Some of Jesus’ parables convey the meaning of His mission more than many others. This is the case with today’s parable, in which Jesus depicts a king who leaves his kingdom to receive his royal title and, in his absence, entrusts a group of servants with the responsibility of his money.
It is a tremendous act of trust that manifests itself in two ways that we must never separate: entrusting the money and leaving. We seldom interpret God’s distance from our lives as an act of trust on His part. If God does not always intervene, it is because He trusts us, not because He does not care. The feeling of God’s absence should prompt us to bring out the best in ourselves, not our fears and anxious views of life.
Almost all servants understand this lesson, and when the king returns, they find themselves with this consequence: “The first came and said, ‘Lord, your mina has earned ten more minas. He said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you have been faithful in a few things, take authority over ten cities. Then the second servant came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more minas. ’ He said to him, ‘You too will be in charge of five cities’ (Luke 19:16-19).
But there is one last servant, a sort of minority, who, however, makes a fairly common argument: “Then the other servant also came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina, which I kept hidden in a handkerchief; I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man, and you take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow’ (Luke 19:20-21).
Ultimately, the reasoning of this last servant seems flawless, yet it is completely wrong, and it is wrong because of one very important detail: this man reasoned with perfect logic, but based on his fear. If we reason according to our fears, we will always make logical choices, but they will result in our unhappiness.
“Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten. (…) To everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away” (Luke 19:24-26). This is the end of all fear, even if it is logical.
