Coming Events and Present Duties — J. C. Ryle
Occupy Until I Come!
“And as they heard these things, he added and spoke a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear. He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, OCCUPY UNTIL I COME!” Luke 19:11-13
Reader, The words before your eyes form an introduction to the parable, which is commonly called the “Parable of the Pounds.” They contain matter which deserves the prayerful consideration of every true Christian in the present day.
There are some parables of which Matthew Henry says, with equal quaintness and truth, “The key hangs beside the door.” The Holy Spirit himself interprets them. There is no room left for doubt as to the purpose for which they were spoken. Of such parables the parable of the Pounds is an example.
Luke tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ “added and spoke a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God would immediately appear.”
These words reveal to us the secret thoughts of our Lord’s disciples at this period of His ministry. They were drawing near to Jerusalem. They gathered from many of their Master’s sayings, that something remarkable was about to happen; they had a strong impression that one great end of His coming into the world was about to be accomplished — so far they were quite right. As to the precise nature of the event about to happen, they were quite wrong.
Reader, there are three subjects opened up in the passage of Scripture, which appear to me to be of the deepest importance. Upon each of these I wish to offer a few thoughts for your private meditation. I purposely abstain from touching any part of the parable except the beginning. I want to direct your attention to the three following points.
I. I will speak of the mistake of the disciples, referred to in the verses before us.
II. I will speak of the present position of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3:I will speak of the present duty of all who profess to be Jesus Christ’s disciples.
May God bless the reading of this tract to every one into whose hands it may fall. May every reader pray that the Spirit will guide him into all truth.
I. I will first speak of the mistake into which the disciples had fallen.
What was this mistake? Let us try to understand this point clearly. With what feelings ought Christians in the present day to regard this mistake? Let us try to understand this clearly also.
Our Lord’s disciples seem to have thought that the Old Testament promises of Messiah’s visible kingdom and glory, were about to be immediately fulfilled. They believed rightly that He was indeed the Messiah — the Christ of God. But they blindly supposed that He was going at once to take to Himself His great power, and reign gloriously over the earth. This was the sum and substance of their error.
They appear to have concluded that now was the day and now the hour when the Redeemer would build up Zion, and appear in His glory (Psalm 102:16) — when He would smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips slay the wicked — when He would assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah (Isaiah 11:4, 12) — when He would take the heathen for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession — when He would break His enemies with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2:8, 9) — when He would reign in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously (Isaiah 24:23) — when the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole Heaven would be given to the saints of the Most High. (Daniel 7. 27.) Such appears to have been the mistake into which our Lord’s disciples had fallen, at the time when He spoke the parable of the Pounds.
It was a great mistake unquestionably. They did not realize that before all these prophecies could be fulfilled, “it behooved Christ to suffer.” (Luke 24:46.) Their optimistic expectations overleaped the crucifixion and the long parenthesis of time to follow, and bounded onward to the final glory. They did not see that there was to be a first advent of Messiah “to be cut off,” before the second advent of Messiah to reign. They did not perceive that the sacrifices and ceremonies of the law of Moses were first to receive their fulfillment in a better sacrifice and a better high priest, and the shedding of blood more precious than that of bulls and goats. They did not comprehend that before the glory — Christ must be crucified, and an elect people gathered out from among the Gentiles by the preaching of the Gospel.