il n’est pas encore totalement accompli.

But in the meantime, how are we to live? What will we do with the salvation he has given us? How faithfully are we going to take this new life he has given us in Christ, and put it to use for his glory?

Et donc la grande question de cette parabole, c’est : A quel point, et de quelle manière, allons-nous faire fructifier ces choses qu’il nous a données, pour sa gloire ?

Nous savons qu’avant que cela arrive,

Nous vivons dans le temps d’attente : Jésus a vécu, il est mort, il est ressuscité, il est monté au ciel, et il règne depuis son trône à la droite du Père ; et un jour, il retournera juger les vivants et les morts, et établira son royaume pour toujours sur la terre.

Three Lessons

Jésus devait souffrir,

Mais en attendant, comment allons-nous vivre ? Que ferons-nous du salut qu’il nous a donné ? A quel point, et de quelles manières, allons-nous prendre cette nouvelle vie qu’il nous a donné en Christ, et la faire fructifier pour sa gloire ?

et mourir, porter la punition de son peuple,

So how do we answer those questions? What does Jesus want us to see and do in response to those questions?

Trois leçons

ressusciter,

First of all, Jesus wants us to see that what we do in this life MATTERS.

This is not salvation by works—this is works because of salvation. The servants are already servants of the King before he gives them their mission; and because they are his servants, they do what he commands.

Alors, comment pouvons-nous répondre à ces questions ? Qu’est-ce que Jésus veut qu’on voie et qu’on fasse en réponse à ces questions-là ?

This is not salvation by works—this is works because of salvation. The servants are already servants of the King before he gives them their mission; and because they are his servants, they do what he commands.

monter au ciel,

D’abord, Jésus veut qu’on voit que ce que nous faisons dans cette vie détermine la manière dont nous passerons l’éternité.

We do not serve God faithfully in order to be saved, but because of his grace in saving us. So that is one thing we don’t have to worry about: our salvation doesn’t depend on how well or faithfully we manage to serve him.

et envoyer l’évangile à travers toute la terre par le moyen de l’église, pendant des millénaires.

But at the same time, Jesus wants to be really clear that what we do in our lives, before and after salvation, makes a difference. The way we serve God is important; it has an impact; it has repercussions; it has rewards and punishments attached.

Alors à ce jour—aujourd’hui, le 19 mai 2019—

Il ne s’agit pas ici du « salut par les œuvres »—c’est plutôt les œuvres à cause du salut. Les bons serviteurs sont déjà serviteurs du Roi avant qu’il leur donne leur mission ; et puisqu’ils sont ses serviteurs, ils font ce qu’il leur dit de faire.

But at the same time, Jesus wants to be really clear that what we do in our lives, before and after salvation, makes a difference. The way we serve God is important; it has an impact; it has repercussions; it has rewards and punishments attached.

Nous ne servons pas Dieu fidèlement pour être sauvés, mais en réponse à sa grâce qui nous sauve. Alors c’est une chose dont on n’a pas besoin de nous inquiéter : notre salut ne dépend pas de combien nous arrivons à servir Dieu efficacement, mais seulement du sacrifice de Jésus pour nous.

If we serve God faithfully, he will reward us in proportion to our faithfulness. In other words (and this will probably rattle a few cages), heaven will not be the same for everyone.

Christ a fait ce qu’il devait faire pour accepter son trône ;

Mais en même temps, Jésus veut que ce soit très clair que ce que nous faisons dans cette vie, avant et après le salut, fait une différence, pour toute l’éternité. La manière dont nous servons Dieu est importante ; elle a un impact ; elle a des répercussions.

That’s a troubling idea for many people, because they imagine that differing rewards necessarily entails some kind of rivalry, or competition—how can I be eternally and perfectly happy if the guy next to me has more than I do?

il a reçu son trône et il règne maintenant sur la terre depuis le ciel ;

Si nous servons Dieu fidèlement, il nous récompensera en proportion de notre fidélité. Autrement dit (et ça va sûrement gêner plus d’un), le paradis ne sera pas identique pour tout le monde. Ce que je dis là n’est rien de nouveau ; c’est la doctrine chrétienne orthodoxe maintenue par l’église depuis le début.

mais il n’est pas encore revenu à la terre, pour établir son royaume éternel ici.

