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Luke 19:17
ESV And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’
NIV 'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.'
NASB And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave; since you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to have authority over ten cities.’
CSB " 'Well done, good servant! ' he told him. 'Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, have authority over ten towns.'
NLT ‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’
KJV And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

What does Luke 19:17 mean?

One day, a nobleman called ten of his servants before him. He gave each the equivalent of four-months' wages and told them to invest it wisely, being sure to make a profit. He had to leave for a time, so he could be crowned king. But he would return and reward the servants according to their work (Luke 19:12–14).

The king has returned and calls his servants to report how they have done (Luke 19:15–16). The first servant approaches and shows he took that money, invested it, and made ten times as much as his investment. The king is delighted. Because the servant has shown faithfulness, loyalty, and industry, the king makes him the ruler of ten cities.

This is part of the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27). The nobleman represents Jesus, and the servants are members in the crowd who are following Him. He must leave them—ascend to heaven (Acts 1:8–9)—to be crowned King. In the meantime, each person in the crowd is responsible to carefully handle what He has given them: proof that He is the Messiah. They are to "invest" that understanding by spreading it to others. When He returns to take His rightful place on the throne, He will reward each of His followers accordingly.

Paul talks about this later, applying the concept to the work of Jesus' followers in building the church. Jesus is the foundation. Each person who builds well will be rewarded (1 Corinthians 3:10–15).
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