Parable of the Minas (3) Real Enemy

The nobleman in the parable actually represents the devil. He will gain authority that he is not entitled to have. He will use that stolen illegitimate authority to destroy the honest man and the citizens of the kingdom who object to his claims to power. When the enemy has failed to destroy Jesus by putting him on the cross, he will turn on Jesus followers and try to destroy them as well. As long as the devil is allowed to hang on to his illegitimate authority, he will persecute Christians who challenge his authority.

The parable is a veiled political statement. Zacchaeus and his friends were all tied up in the local political system. They had collaborated Rome. Many had become rich through theft and violence. Jesus was reminding the people that those who collaborate with political power and empire are dangerous. Challenging the servants of political power will always be dangerous.

This is a parallel to the unjust judge in the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18. In this parable, Jesus had already provided the solution to this problem. The persistence of the saints will gradually the enemy down, and he will have to surrender his false authority to the Kingdom of God.