I hope you can see—even by the way that question sounds when you ask it out loud—how it’s possible. Jonathan Edwards explained it this way:

Autrement dit : entre le moment où ces gens écoutaient Jésus,

“And there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society. Those who are not so high in glory as other, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness. Their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it…

Cette idée trouble pas mal de gens, parce qu’ils imaginent que les récompenses différentes apportent nécessairement une rivalité, de la compétition—comment est-ce que je peux être parfaitement et éternellement heureux si mon frère reçoit plus que moi ?

“And there shall be no such thing as envy in heaven, but perfect love shall reign through the whole society. Those who are not so high in glory as other, will not envy those that are higher, but they will have so great, and strong, and pure love to them, that they will rejoice in their superior happiness. Their love to them will be such that they will rejoice that they are happier than themselves; so that instead of having a damp to their own happiness, it will add to it…

“Such will be the union in their society that they will be partakers of each other's happiness. Then will be fulfilled in its perfection that which is declared in 1 Cor. 12:26, ‘If one of the members be honoured all the members rejoice with it.’” (The Portion of the Righteous, Dec. 1740)

“Such will be the union in their society that they will be partakers of each other's happiness. Then will be fulfilled in its perfection that which is declared in , ‘If one of the members be honoured all the members rejoice with it.’” (The Portion of the Righteous, Dec. 1740)

J’espère que vous voyez—même par la résonance de cette question quand on la pose à haute voix—comment c’est possible. Jonathan Edwards, le théologien du 18e siècle, l’a expliqué ainsi :

et le moment où il reviendra établir son royaume sur la terre,

So if we serve God faithfully in this life, we will be eternally rewarded for our faithfulness.

nous sommes dans une période d’attente.

« Il n’y aura pas de jalousie au paradis, mais l’amour parfait régnera dans toute la société. Ceux qui sont moins élevés dans la gloire qu’un autre n’envieront pas ceux qui sont plus élevés, mais ils auront un amour pour eux qui soit tellement grand, tellement fort, tellement pur, qu’ils se réjouiront du bonheur supérieur de leur frères. Leur amour les fera se réjouir que leurs frères sont encore plus heureux qu’eux-mêmes ; par conséquent, plutôt que de réduire leur propre bonheur, ils le verront augmenter…

So if we serve God faithfully in this life, we will be eternally rewarded for our faithfulness.

Et donc Jésus leur dit cette parabole pour les aider à comprendre ce qu’ils doivent faire pendant qu’ils attendent son retour.

And on the flipside, if we reject Christ in this life, or call ourselves Christians but don’t live as Christians, there are no do-overs.

« L’union dans leur société les permettra de partager le bonheur les uns des autres. Alors sera accompli dans toute sa perfection ce qui est déclaré dans 1 Corinthiens 12.26 : ‘si un membre est glorifié, tous les membres se réjouissent avec lui.’ »

Si nous servons Dieu fidèlement dans cette vie, nous recevrons une récompense éternelle.

says that

Hebrews 9.27 says that

Alors il commence sa parabole, en disant qu’il y a un homme « de haute naissance » qui est en ligne pour être roi ;

it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.

Et à l’envers, si nous rejetons Jésus dans cette vie, ou si nous nous appelons chrétiens mais ne vivent pas comment chrétiens dans cette vie, il n’y a pas de deuxième chance.

il va partir pour accéder au trône, puis il va revenir régner sur ses sujets en tant que roi.

We will be judged according to works—either according to our own works (which will always be deserving of punishment), or according to the works of Christ for us, if we have placed our faith in him.

Hébreux 9.27 dit :

We will be judged according to works—either according to our own works (which will always be deserving of punishment), or according to the works of Christ for us, if we have placed our faith in him.

Et donc il appelle dix serviteurs,

leur donne une pièce d’or chacun (qui valait à l’époque à peu près trois mois de salaire),

But if we have received the new birth by the Spirit placed our faith in Christ, that new birth and that faith will make a difference. It will be evident and visible. There is no such thing as a “nominal Christian”, no such thing as a “non-practicing Christian”—there are born-again disciples of Christ, and there are enemies of Christ. That’s it. There is no third category.

Il est réservé aux êtres humains de mourir une seule fois, après quoi vient le jugement.

