The Business that Precedes the Kingdom

As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’” (Luke 19:11-14).

Have you ever considered the word business? I learned to spell it by seeing it in my mind as busi(y) – ness. As I’ve grown up I’ve learned that business often becomes the busyness of life. What consumes my energy, time, thoughts? What keeps me busy? The Holy Spirit has often humbled and convicted me about times when the busyness of my life has left little time for the business of the kingdom. As Jesus drew nearer to Jerusalem the crowd’s anticipation increased as they expected Him to receive a crown and establish His kingdom upon His arrival in the holy city. In their minds the kingdom was just 17 miles and a few days away! But Jesus interrupted His journey to Jerusalem to lead a well-known sinner named Zacchaeus into the kingdom. Then, in the shadow of that brilliant illustration, He used a parable to introduce listening disciples like you and me to the business that precedes the kingdom.

It is the business of Christ to receive the kingdom. Christ would receive the kingdom indeed, but it was to come through suffering, death, and resurrection. Christ was to rule a kingdom where the cost of citizenship was paid by a gracious and merciful King. The kingdom of God is not a kingdom of entitlement, rather it is marked by citizens that imitate and reflect the humility of the King… “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:5-8). Those of us who are truly born again are citizens and ambassadors of an eternal, unworldly kingdom… “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us... Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:17, 20). Christ releases His reign over the people and circumstances in the lives of His subjects through our imitation of His humility.

It is the business of Christ to invest in His disciples. Christ would invest in every disciple equally by granting us the gift of His gospel. We notice that unlike the parable of the talents, in this parable each servant received the same gift. It was equivalent to three month’s living wages and I believe the gift represents the truth of the gospel that initiates and sustains the life of every true disciple… “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). When we are truly born again the love of Christ overtakes our heart and compels us to share the gospel that transformed our life with others.

It is the business of disciples to invest in Christ’s kingdom. Christ expects us to invest in others by giving them the transforming gift of His gospel. His investment in Zacchaeus was an undeniable portrait of the business that should consume our heart. It’s not about building big churches or ministries, Jesus said He will do that… “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). It’s about building people by investing in them the seeds of gospel truth. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to make clear the truth that the harvest of righteousness in a disciple’s life begins with the deposit of the seed of the gospel… “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). How many gospel seeds might you plant tomorrow?

As we grow up into Christ, we become increasingly engaged in…

The Business that Precedes the Kingdom.