Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 19:25

"And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds." — Luke 19:25 (ASV)

The portrait on the coin represented submission to Rome. Jesus’ statement may seem ordinary to us, as we have become so used to the saying. But it was an unexpected and telling response to the question. Jesus’ questioners were sure his answer would alienate either the government officials or the pious people and zealots who opposed foreign domination. Actually Jesus appealed neither to those who preached revolution nor to the political compromisers. He stated a principle, not an accommodation or a compromise (cf. Romans 13:1–7). To give what the government requires is part of one’s religious duty. In spite of Jesus’ balanced position, he was later accused at his trial of promoting an insurrection against Rome.

The principle of taking from one who has little and giving to one who has much may strike us today as strange and unfair, though a person will probably want to have only a skilled investor entrusted with more money (v.25).

The nobleman’s anger (vv.26–27) is not intended to attribute such behavior to Jesus himself. Rather, it does picture the kind of response one might have expected in Jesus’ day, especially from the Herodians. It also reveals the seriousness of flouting the orders of the King whom God has appointed Judge.