But if we have received the new birth by the Spirit placed our faith in Christ, that new birth and that faith will make a difference. It will be evident and visible. There is no such thing as a “nominal Christian”, no such thing as a “non-practicing Christian”—there are born-again disciples of Christ, and there are enemies of Christ. That’s it. There is no third category.

What we do in this life, before and after salvation, makes a difference.

Nous serons jugés selon les œuvres—soit selon ce que nous faisons (qui mérite toujours la punition), soit selon ce que Jésus a fait pour nous, si nous avons placé notre foi en lui.

et il leur dit de faire fructifier ces pièces d’or jusqu’à ce qu’il revienne.

What we do in this life, before and after salvation, makes a difference.

Secondly, Jesus wants us to see that anyone who will come to Christ can come to Christ.

Mais si nous avons reçu la nouvelle naissance par l’Esprit, et placé notre foi en Christ, cette nouvelle naissance et cette foi feront une différence dans notre vie. Notre foi sera évidente et visible. Il n’existe pas de « chrétien nominal » ; il n’existe pas de « chrétien non pratiquant »—il y a des disciples de Jésus nés de nouveau, et il y a des ennemis de Jésus. C’est tout. Il n’y a pas de troisième catégorie.

Prenez cet argent, et faites-en plus.

Something really interesting is at play in this parable. At the time, the Jews were living under Roman occupation: a foreign power who had come in and taken authority. These Jews listening to Jesus would have naturally sympathized with the rebellious citizens who didn’t want the king to reign over them—they were in the same situation themselves!

En même temps, il y a un autre groupe de personnes, les citoyens de son pays.

Ce que nous faisons dans cette vie déterminera notre éternité.

So it’s really interesting that Jesus carefully avoids ethnic or national distinctions. He places the servants and the citizens in the same boat: they are all living in the same country, under the reign of the same king.

Deuxièmement, Jésus veut qu’on voit que tous ceux qui veulent venir à lui peuvent venir à lui.

Ces concitoyens ne veulent pas qu’il règne sur eux, alors ils envoient une délégation après lui, en rébellion contre son règne.

So it’s really interesting that Jesus carefully avoids ethnic or national distinctions. He places the servants and the citizens in the same boat: they are all living in the same country, under the reign of the same king.

Il y a quelque chose de vraiment intéressent en jeu dans cette parabole. À l’époque, les Juifs vivaient sous l’occupation romaine : une puissance étrangère qui avait pris l’autorité. Ces Juifs qui écoutaient Jésus se seraient identifiés avec ces citoyens rebels qui ne voulaient pas que le roi règne sur eux—eux-mêmes étaient dans une situation similaire !

The only difference between the two groups is that the rebellious citizens refuse his reign, while the good servants accept it.

L’homme qui sera roi part,

The only difference between the two groups is that the rebellious citizens refuse his reign, while the good servants accept it.

Do you see the implication—the implication that would have been strikingly clear for a Jew living under foreign occupation?

il reçoit son royaume,

Alors il est vraiment intéressant que Jésus prend le soin d’éviter des distinctions ethniques ou nationales dans sa parabole. Il place les bons serviteurs et les citoyens rebels dans le même cas de figure : ils vivent tous dans le même pays, sous le règne du même roi.

et il retourne à son pays en tant que roi.

La seule différence entre les deux groupes, c’est que les citoyens rebels refusent le règne du roi, alors que les bons serviteurs l’acceptent.

They were all citizens of the same kingdom, and the rebellious citizens could have served the king too, if only they hadn’t tried to be free of his reign.

Friends, the gospel call goes out to everyone, at all times, in all places. Jesus says in John 6.35, 37:

Et la première chose qu’il fait, c’est appeler ses serviteurs, pour voir ce qu’ils ont fait avec son argent.

Friends, the gospel call goes out to everyone, at all times, in all places. Jesus says in , :

Vous voyez l’implication—l’implication qui aurait été très claire pour un Juif qui vivait sous une occupation étrangère ?

Ces personnes étaient tous citoyens du même royaume, et les citoyens rebels auraient pu servir le roi, eux aussi, si seulement ils avaient accepté son règne.

Les deux premiers serviteurs ont investi son argent avec sagesse ; ils l’ont fait fructifier.

