Luke 19:15-19: a reflection

15“When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business. 16The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’ 17“He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ 18“The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’ 19“So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

In the parable of the minas, the servants who faithfully used the little entrusted to them are commended and given greater responsibility: well done, you were faithful with very little. Well done, you good servant, the master says to the one who had used his mina to gain more; because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities. The master had entrusted his servants with a small sum, a mina each, and gone away. On his return, he found some had faithfully used what they were given, trading and gaining more. And he commended them, not for the size of what they were given, which was small, but for their faithfulness with it; and he rewarded that faithfulness with far greater trust. Faithfulness with a little was honored and rewarded with more. This shows that faithfulness with a little is commended and rewarded with greater trust. Be faithful with the little entrusted to you; such faithfulness is rewarded. God rewards faithfulness with small things by greater trust. Do not despise the little you are given; be faithful with it. Faithfulness, not the size of what you are given, is what God commends.

Notice what the master commends and rewards. He had given his servants only a small sum each, a mina, and gone away. When he returned, he called them to account. And to the one who had used his small sum faithfully, trading and gaining more, the master gave high commendation: well done, you good servant; because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities. Notice what is praised: not the size of what the servant was given, which was small, nor even the amount gained in itself, but the servant's faithfulness with what he had. And notice the reward: faithfulness with a very little was rewarded with authority over much. This holds an encouragement about faithfulness in small things. We can feel that what we have been given, our abilities, resources, opportunities, responsibilities, is small, little, unimportant, and be tempted to despise it, to think it hardly matters what we do with so little, to wait for something bigger before being faithful. But this parable shows that faithfulness with a little matters greatly to God. He commends and rewards, not the size of what we are given, but our faithfulness with it, whatever its size; and faithfulness with a little is rewarded with greater trust. What matters is not how much we are given, but whether we are faithful with it. We do well, then, to be faithful with the little entrusted to us, not despising it, knowing that God commends and rewards faithfulness with small things. Be faithful with the little entrusted to you; do not despise it as too small to matter. God commends and rewards faithfulness with a little, not the size of what you are given. Faithfulness with a little is rewarded with greater trust. What matters is not how much you are given, but your faithfulness with it.

That is worth taking to heart, for faithfulness with a little is commended and rewarded with greater trust, and we do well to be faithful with the little we are given, as the master commended the servant faithful with very little. We can despise the little we are given and wait for something bigger; but the master commended and rewarded faithfulness with a very little. Be faithful with it. Do not despise the little entrusted to you as too small to matter; be faithful with it, knowing God commends and rewards faithfulness with small things. Be faithful with the little entrusted to you rather than despising it as too small to matter, knowing that God commends and rewards faithfulness with small things by greater trust, as in the parable of the minas the servants who faithfully used the little entrusted to them were commended and given greater responsibility, the master saying well done, good servant, because you were faithful with very little you shall have authority over ten cities; for the master had entrusted his servants with a small sum and gone away, and on his return found some had faithfully used what they were given and gained more, commending them not for the size of what they were given, which was small, but for their faithfulness with it, and rewarding that faithfulness with far greater trust, so that faithfulness with a little was honored and rewarded with more, which holds an encouragement about faithfulness in small things, since we can feel that what we have been given, our abilities, resources, opportunities, and responsibilities, is small and unimportant and be tempted to despise it and wait for something bigger before being faithful, but this parable shows that faithfulness with a little matters greatly to God, who commends and rewards not the size of what we are given but our faithfulness with it whatever its size, so that what matters is not how much we are given but whether we are faithful with it, and we do well to be faithful with the little entrusted to us.

Lord Jesus, in the parable of the minas, the servants who faithfully used the little entrusted to them are commended and given greater responsibility: well done, you were faithful with very little. Well done, you good servant, the master says to the one who had used his mina to gain more; because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities. The master had entrusted his servants with a small sum, a mina each, and gone away. On his return, he found some had faithfully used what they were given, trading and gaining more. And he commended them, not for the size of what they were given, which was small, but for their faithfulness with it; and he rewarded that faithfulness with far greater trust. Show me what the master commends and rewards. He had given his servants only a small sum each and gone away. When he returned, he called them to account. And to the one who had used his small sum faithfully, the master gave high commendation: well done; because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities. What is praised is not the size of what the servant was given, which was small, but the servant's faithfulness with what he had. And the reward: faithfulness with a very little rewarded with authority over much. This holds an encouragement about faithfulness in small things. I can feel that what I have been given, my abilities, resources, opportunities, responsibilities, is small, little, unimportant, and be tempted to despise it, to think it hardly matters what I do with so little, to wait for something bigger before being faithful. But this parable shows that faithfulness with a little matters greatly to you. You commend and reward, not the size of what I am given, but my faithfulness with it; and faithfulness with a little is rewarded with greater trust. What matters is not how much I am given, but whether I am faithful with it. Take that to my heart. Keep me from despising the little entrusted to me as too small to matter; help me be faithful with it, Lord, knowing that you commend and reward faithfulness with small things, and that what matters is not how much I am given but my faithfulness with it.