Section 127b
Parable to teach responsibility while the kingdom is delayed
Jericho → Jerusalem
Luke 19:11-28
11Now as the people were listening to this, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12So he said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. 13Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14Now his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15When he returned after receiving the kingdom, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, so that he might know who had gained what by engaging in business. 16The first came before him and said, ‘Master, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17The king said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, take authority over ten cities.’ 18The second came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’ 19The king said to him, ‘You are to be over five cities.’ 20Another came and said, ‘Master, behold, here is your mina, which I kept put away in a piece of cloth. 21For I was afraid of you, because you are a stern man. You take out what you did not put in, and you reap what you did not sow.’ 22The king said to him, ‘I will condemn you by the words coming out of your own mouth, you evil servant. You knew, did you, that I was a stern man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and when I came I would have collected it with interest?’ 24Then he said to those standing nearby, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25(But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas!’) 26‘For I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27But as for those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’ ” 28After saying these things, Jesus continued on his way up to Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples.
Notes
Jericho
OT Jericho
The emerald green of Jericho stands out in stark contrast with the barren white valley surrounding it. Palm trees, citrus trees, and banana trees grow together in groves in this natural hothouse, 812 feet below sea level—the lowest city on earth. Perhaps one could anticipate its richness, but not its size: after years of hearing how the Israelites walked around the city and gave the shout that felled the walls, perhaps you have imagined a large city with piles of huge stones lining its perimeter. You may be disappointed when you see a lumpy, light brown mound with holes in it and realize that this is Jericho.
What is visible of the ancient city is primarily a large mound made of eroded mud brick. In one of the large trenches made by one of the excavators, Kathleen Kenyon, you will see a round stone tower which has been dated to about 7000 B.C., making Jericho the oldest city in the world.
The earliest archaeological remains in Jericho have been dated to about 9000 B.C. Remains of floors of huts date to a few hundred years later when the village expanded around the area of the spring. Around 7000 B.C. the villagers worked together to construct a large fortification wall, with a large tower next to it. The tower, over 27 feet in diameter at its base, is preserved to a height of 25 feet. A staircase in the center provides access to the top of the tower.
NT Jericho
By the time Jesus and his disciples strolled into New Testament Jericho, the city sat at a distance from the Jericho of the Old Testament. And between these two sights set some blind beggars who panhandled the pilgrims bound for Jerusalem. The two cities, sitting side-by-side with the same name, explain why different Gospel accounts refer to Jesus meeting the blind man as he left Jericho and others expressed the event occurring as he entered Jericho.
After healing blind Bartimaeus, Jesus dined and spent the evening with Zacchaeus. Leaving Jericho, Jesus began his ascent into the hill country of Judea by starting up the Wadi Kelt, along the gorge that drains the hills around Jerusalem eastward into the Jordan Valley. Here Jesus would have passed between Herod the Great’s palace buildings, which the late monarch built for himself in Jericho so that he had a place to escape Jerusalem’s winters. The huge complex boasted large bath houses, assessable through a vast reception hall, complete with mosaics, frescoes, and gold and marble columns. The opulent palace straddled the ancient road Jesus travelled and connected to itself across a bridge that spanned the road. The buildings must have seemed striking to all who passed below - especially to disciples impressed with Herod’s handiwork.
When Jesus passed beneath the bridge between the buildings of Herod the Great, he must have considered this paranoid king who tried to kill him as a boy - but who instead succeeded in slaughtering all baby boys in Bethlehem. Ironically, King Herod died in this palace while the true King of Israel lived to pass between its walls on his way to lay down his life.