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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 till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. (Luke 19:12-14)
This parable is a summary of the whole Gospel. It represents the earthly ministry of our Lord, His returning to the throne of His Father, and returning to judge the world.
Let us examine the term ‘occupy’ before proceeding to a more detailed study of the parable. Regardless the offensive capability of an army, it cannot achieve full victory if it is unable to occupy and hold the conquered territory. This is one of the responsibilities of the infantry branch in the modern field army. The Church, too, is composed of such foot soldiers whose mission is to recover the mal-appropriated lands the enemy has held and then hold it securely until its disposition can be ascertained. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we have a duty to prosecute battle against the adversary who presumes to still away the souls of men and hold them in the prison of sin and bondage. We cannot defeat the enemy from the trenches or from foxholes, but by engaging him wherein whatever realm he falsely claims as his own.
In our parable, the nobleman (our Lord) goes into a far country for an unspecified period of time. This is much as our Lord ascended to Heaven to sit on the right hand of God the Father awaiting the fullness of time for His return in Clouds of Glory. He leaves a sum of money to be wisely invested in his absence. The Lord also left able men with the authority and responsibility to occupy in His absence. These are much like the Apostles who bore the responsibility to go and preach the Gospel unto all the world. This commandment they fulfilled admirably – giving their very lives in the process of preaching and teaching.
But in the space of time, some men of lesser character have usurped the pulpit in teaching fables and the traditions of men. These will be the ones to answer before God at the return of our Lord. Let’s look at the relevant parts of this parable in explanation:
The Traders are the Body of believers in Christ who are commissioned to maintain the Kingdom in His absence. But what is the stock-in-trade? The one thing that all Christian men and women have in common – the Gospel. Our commodity is not gold, silver, precious stones, but the Gospel once delivered to the saints (ours to keep and to share). In some church groups, the money outweighs the burden of preaching and sharing the Gospel in truth.
In the trading is to be included the whole of the outward life which is to be shaped by the principles and motives of the Gospel. We have received a precious legacy in hope from our Lord. How shall we keep in to ourselves without sharing the most important truth of eternal consequence to others?
In the rules of engagement of all battles emerges the necessity to hold that which is gained against the foe. Many churches are begun by true and earnest believers. In gathering a church body together for the worship of the Lord, a great hill has been taken from the enemy; however, we must then occupy that hill for future advantage. Too often, once the church has been established, the heads of her people are turned to the external features of the building and the pride of life in being more imposing than the next church down the street. That is a failure to occupy!
On our Lord’s return, Christ rewards diligence on the part of His adherents.
Our pound of commitment and service follows in the path of diligent effort and labor in the fields of the Lord, and we claim no personal merit for our service – we must ascribe all our good labors to the glory of the Lord who works in and through us.
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.(Psalm 115:1) and, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
Not only do we seek to bring the lost to Christ, our duty continues to nurture them up in the full truth and glory of the Gospel once they have believed – this is the meaning here of ‘occupy.’