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst… 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

L’un d’eux a fait un meilleur travail que l’autre :

Whoever will come, can come. Whoever will receive his grace, can receive his grace. If you are a “rebellious citizen” today, and you want to change, you can change. If you are a “wicked servant” today, if you say you are a Christian but don’t live like a disciple of Christ, you can change. Whoever comes to him, he will never cast out.

Les amis, l’appel de l’évangile est lancé à tout le monde, de toute époque, en tout lieu. Jésus dit dans Jean 6.35, 37 :

Lastly, Jesus wants us to see that Jesus is the King of his kingdom, and his reign is a reign of grace.

le premier serviteur arrive avec dix pièces d’or en plus,

C’est moi qui suis le pain de la vie. Celui qui vient à moi n’aura jamais faim et celui qui croit en moi n’aura jamais soif… Tous ceux que le Père me donne viendront à moi et je ne mettrai pas dehors celui qui vient à moi.

Lastly, Jesus wants us to see that Jesus is the King of his kingdom, and his reign is a reign of grace.

Qui veut venir, peut venir. Nous vivons tous sous son règne, qu’on le veuille ou non. La question, c’est : Accepterons-nous de nous soumettre à son autorité, et ainsi bénéficier de ce règne-là ?

Jesus has the authority to tell us what to do with our lives, because he is our King. And he has the authority to decide what rewards—if any—he gives to his servants.

et l’autre arrive avec cinq pièces d’or en plus.

That can be a scary thought: it can be easy to look at this parable and to wonder, Where do I rate on this scale? What will be the return on my investment? Will I stand before God with ten minas? Seven? Five? Two?

Dans les deux cas, le roi leur donne des récompenses selon l’efficacité de leur investissement :

Si vous êtes « citoyen rebel » aujourd’hui, et et vous voulez changer, vous pouvez changer. Si vous êtes un « mauvais serviteur » aujourd’hui, si vous vous dites chrétien mais ne vivez pas comme un disciple de Jésus, vous pouvez changer. Il ne mettra pas dehors celui ou celle qui vient à lui.

The question of our faithfulness is an important question to ask, as we saw before—that’s one of the points Jesus is making, that our faithfulness in serving God has repercussions for our eternal life.

au premier serviteur, il donne de gouverner dix villes,

Dernièrement, Jésus veut qu’on voie que c’est lui, le Roi de son royaume, et son règne est un règne de grâce.

But no matter how faithfully we serve God in this life, his grace in rewarding us will far outweigh that faithfulness.

Il peut être facile de regarder à cette parabole et de la voir dans des termes d’efficacité pure : Où est-ce que je me trouve sur l’échelle ? Quel sera le retour sur mon investissement ? Est-ce que j’aurai dix pièces d’or à lui présenter ? Ou sept ? Ou cinq ? Ou deux ?

et au deuxième, il donne de gouverner cinq villes.

But no matter how faithfully we serve God in this life, his grace in rewarding us will far outweigh that faithfulness.

He receives ten minas for his investment…and rewards with ten cities.

La question de notre fidélité est une question importante, comme on a vu—c’est un des points que Jésus fait, que notre fidélité envers Dieu a des répercussions dans notre vie éternelle.

He receives ten minas for his investment…and rewards with ten cities.

Ensuite un troisième serviteur arrive, et il arrive avec…la même pièce d’or que le roi lui avait laissé.

Mais il faut bien voir que Jésus-Christ est un Roi généreux, et son règne est un règne de grâce. Peu importe combien nous servons Dieu fidèlement dans cette vie, sa grâce pour nous récompense sera bien plus grande que notre fidélité.

He gives us new life in his Spirit, calls us to live for him for sixty, seventy, eighty years in this life…and rewards us with eternal life in his presence, transformation from one degree of glory to the next (), grace upon grace ().

Il explique pourquoi il n’a rien fait de cet argent, en disant (v. 21) :

He gives us new life in his Spirit, calls us to live for him for sixty, seventy, eighty years in this life…and rewards us with eternal life in his presence, transformation from one degree of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3.18), grace upon grace (John 1.16).

Whatever we’re going through, however faithfully or unfaithfully we’ve lived up to now, we can rest in the knowledge that his grace to us is always greater than our faithfulness to him.

