Gospel: Luke 19: 11-28
The Gospel writer is intentional about the setting and context of Jesus telling the parable of the talents: they are heading to Jerusalem where everyone is expecting Jesus to re-establish the kingdom of Israel, the kingdom of God. They are expecting the new kingdom to overthrow foreign occupation, restore the purity of the Temple, and live again the glory days of Israel of old.
If this were the case, then Jesus would have done exactly as the parable of the talents suggests. He would slay his enemies who did not want him to be king. He would give rewards in the measure in which we used our talents in a worldly sense. But he did none of these things. Instead, Jesus would be the one to die, and he would forgive those who put him to death. We have completely misinterpreted the kingdom and the Messianic expectations, and Jesus is setting us straight.
The kingdom of God is not about occupying space, erecting buildings, and conquering armies. The kingdom of God is about mercy and love extended to everyone. It is about living and dying for the sake of others, in carrying out the concrete acts of mercy to the world. These are the talents we are to cultivate and by which we are measured.
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