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According to Luke 19:11-27 [NLTse]

¹¹ The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because He was nearing Jerusalem, He told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away. ¹² He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. ¹³ Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ ¹⁴ But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’

¹⁵ “After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were. ¹⁶ The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’

¹⁷ “‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’

¹⁸ “The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’

¹⁹ “‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’

²⁰ “But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe. ²¹ I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’

²² “‘You wicked servant!’ the king roared. ‘Your own words condemn you. If you knew that I’m a hard man who takes what isn’t mine and harvests crops I didn’t plant, ²³ why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

²⁴ “Then, turning to the others standing nearby, the king ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one who has ten pounds.’

²⁵ “‘But, master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten pounds!’

²⁶ “‘Yes,’ the king replied, ‘and to those who use well what they are given, even more will be given. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. ²⁷ And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”

At Wintercamp this year I heard the story of a dalit who lived in the highlands of Punjab, India. He was a hardworker, cheerfully performing all the “dirty jobs” around his modest village.

One day a messenger passed through bearing news that the Rajah – the ruler of all Punjab – was to be travelling through the larger town at the foot of their mountain home.

As you may know, India was ordered according to a strict caste system in that day. And, though not of the untouchables we hear stories about, this man’s opportunities were few, and he had little hope of his circumstances ever changing: Unless the Rajah showed him mercy! It was rare, but he’d heard stories of the monarch giving surprising gifts to surprising recipients as he traveled from town to town.

So early in the morning the dalit left his village in the hopes of being noticed by the Rajah and, perhaps, being shown mercy. The King wasn’t supposed to arrive in the lowland town until the next day, but the man knew it would take him several hours to make the journey down the mountainside, and he knew the importance of being in the very front when the crowds came to line the streets of the Rajah’s procession, so he left right away.

The dalit arrived at the outskirts of the town late in the afternoon, the journey had taken him longer than he’d expected. But he made his way through to the main road where the Rajah’s procession would be passing, and sat at the roadway’s edge.

There was no one along the way as he waited. The townspeople were busy wetting down the dirt street and preparing their wares in the hopes of catching the eye of the Rajah’s retainers. So the man sat and waited. And night came and he slept, looking like a pile of dirty flesh right in the middle of the street!

He awoke early the next morning to the sound of messengers coming through the town heralding the arrival of the Rajah. The town burst into activity, but the man merely stood up from where he’d slept, and waited. The morning passed with townspeople beginning to crowd the roadway that ran through the middle of the town: People crowded around the dalit and behind him, and more messengers came and more messengers came announcing that the Rajah’s arrival was imminent! And the street was lined to overflowing, people spreading out of the town in both directions as parents crowded to give their children a view and merchants crowded to get their wares within view and the dalit stood front and center and waited…

Midafternoon, as the crowds were getting restless and another series of messengers passed through announcing the “imminent arrival” of the Rajah, the dalit heard some commotion and yells from those standing a distance away. And sure enough, along the winding mountain paths leading into the town he could see the rising dustclouds of the Rajah’s caravan. And the sound of horns blowing could be heard. And after some time, mixed now with the sounds of the noise from the crowds, the tinkling of musical instruments and laughter and applause.

The first to appear were the guardsmen of the troop accompanying the Rajah. Intermingling among them were dancing ladies and girls with handbells, twirling scarves, and stirring up the onlookers and causing them to cheer. Then came the cavalry on horseback, dressed in their finery with their horses gilt in gold and sparkling gemstones. Then the Rajah’s bodyguard on their lumbering, terrifying elephants: Ivory tusks shining with gold and trunks lashing out at the crowds; fearsome warriors covered with tattoos, their faces covered with war paint, commanded the great beasts. And in their midst, reclining on a palanquin atop the greatest of the beasts: The Rajah himself!

As the crowd pushed its way forward for a better look the dalit found himself pushed forward with them, until he could have reached out and touched the great elephant’s hide as it came stalking toward him.

Until suddenly the line stopped.

Looking almost directly above him, the dalit saw the Rajah climb out from atop his comforts and dismount the beast to stand directly in front of him. Before the dalit could get his thoughts and words together to seek a gift, the Rajah stuck out his hand to the dalit and demanded, “Give me something!”

The poor man was dumbfounded. Standing nose to nose with the Rajah he was flustered and having trouble thinking. “Give me something!” the Rajah demanded again.

Quivering and ashamed, the poor man reached gently into the small pouch of rice – all the food he had – tied around his waist. He withdrew three grains of the rice, all he thought he could spare, and handed them to the Rajah. Quicker than the dalit thought possible, the Rajah slapped his hand on top of the peasant’s, taking the rice. And then turning he remounted his great elephant steed, and was gone.

The dalit continued to stand, hand out, stunned as the rest of the caravan passed by. As the sounds faded away from the town and the townspeople returned to their evening activities, the man looked down, opening his fingers to see that the rice was, indeed, gone. But there in his hand, where the three grains of rice had been, were now three grains of pure gold!

Pure gold! The Rajah had given him a gift after all: Three grains of gold for the three grains of rice he had offered.

“Why didn’t I give him more?” the dalit mumbled. “I gave him only what I thought I could spare. Why didn’t I give him more?” he cried. He was beside himself. “Why didn’t I give him everything I had! O, if I had only known I would have given him everything I had!”

And so for us: Many look to the Living God in hopes He will give us something: Mercy; a gift… But the Lord Jesus has not come simply to hand out gifts, but has come seeking to make the great exchange! The Lord has granted each of us much to invest for the Kingdom of Heaven while we await His return: Some of us have been given great beauty or made strikingly handsome; others have been gifted to knit or stitch or craft and build things with our hands; still others are great leaders or teachers or speakers, great thinkers, hardworkers or organizers; and still others been given great wealth or great influence over those around us; and there’s so much more…

What will we give Him? These talents, attributes, and positions can seem like nothing to us, compared to what others have. Or perhaps more than that, we can hope to keep these talents, attributes, and positions or power and influence to enjoy for our own benefit. But the centuries continue to reveal that the more we give to Jesus Christ – for His Kingdom’s sake and to draw other’s attention to Him with our lives – the more we receive in return. The parable we read this morning is clear: Whatever we invest – ten talents, five abilities, two parts of our influence – whatever we invest will prosper and be multiplied for His fame. Our giving – to this One Who asks for all we have and all we are, but Who will take whatever we’re willing to give Him – is not a sacrifice but, in truth, the greatest opportunity we’ll ever be given to receive true riches and true greatness, and in the world to come life beyond our imaginings!

What are you holding back? What ways could you be serving here at the church but you’re holding back thinking, “I’ve already done my share”, or “let others do it”? Let’s not fool ourselves, we’re the ones missing out if we hold back on Jesus Christ.

What relationships do you enjoy where you haven’t shared with your friends or loved ones your love for Almighty God and His great love for you? Let’s share Him with them all; maybe they’ll come to believe like you do and your joy in those relationships can be even greater!

Perhaps you’re thinking of some area or activity in the rice-pouch of your living right now that the Holy Spirit is wanting you to dig deeper into and give God more of, or to hand over to Him completely?!

… [Give a nice long pause, looking and praying over the faces of those in the congregation.]

We get so focused on our aches and our troubles when Jesus promises to provide for our every need if we’ll simply live for Him and not hold back. Let’s not hold back. No more holding back.

When Jesus returns in all His glory with the holy angels to make all things new, let’s not be among those crying, “Why didn’t I give Him everything I had! O, if I had only known I would have given Him everything I had!”

You know. We know. To Him Who gave us everything He had, even His Own life, let’s give Him all. Let’s give Him all.