Basic HTML Version
The others THE HOUSE OF JUDAH, nicknamed the Jews. In Jesus' day,
the Ten Tribes had long before migrated into the British Isles and
Northwestern Europe. The JEWS were then in Palestine
Now Jesus Himself was of the House of JUDAH, and the dynasty
of David. He came unto HIS OWN -- JUDAH -- and His own nation
"received Him not" (John 1:11). Did Jesus, then, turn to the
GENTILES? NO! It was PAUL who later said, "Lo, I turn to the
Gentiles." Jesus, rather, turned to the LOST Ten Tribes of the
HOUSE OF ISRAEL -- called the lost "sheep" (Matt. 15:24). He sent
His GOSPEL to them by His TWELVE APOSTLES (Matt. 10:6).
So, as the parable in Luke 19 shows, HIS CITIZENS -- the Jews
of the Kingdom of JUDAH -- rejected Him, saying, "We will not have
this man to reign over us." That is why He gave His TEN POUNDS to
those of the TEN TRIBES, signified by the "ten servants." WE ARE
THAT PEOPLE! That is why God has called YOU to HIS WORK!
Now a "pound" as used here is the English unit of MONEY. A
British pound is, today, worth about $2.80. There is a REASON why
Jesus used MONEY as the medium in His parable. He gave these
pounds to those He was calling INTO HIS SERVICE. They were to
"OCCUPY" -- till Christ's second coming.
Now what does "OCCUPY" mean? Remember Luke wrote originally
in the Greek language. That word "OCCUPY" is in the outdated
English of the year 1611, when the "King James" version was
translated from the Greek language. The Greek word Luke wrote was
"pragmateuomai," which means "do, or carry on business, with the
resources entrusted to you. In other words, the real meaning of
Jesus is USE THE MONEY GOD ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE TO CARRY ON GOD'S
WORK."
What is that Work? To proclaim the GOOD NEWS (Gospel) of the
world-ruling Kingdom -- or GOVERNMENT -- of God, which Christ is
coming to set up -- which Christ went to heaven to RECEIVE God's
authority to set up!
THAT IS THE PRECISE WORK GOD HAS CALLED YOU, as a Co-Worker
with Christ, to have YOUR PART in doing -- the same as He has
called me, and our ever-growing staff of specially trained
consecrated full-time servants in carrying on GOD'S WORK!
This parable of the pounds refers directly to the USE OF OUR
MONEY in carrying on this very WORK OF GOD. Whatever you have,
whether much or little, God has provided you with. Everything we
have has come, originally, out of the earth. God created and owns
the earth. ALL IS HIS. God claims the first TEN PERCENT (the
tithe) as His, for HIS WORK. We OWE God His tithe. It does not
belong to us. If we use it for ourselves, God says we are stealing
it from Him (Malachi 3:8-9). But God also commands us to GIVE
offerings -- and says we rob Him if we fail to give them (same
verse).
Now notice carefully the MEANING of this parable: It is while
Jesus is in heaven, on His father's throne, that we are to "trade,"
or "carry on His business" with the "pounds" He gives us from His