Il reçoit dix pièces d’or pour son investissement…et il donne dix villes en récompense.

...j’avais peur de toi parce que tu es un homme sévère; tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.

Whatever we’re going through, however faithfully or unfaithfully we’ve lived up to now, we can rest in the knowledge that his grace to us is always greater than our faithfulness to him.

Il nous donne la nouvelle vie en son Esprit, nous appelle à vivre pour lui pendant les 60, 70, 80 années de cette vie…et il nous récompense de la vie éternelle en sa présence, la transformation à son image, de gloire en gloire (), nous donne grâce sur grâce (Jean 1.16).

Alors puisqu’il avait peur du roi, plutôt que d’investir et de faire fructifier sa pièce, il l’a cachée dans un linge.

And knowing that simple fact of his infinite generosity to us, we are filled with the joy of knowing him, and rush out to serve him faithfully, because he is good enough to deserve it.

Peu importe ce que nous traversons aujourd’hui, peu importe combien nous avons vécu fidèlement ou infidèlement pour Dieu jusqu’ici, nous pouvons nous reposer dans la connaissance que sa grâce envers nous est toujours plus grande que notre fidélité envers lui.

Conclusion

Il ne l’a pas dépensé,

Et donc nous pouvons le servir sans crainte, avec joie, forts de la connaissance de notre Roi, et de la joie que nous trouvons en son service.

As we saw before, when Jesus told this parable, he was still with the people who were with him just before…including Zacchaeus. I often wonder what was going on in Zacchaeus’s mind as he listened to Jesus tell this parable. He had just received Jesus with joy, and committed to giving all he had to follow him.

mais il ne l’a pas non plus fait fructifier.

But now, it would be crystal clear: he would have to go do it.

Et le roi est furieux : il l’appelle un mauvais serviteur (v. 22).

Conclusion

Comme on a vu avant, quand Jésus a raconté cette parabole, il était encore avec les gens qui étaient là juste avant…y compris Zachée. Je me demande parfois ce qui se passait dans l’esprit de Zachée alors qu’il écoutait cette parabole. Il venait de recevoir Jésus avec joie, et de s’engager à tout donner pour le suivre.

Il retourne les paroles du serviteur contre lui, en disant que même s’il était « un homme sévère, » le serviteur aurait pu au moins mettre sa pièce à la banque pour avoir de l’intérêt dessus.

The joy he felt and the change he had experienced would have to make a difference in his life. This was not just a matter of one, isolated experience; it couldn’t be just an emotional moment which he would always remember.

His encounter with Jesus would have to drive him to action.

Mais il n’a rien fait avec.

Mais maintenant, il devait le faire.

His encounter with Jesus would have to drive him to action.

Alors le roi lui enlève sa pièce, et la donne au serviteur qui en a gagné dix, en disant (v. 26) :

La joie qu’il ressentait, et le changement qu’il a expérimenté devaient venir faire une différence dans sa vie. Il n’était pas question d’une seule expérience isolée ; son temps avec Jésus ne pourrait pas se résumer à un moment fort d’émotion dont il se souviendrait avec nostalgie.

So like him, we have to ask ourselves: What will we do with what he has given us? How now shall we live?

Je vous le dis…on donnera à toute personne qui a, mais à celui qui n’a pas on enlèvera même ce qu’il a.

Sa rencontre avec Jésus devait maintenant le pousser à l’action.

Alors comme lui, nous devons nous demander : Que ferons-nous de ce qu’il nous a donnés ? A quoi ressembleront nos vies ?

Enfin nous voyons, dans des termes très clairs, la fin de ces citoyens rebels qui refusaient le règne du roi.

Le roi ordonne qu’ils soient amenés et mis à mort devant lui.

La Cène

C’est brutal et terrifiant…et c’est le but.

La semaine dernière on a vu que la Cène est un regard en arrière, un regard en avant, et un regard autour.

Il n’y aura pas de citoyen dans ce royaume qui ne se soumette pas avec joie au règne du roi,

C’est un regard en arrière à la Pâque en Egypte, où Dieu a montré sa fidélité envers son peuple ; de la même manière nous sommes appelés à regarder en arrière à sa fidélité envers nous en Christ.

comme les bons serviteurs qu’on a vu.

