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Luke 19:21
ESV for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
NIV I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
NASB for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down, and reap what you did not sow.’
CSB because I was afraid of you since you’re a harsh man: you collect what you didn’t deposit and reap what you didn’t sow.’
NLT I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’
KJV For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
NKJV For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’

What does Luke 19:21 mean?

The third servant is feebly attempting to defend his actions. His master had given him and nine other servants one mina each, the amount of money a laborer would earn in four months, telling them to invest it wisely and be sure to make a profit. Then the master went away on a long trip. When the master returned, he had been crowned king. He called his servants and asked how they had done with their commission. The first servant had taken one mina and earned nine more. The second had earned four more. They were both rewarded with cities to rule (Luke 19:11–20).

The third servant had been too afraid to try. He hid the money in a piece of cloth. He knew his master made money with ease and dealt with people severely. The servant thought it best not to even try; what if he lost everything? He apparently decided it would be better not to fail than to try for success.

Jesus is telling the crowd the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27) for two reasons. First, even though they are traveling to Jerusalem, that doesn't mean Jesus is about to be crowned King of the Jews. He is not going to drive out the Romans or give the Jews an independent nation at that time. In fact, He is going to go away and won't return for some time.

Second, they have a job to do while He is gone. They each receive the same treasure: miracles of healing, expelled demons, and inspired teaching that give strong evidence He is the Messiah. Soon, He will die and be raised again, giving proof that He is their King. They need to take that "mina" and invest it: spread it around so more people know. They need to build His kingdom.

But the third servant is too afraid of losing what he had.

Many Jewish religious leaders in Jesus' era were in a similar situation. They listen to Jesus and hear stories of what He has done. They know He is from God (John 3:1–2), but they will not admit it or teach it. They are too afraid of the Pharisees and others who do not want Jesus to be king (Luke 19:14) "for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God" (John 12:43).

The servant believed his master was going to be made king, but he couldn't accept him as his king. So even what he had was taken away (Luke 19:24).
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