Here's what we understand prophetically - when you look at the parables, they're a story with a meaning, that has an application straight away. They usually have within them a prophetic aspect, concerning the coming of the kingdom, and that's very true with this. The parables cover the period from the lord leaving, or the nobleman leaving, and him returning. It covers that entire period. At the start of it he's about to leave; at the end of it, he returns.
The parable then, both parables, cover the entire Church Age - the period from when Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, until He returns. When you're reading it, you've got to think prophetically - there's aspects of these parables have not yet happened. They will happen.
When Jesus returns, the Bible's very clear, He will return to establish His kingdom. He's going to need servants, that can share with Him in the responsibility of that kingdom. Before He departs, He sets a plan in motion. Here's the plan...
He will distribute to all His servants some talents, or minas, or opportunities. Every servant will have an opportunity. His plan is: I want to know, when I come back, who can I entrust working with Me, in establishing My kingdom.
Many people sort of think that Jesus is going to come back, and He's just going to do it all Himself, or do it with angels; but the plan of God is that the advancement of His kingdom through the earth will be through people. It's always been that plan. It's never any different.
He sets a plan in place, and the plan is: how can I select the people that can work with Me, and be entrusted with roles of honour, and responsibility, and authority, in the coming kingdom? Here's what I'll do… I'll use the season called the Church Age, which for most of us is the course of our life; and over the course of our life, I'm going to give you an opportunity to prove your faithfulness, so you can qualify for what I have ahead for you.
He deliberately places a period between when He departs, and when He returns. That period of time covers about 2000 years, or a bit more, and that enables, or allows, generations to rise and go; and from all of those generations, God is looking in every generation, for people who will serve Him faithfully, that He can then raise up to participate in the kingdom.
When He returns, there will be a generation that is alive when He returns, and they will receive their reward immediately. There's a prolonged period between His departure and return, in which servants, in every generation, are being given their opportunity to qualify for what God has ahead.
If you understand that is the plan, then you understand that every day on this earth, is your day to qualify for what Christ has when He comes. If you don't understand that's the plan, then every day has got no sense of purpose, or accumulation towards a grand climax, and a grand reward.
His plan is in operation right now, and the key issue in Jesus' plan is, how the servants demonstrate their faithful service in His absence. That's it - it's a very simple plan.
What are you doing with the time, talents, opportunities and giftings you have, during your life? God is watching every aspect of it, and He has in mind, this is your apprenticeship. This is your qualification period. This is the time you develop within yourself, the qualities needed to partner with Him in establishing His kingdom. The key issue then is faithful service to Him in His absence.
Other parables looked at different things. The Parable of the Virgins, for example, looked at the whole issue of their intimacy with the Lord - their time in prayer, their personal relationship with Him. The last study we did was on the transformation process in our life; but in this one, we're returning now back to the faithfulness.
Luke 16:10-12 – “Whoever is faithful in that which is least, or very little, he will also be faithful in much”.
He's not worried about what you have, or how little it is. He's saying that, if you're faithful when you have very little, you show and demonstrate that, when you're given much, you will also be faithful as well - and at stake are the true riches.