Il n’y aura aucune rébellion ici.

Mais la Cène est aussi en regard en avant.

Jésus a instauré la Cène pendant le dernier repas qu’il a mangé avec ses disciples avant sa mort. Alors ce n’était pas une table avec seulement une assiette de pain et un verre de vin ou de jus (comme on a ici) ; c’était une table remplie de nourriture—un moment de communion et de partage entre Jésus et ses disciples. Et le point culminant de ce repas, c’était le moment où Jésus a donné à ses disciples ce pain qui représentait son corps, brisé pour eux, et la coupe qui représentait son sang, versé pour eux.

Trois types de personnes

Alors la question, c’est : Qu’est-ce que Jésus essaie d’enseigner à travers cette parabole ?

Cette idée du repas est vitale à ce qu’on fait quand on prend la Cène, parce qu’il anticipe un autre repas que Jésus aura avec ses disciples.

Et bien, souvenez-vous de ce qu’on a vu avant—

Dans nous avons une série d’images qui étaient tous porteuses de sens : nous voyons l’Agneau de Dieu, Jésus, le sacrifice et l’Époux de son peuple. Nous avons l’Épouse de Christ : le peuple de Dieu, vêtu de beauté et rendu parfait. Et nous avons le festin de communion à leur mariage : le moment où ils célèbre le fait que leur union est maintenant complète.

Nous y lisons () :

que les éléments importants des paraboles venaient souvent en groupes de trois.

6Et j’entendis comme la voix d’une foule immense. Elle ressemblait au bruit de grosses eaux, au grondement de forts coups de tonnerre, et elle disait: «Alléluia! Car le Seigneur, notre Dieu tout-puissant, a établi son règne. 7Réjouissons-nous, soyons dans la joie et rendons-lui gloire, car voici venu le moment des noces de l’Agneau, et son épouse s’est préparée. 8Il lui a été donné de s’habiller d’un fin lin, éclatant, pur.» En effet, le fin lin, ce sont les œuvres justes des saints.

Et c’est ce qu’on voit ici.

9L’ange me dit alors: «Ecris: ‘Heureux ceux qui sont invités au festin des noces de l’Agneau!’» Puis il ajouta: «Ces paroles sont les véritables paroles de Dieu.»

Dans cette parabole nous voyons trois types de personnes distincts.

Nous avons :

Quand nous prenons la Cène, nous anticipons le jour où nous verrons Jésus face à face, où nous, son peuple, serons unis à lui de manière tellement intime que le seul moyen approprié de décrire cette union, c’est l’image du mariage.

1. Les bons serviteurs fidèles, qui obéissent aux commandements du roi ;

Nous anticipons ce jour où son sacrifice à la croix pour nous arrive à sa conclusion pleine et parfaite, où nous serons unis à Jésus en tant que son épouse, pour toujours.

2. Un serviteur mauvais, qui ne lui obéit pas ;

3. Des citoyens rebels, qui rejettent son règne.

On a trois types de personnes différents,

qui ont trois manières différentes de répondre au Roi,

et qui reçoivent trois jugements différents de la part du Roi.

Commençons par les citoyens rebels.

Ce qui caractérise ces citoyens rebels,

c’est qu’ils rejettent le règne du roi.

Ça vous rappelle quelqu’un ?

En fait, ça nous rappelle tout le monde.

En dehors de Christ, c’est une description très appropriée de tout être humain qui a jamais vécu.

Peut-être la chose qui caractérise la nature humaine le plus,

c’est le désir d’indépendance, de la liberté.

C’est un bon désir quand il est appliqué de manière appropriée,

mais le problème, c’est que nous ne voulons être sujets à personne ;

nous ne voulons que personne ait l’autorité sur nous.

Nous voulons être nos propres maîtres, nos propres rois.

Alors nous nous rebellons—

contre nos parents, contre nos employeurs, contre les autorités de notre pays, etc.

On peut voir cette tendance rebelle en nous-mêmes, et la Bible nous dit pourquoi elle est là.

La Bible dit que les êtres humains, à cause de la première rébellion d’Adam dans le jardin,

sont nés dans le péché, avec une nature pécheresse.

