Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 19:15

"And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading." — Luke 19:15 (ASV)

These verses contain the heart of the story. The vivid description of the son’s murder and the father’s vengeance (v.16; cf. 19:43–44) evoked from the people who heard the parable a strong “May this never be!” They sensed the horror of the story and its drastic application, even though they may have understood its details imperfectly.

Jesus singles out three of the ten servants as examples. The first two did well, one so well as to receive a special commendation for being “trustworthy.” The test was “small,” not because the amount itself was so small, but because of its relative insignificance in comparison to the cities awarded the trustworthy servants.