Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 19:27

"But these mine enemies, that would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." — Luke 19:27 (ASV)

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.

This controversy section continues with still another group challenging Jesus. The Sadducees, who tended to be more conservative than the Pharisees, did not accept what they considered theological accretions to their beliefs. The OT has little specific to say about the future state of the individual after death. The Pharisees leaned toward a belief in resurrection that owed more to Greek ideas than to the OT. However, the Sadducees refused even to face the clear implications of OT teaching about the future state.