Le péché, ce n’est rien de moins que la rébellion contre Dieu,

et de ce fait nous sommes naturellement ennemis de Dieu.

Nous ne voulons pas qu’il règne sur nous.

Nous voulons être auto-suffisants et indépendants.

Nous voulons être notre propre dieu.

En dehors de Jésus-Christ, nous sommes tous comme cela.

Et en dehors de Christ, notre fin est la même que celle de ces citoyens rebels :

c’est la mort.

La séparation éternelle de Dieu,

le tourment éternel loin de lui.

Ensuite nous avons le mauvais serviteur.

Le mauvais serviteur est hypocrite :

il s’appelle lui-même serviteur du roi,

mais il n’obéit pas au commandement du roi.

Il ne sert pas le roi qu’il prétend servir.

Et il ne lui obéit pas parce que il ne le connaît pas vraiment.

Il dit qu’il le connaît ;

il dit savoir que le roi est un homme sévère qui profite du travail des autres.

Il dit (v. 21) : tu prends ce que tu n’as pas déposé et tu moissonnes ce que tu n’as pas semé.

Ça, c’est une description terriblement injuste de ce roi—

c’est vrai qu’il a pris les pièces d’or que ses bons serviteurs ont fait fructifier pour lui,

mais en retour, il leur donne beaucoup plus que cela :

il prend leurs pièces,

et il leur donne des villes entières à gouverner.

Et il le fait pour les deux serviteurs, même pour celui qui a gagné moins que l’autre.

Il ne le punit pas pour avoir moins fait fructifier ;

il lui donne simplement une récompense qui correspond à son service.

Alors le mauvais serviteur ne connaît pas vraiment son roi,

et puisqu’il ne le connaît pas, il ne le sert pas.

Nous voyons de telles personnes à l’église tout le temps.

C’est ce qu’on appelle d’habitude des « chrétiens nominaux » :

des gens qui se disent chrétiens,

et qui font ce qu’on attend souvent des chrétiens—

ils vont à l’église,

ils vont au groupe de communauté,

ils « parle le langage » de la foi chrétienne—

mais quand ils ne sont pas avec d’autres chrétiens, leurs vies sont pareilles qu’avant.

Ils n’ont pas vraiment une relation avec Dieu ;

ils n’ont pas de plaisir à le connaître ;

ils n’ont pas manifesté une repentance pour leur péché,

ou essayé de mettre à mort ce péché ou d’être comme Jésus.

La plupart du temps, on ne verrait aucune différence entre ces « chrétiens » et un non croyant.

Et ces moments où il semble y avoir une différence,

si on grattait un peu on verrait que cette différence est superficielle et fausse :

c’est du théâtre, un non croyant qui se déguise en croyant.

Et Jésus est très clair qu’il n’y a pas de récompense pour ce serviteur,

parce qu’il n’était pas vraiment un serviteur—

il y a plutôt de la punition et du jugement pour lui :

le roi l’appelle un « mauvais serviteur, »

prend ce qu’il a, et le donne au fidèle.

Et dernièrement nous avons les autres, les bons serviteurs ;

et ce qui les caractérise est leur fidélité.

Ils prennent ce que le roi leur a donné, et ils le font fructifier.

L’un d’entre eux le fait mieux que l’autre,

mais dans les deux cas, il y a un retour sur leur investissement.

Alors en retour, il les récompense tous les deux, en fonction de leur fidélité.

Alors qu’est-ce que ces « bons serviteurs » ont fait ?

D’abord il faut voir ce qu’ils ont investi—ce qu’ils ont reçu du roi.

Beaucoup de gens vont dire automatiquement que les dix pièces d’or représentent les dons et les talents et les ressources variés que Dieu nous a donné.

Et ils disent cela parce qu’ils se souviennent de la parabole des talents que Jésus raconte dans Matthieu 25, une parabole très similaire à celle-ci.

Mais il y a une grande différence entre ces deux paraboles.

Dans la parabole des talents, le maître donne de différentes choses aux différentes personnes,

pour qu’elles les fassent fructifier.

Dans cette parabole, ce n’est pas pareil :

il donne le même montant à chacun de ses serviteurs—

une pièce d’or chacun.

Ce qu’ils font avec varie, mais ce qu’ils ont reçu au départ est pareil pour tous les serviteurs.

