Although there are four Gospels in the Bible, the events they usually talk about are the same events told by four different people. Each Gospel has a tone and purpose. In short, Matthew was written to the Jews to prove through the Old Testament that Jesus was the Messiah. Mark was written to the Gentiles, Romans in particular, to prove through miracles and teaching, that Jesus is the Son of God. Luke was written to Theophilus and was meant to give a detailed and orderly account of everything that happened to Jesus from birth to death and resurrection. Finally, John writes so that we might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31). Because these Gospels tell the same story in slightly different ways it’s easy to read one account and think it’s the same account in other Gospels. Until today, I had assumed the Parable of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-27) and The Parable of the Bags of Gold (Matthew 25:14-30) were basically the same incident until I realized one parable had ten servants while the other only had three.

I spent some time going over the two parables, noting the similarities and differences, and have the following thoughts.

The Parable of the Bags of Gold was told only to the 12 disciples. In this parable, different amounts of money were given to the three servants according to their abilities. This parable is told in answer to the question, ““Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?” Matthew 24:45 (NIV) Therefore, I think this parable has more to do with the responsibility of leadership than it does with the general responsibility of God’s gifts to us. When you’re given authority over anyone or anything that authority has been given to you by God. While every Christian is given the duty to tell others about Christ some people have a greater responsibility to other Christians.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12 (NIV)

The Parable of the Ten Minas was expressly told to a group of disciples “because [Jesus] was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once” (Luke 19:11 NIV). There are 10 servants in this parable and each is given an equal amount of money. However, we only know what three of the servants did with the money they were given. Like the Bags of Gold parable, two servants used the money given to them wisely and are given huge responsibilities for their efforts while we are told of a third who, like the servant in Bags of Gold, purposely did nothing with what he was given. We are told nothing about the other seven servants which raises the question, “Who are the other servants and what did they do with their minas?”

I believe we are the seven servants and we’ve each been given gifts, talents, and abilities from God to serve His purpose in our lives. I think we are “blank slates” who can be like either of the other two servants in this parable who handled what they were given well. In the case of salvation, perhaps some people will bring 10 more people into the Kingdom while others only five. Others will try and perhaps only bring one other person while some may try but not bring anyone. However, anyone who takes what they know about Christ and does nothing with it, like the third servant, for whatever reason. Isn’t going to be in a good way.

Therefore, the Ten Minas encompass all of Christendom while the Bags of Gold is to those who have been given rulership over other Christians. In either case, both parables remind us we only have a short time in this life to do what we need to do for the Kingdom of God.

Do you know God? God knows you and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so that we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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