What does Luke 19:25 mean?
Jesus is explaining that even though He is surrounded by a great crowd traveling to Jerusalem, He isn't going to take His rightful place as King of the Jews yet. In fact, He's going to have to leave to be crowned King. He explains this using the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27).A nobleman must travel to his sovereign to be made king. Before he leaves, he gives ten of his servants one mina each; this was equivalent to the wages a laborer earns in four months. He tells them to invest it wisely. When the king returns, the results are mixed. One man has made ten minas more; another has made five. The third only has his original one mina. The king is furious. The servant had just as much time and opportunity as the others, but he was so afraid of losing it that he hid it. He didn't even put it in a bank to earn money. So, the king takes the mina and gives it to the man with ten.
When Jesus ascends into heaven, He won't leave His followers with money. He'll leave them with the knowledge that He is the Messiah and salvation only comes through Him (Acts 1:1–8). The crowd, however, is filled with people of various understanding. Some are Pharisees who don't want Jesus to be the Messiah, just like the people who didn't want the nobleman to become king (Luke 19:14, 27). Others, perhaps, have witnessed Jesus give sight to the blind man (Luke 18:35–43) and raise Lazarus from the dead (John 11) but don't quite know what to think.
This man represents anyone who saw or heard of Jesus' miracles and knows He fits the description of the Messiah yet refuses to accept it (John 12:37–43). He could have put his faith in the "bank:" taking responsibility for it and letting it guide his actions, even if he's making no effort to increase it. Instead, he completely hid it. He did not allow himself to accept the gospel.
Because the servant who turned one mina into ten was so faithful with the kings' commands, he receives the mina of the unfaithful servant. The king replies, "I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away" (Luke 19:26). The unfaithful servant has understanding, but he does not have faith or loyalty, so even his understanding will be taken away.
