Because many of Jesus’ disciples thought the Kingdom of God would suddenly come into view, Jesus offered them a parable that concerned how the business of Kingdom of God would be conducted on earth. Most of those who waited for the Kingdom (Luke 2:25, 38; 23:51) believed it would immediately and suddenly appear for all to see (Luke 19:11; cf. 17:20-21). Yet, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God was something that was within man and was manifest to the world only in the conduct or fruit of its ambassadors (cf. Matthew 13:24-26, 38). This idea proved to be a difficult point to get across, especially in light of the powerful influence of the false teachers of this world, both religious and secular (cf. Matthew 16:11-12; Mark 8:15).
Notice Jesus’ parable beginning in Luke 19:11. Once more he taught them using the things (chief tax-collector) around him to convey the truth about the Kingdom of God. Because he was near Jerusalem many of the people, including his disciples, who had witnessed all he had done, supposed that Jesus would now set himself up as king and sit upon the Davidic throne. In other words, the Kingdom of God would suddenly become manifest, once Jesus entered Jerusalem (cf. Luke 19:28, 35-38).
The main character in this parable is a nobleman who had to go to a far country in order to receive a kingdom (Luke 19:12). He had ten servants (Luke 19:13), but the number is symbolic of the whole. They were each given a mina, which was about three months wages. The nobleman then told his servants to occupy (G4231) until he returned.
The Greek word for occupy is pragmateuomai (G4231). It is used only in Luke 19:13, and it means “to carry on the business of a banker or a trader” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon). We get our word pragmatic from this word. That is, pragmateuomai (G4231) has to do with making decisions and acting out those decisions in a useful manner, as opposed to having a theory about how one should act. Pragmateuomai (G4231) is the verb, while pragmateia (G4230) and pragma (G4229) are nouns having to do with the business itself (G4230) and the business transaction (G4229) in which one has occupied (G4231) himself.
Pragma (G4229) concerns “those things” (G4229) that are believed among us (Luke 1:1), and faith is the evidence of “things” (G4229) not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Paul told the Roman believers to receive Phebe and assist her in whatever business (G4229) she had need of them (Romans 16:1-2). On the other hand, Paul warned Timothy that no man, who is a soldier, entangles himself in the affairs (G4230) or business of this (worldly) life, in order that he may please him who had chosen him to be a soldier (2Timothy 2:4).
So, from the use of these two nouns we are able to see that there are affairs (G4230) in which the nobleman’s servants should not be occupied (G4231), and there are things (G4229) in which the nobleman’s servants should be occupied (G4231). Jesus explained within the parable who among the nobleman’s servants occupied (G4231) themselves according to the nobleman’s legitimate interests.
When Jesus taught his disciples, and the people with them, about the affairs of the Kingdom of God, he was lodging in the home of Zacchaeus, the chief tax-collector of Jericho. Zacchaeus was probably the richest merchant in Jericho. He not only collected taxes for Rome but acted as a local banker, making loans and receiving deposits for interest, and he also charged fees while acting as a money changer for people coming from the east who wished to do some business in Judea.[1] Moreover people from Judea or even from Egypt could also exchange their currency with him for the currency of Mesopotamia to conduct business there. The whole of Jesus’ Parable of the Pounds (Minas) is typified in Zacchaeus’ business, and we shall see this more clearly in future studies about this parable.
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[1] James S. Jeffers: The Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era; pages 24, 144-145
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