© 2014 Jaime Marco
© 2014 Urantia Association of Spain
| The parable of the owner of the vineyards | Luz y Vida — No. 37 — June 2014 — Index | The last speech in the temple |
The parable of the mines is found in paper 171. Like all parables, we have to put it in its context in order to fully understand it.
Jesus has preached the sermon about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus tells his apostles and disciples that he wants to go to Jerusalem for Easter. These facts provoke in his followers the feeling that Jesus was going to Jerusalem to establish the “temporary kingdom of Jewish supremacy”.
As much as Jesus explained to them and made them understand that the kingdom of heaven is an interior kingdom, - “the kingdom of heaven is within you” he even said to them, he could not get the idea of it out of their minds. that the Messiah had to establish some kind of nationalist government based in Jerusalem.
This imminence of the establishment of the kingdom leads Salome, the mother of the apostles John and James Zebedee, to ask for honors for her children. Fact that disappoints Jesus and makes him see that they do not really understand his message of the kingdom. It also leads Peter and the rest of the apostles to be outraged that James and John had tried to be preferred before them. Jesus sees the final outcome and his departure close and checks how his own apostles still do not understand the message about the kingdom. Jesus tells them: “** It saddens me to see that you do not know why we are going to Jerusalem; I am sorry that you do not understand the nature of my kingdom.**”
I understand this leads Jesus to give last minute teachings on aspects of the kingdom of heaven. He gives the talk on “calculation of the cost”, a teaching intended to teach what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and invites them to calculate the cost of what it means to be his disciples and if they are willing to pay it.
Then he enunciates the parable of the mines, it is analogous to the parable of the talents. This parable was specially intended for his apostles. The enunciation on the analogy of the situation of Archelaus, king who went to claim the kingdom of Judea and was rejected by his subjects and declares to them “In the same way that the temporal sovereignty of this king was rejected, the spiritual sovereignty of the Son of Man is also going to be rejected”. It is the first time that Jesus founds a teaching on a real character.
Nathanael’s conclusions, which he used to explain these parables, can help us to face and deepen the study at hand. They are the following:
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Capacity is the practical measure of life’s opportunities. You will never be held responsible for having to do something that is beyond your capabilities.
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Fidelity is the infallible measure of human honesty. It is likely that the one who is faithful in small things will also show faithfulness in everything that is compatible with his talents.
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Grant a smaller reward for a smaller loyalty when the chances are equal.
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Grants an equal reward for equal loyalty when the chances are less.
¶ Comments from attendees about this parable
- Jesus expected his apostles to bear more spiritual fruit than others.
- Being spiritually stagnant means spiritual death.
- The greater the aptitude, the greater the demand. Whoever has more is required more, but what matters is the intention to bear fruit.
- No one is given more than they are able to bear, nor is they asked for more than they can give.
- Passivity is worse than ignorance.
- A literal/material interpretation of this parable should not be made.
- The phrase “I reap the harvest where apparently I have not sown” is vital to understand what the Father expects of us.
- The phrase “you could have at least given my money to the banker” seems to refer to the will of the Father.
- From the religion of authority, it is necessary to work internally to arrive at the religion of the spirit.
¶ References
- Light and Life Magazine (all old issues): https://aue.urantia-association.org/numeros-antiguos-del-lyv/
| The parable of the owner of the vineyards | Luz y Vida — No. 37 — June 2014 — Index | The last speech in the temple |