Heaven
Jesus told the parable of the minas because His followers expected the kingdom of God to appear immediately. In Luke 19:11–27, the nobleman’s departure and return picture the time between Christ’s ascension and His second coming. Before leaving, the nobleman tells his servants, “Do business till I come” (Luke 19:13). That sentence places our present lives between a trust and an accounting. Christ has entrusted each of us with time, abilities, opportunities, relationships, and gospel influence. None of these are ours by ownership; they are ours by stewardship.
When the king returns, the first servant reports, “Master, your mina has earned ten minas” (Luke 19:16). Notice the humility: “your mina.” The servant does not celebrate himself; he recognizes that both the resource and the opportunity came from his master. The king answers, “Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). The reward is far greater than the original responsibility. The second faithful servant receives five cities. Grace does not make faithfulness unnecessary; grace makes faithfulness possible, and the King delights to honor it.
R. Kent Hughes described heavenly reward as an “elevation of eternal intimacy” with Christ, adding that faithful servants will share in joyful responsibility with Him. Hudson Taylor expressed the same principle more simply: “A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in a little thing is a great thing.” What we sometimes call insignificant—a quiet prayer, an unseen kindness, an honest decision, a lesson faithfully taught, or suffering endured without abandoning Christ—may carry eternal weight in the hands of God.
Scripture gives this promise in many settings, but its testimony can be gathered into several clear themes. Jesus says the Father sees generosity, prayer, and fasting done in secret and rewards them (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18). He promises reward for mercy, sacrifice, and even a cup of cold water given in His name (Matthew 10:41–42; Luke 6:35; 14:14). The apostles teach that every believer’s work will be tested, that steadfast service will not be forgotten, and that crowns await those who love Christ’s appearing and remain faithful under trial (1 Corinthians 3:8–14; Hebrews 6:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4). Revelation gathers those promises into the returning Christ’s declaration: “My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12). The redeemed will not merely rest in His presence; they will also reign with Him (Revelation 5:10; 22:5).
The third servant is the warning within the promise. He hid the mina because he neither trusted the king’s character nor valued the king’s business. His inactivity exposed a heart untouched by loyal love. The question, then, is not whether we have received as much as someone else. The question is whether we are faithfully using what Christ placed in our hands.
God does not owe His children wages for grace, yet He loves to reward what His grace produces in them. So serve today without envy and without despair. The King sees the work no one applauds, remembers every act offered in love, and will make His generosity unmistakable when He returns.
May the Lord find you faithful in the trust He has given you and fill your heart with joyful anticipation of His appearing.
—Pastor Hogg
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