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Luke 19:20
ESV Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief;
NIV Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth.
NASB And then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I kept tucked away in a handkerchief;
CSB "And another came and said, 'Master, here is your mina. I have kept it safe in a cloth
NLT But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.
KJV And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:

What does Luke 19:20 mean?

In the parable of the ten minas (Luke 19:11–27), a nobleman gives ten of his servants one mina each. This is equivalent to the income a laborer would make in four months. He then tells them he must leave to be crowned king. He expects his ten servants to carefully invest his money and make him a profit. When the king returns, the first servant presents his investment: the one mina has made ten minas more. The king gives him ten cities to rule. The second servant has made five minas with the one. The king gives him five cities to rule.

Now, the third servant steps up. He hasn't made anything. This is not because he failed in a valiant effort; the man did nothing with the resources. He hid the mina instead of investing it. He knew his master was a phenomenally successful investor and would be angry if he failed. So, he didn't try. The king is livid. The least the servant could have done is put the mina in a bank to earn interest. Because of the servant's unfaithfulness, the king takes his one mina and gives it to the man who has proved the most responsible.

In the parable, Jesus is the king and the mina is the gospel: the truth that He is the Messiah and will bring reconciliation between people and God. For members of the crowd, the most immediate proofs are the healing of the blind beggar (Luke 18:35–43) and the radical repentance of a successful tax collector (Luke 19:1–10). In addition, at some point around the same time, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11).

This servant represents someone who has witnessed Jesus' ministry and understands the truth but refuses to have faith. John describes these people. "Though he [Jesus] had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him" (John 12:37). Even worse, "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God" (John 12:42–43).
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