Il y a un grand nombre de choses que Dieu a donné,

de manière identique,

à chacun et chacune de ses enfants.

Il nous a tous donné le même évangile,

le même Esprit,

les mêmes commandements,

la même mission,

la même Parole, et ainsi de suite.

Mais si on prend tout ce que Dieu a donné à tous ses enfants,

et ce qu’il nous appelle à faire de ces choses,

on peut résumer cet appel par un seul impératif :

devenez semblables à Jésus-Christ, pour sa gloire.

Nous devrions pouvoir parler de « servir Dieu » et « devenir comme Jésus » de manière interchangeable.

Beaucoup de gens pensent que ce commandement de « faire fructifier » les pièces d’or correspond à une action,

ou à une série de tâches à accomplir ;

mais si c’est vrai,

le nombre de personnes qui peuvent être de « bons serviteurs » de Dieu est vraiment limité.

Pensez à la manière dont nous pensons souvent à « la volonté de Dieu. »

Quelle est la volonté de Dieu pour ma vie ?

Qu’est-ce qu’il veut que je fasse ?

Nous y pensons souvent en termes de choix—

les décisions qu’on prend,

les tâches que nous pouvons accomplir.

Quelle carrière nous choisissons,

dans quelle ville on décide d’habiter,

à quelle personne je me marie,

ce que je fais de mon temps libre, etc.

Mais qu’en est-il de ces chrétiens qui n’ont pas les mêmes options que nous ?

Ces gens qui sont en prison, qui n’ont plus vraiment d’occasion pour prendre ces décisions ?

Les personnes qui vivent dans la pauvreté extrême ?

Ces personnes-là peuvent-elles faire la volonté de Dieu dans leur situation ?

Bien sûr que oui—

parce que la volonté de Dieu nous chacun et chacune d’entre nous

(on a une pièce d’or chacun !)

est que nous ressemblions à Jésus-Christ,

et que notre ressemblance à Christ soit à la louange de sa gloire.

Lorsque nous pensons en termes de choix,

nous sommes limités par les options qui se présentent à nous.

Mais lorsque notre but est d’être comme Jésus,

alors non seulement nos choix,

mais nos pensées,

nos désirs,

nos affections servent sa gloire,

et nous rendent capables de mieux reconnaître les occasions pour contribuer à la mission de l’évangile quand elles se présentent à nous.

Alors la grande question de cette parabole peut se résumer ainsi :

A quel point,

et de quelles manières,

allons-nous être fidèles pour devenir semblables à Jésus,

pour prendre la nouvelle vie qu’il nous a donné en Christ,

et la mettre au profit pour sa gloire ?

Trois leçons

Alors, comment pouvons-nous répondre à cette question ?

Qu’est-ce que Jésus veut qu’on voie et qu’on fasse pour qu’on réponde à cette question ?

D’abord, Jésus veut qu’on voit que ce que nous faisons dans cette vie détermine la manière dont nous passerons l’éternité.

Attention : il ne s’agit pas ici du « salut par les œuvres »—

c’est plutôt les œuvres à cause du salut.

Les bons serviteurs sont déjà serviteurs du Roi avant qu’il leur donne leur mission ;

et puisqu’ils sont ses serviteurs, ils font ce qu’il leur dit de faire.

Nous ne servons pas fidèlement Dieu pour être sauvés,

mais en réponse à sa grâce qui nous sauve.

Alors c’est une chose dont on n’a pas besoin de nous inquiéter :

notre salut ne dépend pas de combien nous arrivons à servir Dieu efficacement,

mais seulement du sacrifice de Jésus pour nous.

Mais en même temps, Jésus veut que ce soit très clair que ce que nous faisons dans cette vie,

avant et après le salut,

fait une différence, pour toute notre éternité.

Notre fidélité (ou manque de fidélité) pour être comme Jésus est a un impact ;

elle a des répercussions.

Si nous servons Dieu fidèlement, il nous récompensera en proportion de notre fidélité.

Autrement dit (et ça va sûrement gêner plus d’un),

le paradis ne sera pas identique pour tout le monde.

Ce que je dis là n’est rien de nouveau ;

c’est la doctrine chrétienne orthodoxe maintenue par l’église depuis le début.