We are not graded on a curve, but on the cross.
I remember as a student loving to hear my professors say that a test was going to be graded on a curve. Grading on a curve meant that they were going to take the highest score on the test and treat that as the grading standard. So, if the highest score was 94% that became the standard that everyone else was graded against. That 94% became the new 100%. Your grade was based on the percentage difference you had against the high score and not the score of 100%. That often meant that a B+ became an A.
At times, we operate as if God grades on a curve. We see this when we say phrases like: “Well, I’m not as bad as some people are,” or, “I do more good than the average person.” We can also use this type of comparison when referring to our devotion to Jesus. We can compare our level of devotion to someone else’s and feel more assured of our spiritual maturity. There is definitely a scale regarding a person’s admiration of and commitment to Jesus. Some people hate Jesus. Some people admire him as a moral teacher but do not fully follow the teachings they feel are too severe or strict. Some are fully devoted to Jesus and aim to follow all of his teachings as best they can. There are various attitudes towards Jesus, but there is no curve when it comes to God’s judgment.
Big Idea: We are not graded on a curve but on the cross.
God does not grade us based on a curve. He doesn’t compare our devotion and commitment to that of others. God will not say on the day of judgment, “You did better than this guy, so you are good.” God is not judging us against humanity’s high score. We are judged on the cross. We are judged based on our acceptance of the forgiveness of God for our sins that was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our faith in the cross work of Christ is the standard we will be judged on. This faith in the cross is transformational. True faith will lead to faithfulness. Jesus told a story that made this point crystal clear. He listed three different attitudes people have concerning him and taught that only the response of the faithful was rewarded. Let’s study this story together and see how God does not grade on a curve.
Luke 19:11, “11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.”
Understanding the Anticipation of the Kingdom
Luke is very helpful in pointing out the context of Jesus’ story. Jesus sensed that his closest followers were thinking that “the end” was near. They believed that the kingdom of God was about to break into human history completely once Jesus got to Jerusalem. Jesus had spoken about the Kingdom breaking into history through his ministry, but he also taught that the Kingdom wouldn’t be fully realized for some time. This is a reflection of the New Testament teaching labeled as the “already, not yet” tension. The Kingdom of God is “already” here, but it is “not yet” fully here. Jesus wanted to teach his followers to anticipate a long gap between the cross and his second coming, which is when the kingdom of God would fully be manifested. He wanted them to be faithful while they waited. He highlighted the importance of faithfulness by contrasting it with other attitudes toward him. These other attitudes would face judgment in the end even though they didn’t look entirely the same. Let’s see the different attitudes Jesus described as being present in different people while they all wait for his return.
Luke 19:12-14, “12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’”
Servants of Faithfulness and Diligence
Jesus was the nobleman in his story. He was the one who was about to receive a kingdom by his work on the cross. The nobleman was described as going to a foreign land to receive a kingship. Jesus was going to Jerusalem to receive a kingship through his death and resurrection there. The nobleman, like Jesus, faced great opposition. The citizens in this foreign land hated him. In his earthly ministry, Jesus experienced hatred. This hatred culminated in his crucifixion. Some people really hated Jesus. Some people really hate Jesus now. I don’t think that is a large group, but that group does exist. Jesus didn’t spend much time speaking about this group. He spent more time talking about the groups of people who were represented in this story as the faithful and unfaithful servants. Let’s first take a look at the faithful servants.
Luke 19:15-19, “15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. 16 The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ 17 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.’ 18 And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ 19 And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’”
Reward of Faithful Stewardship
Two of the nobleman’s servants proved to be good stewards of what was entrusted to them. Their work was profitable and they were rewarded generously. A mina was about four months’ wages for the average laborer of that day. That sum was insignificant compared to the reward. Faithfulness with four months of wages was rewarded with the responsibility of ruling 5 and 10 cities. Imagine receiving that kind of quarterly bonus from your employer.
We need to keep in mind the extravagant generosity of the nobleman as we look at the comments of the unfaithful servant in the next few verses. Before we move to the unfaithful servant, we need to highlight the positive behavior Jesus was setting before his followers in this story. He wanted them to be faithful while they waited for the Kingdom of God to fully come just as the servants were faithful while they waited for their master to return from his journey to a foreign land. This depiction of faithfulness reminds us of the transformational nature of true faith, which is taught throughout the New Testament. We can fairly summarize the teaching of the New Testament on the connection between faith and faithfulness as true faith will produce lasting faithfulness. We mustn’t put these out of order. Faithfulness does not produce Faith. Faith produces faithfulness.
1 John 2:3, “3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.”
We are assured that our faith is true by our faithfulness. The nobleman rewarded his faithful servants just as God will reward the faithfulness of all followers of Christ, who have demonstrated their true faith by their faithful living.
If we stop here in the story it would appear that there are only two responses to Jesus: hatred and faith. Interestingly, Jesus spent the majority of his words describing a different response. This response shows us that God is not judging on the curve of hatred. God does not draw the line of judgment at hatred for Jesus. God will not say on the day of judgment, “Well, you didn’t hate my son, so you are good with me.” Being better than the “haters” isn’t good enough. Let’s examine the third servant mentioned in Jesus’ story and discover together another attitude God will not accept.
The Unfaithful Servant: Misconceptions and Disregard
Luke 19:20-26, “20 Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; 21 for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ 24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ 25 And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ 26 ‘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.”
Notice how much time Jesus spends describing this servant. This leads me to believe that this attitude toward Jesus may represent a significant group of people. This unfaithful servant justified his lack of stewardship based on his fear. He was afraid of his master because he believed that he was severe and demanded more from him than was fair. Clearly, this servant doesn’t know the character of his master. He had just given away cities to his faithful servants. The master is not severe, but generous. He didn’t require a radical return on his investment. The faithful servants produced different returns and the master says that he would have accepted the modest return that came from investing with the bank. The unfaithful servant doesn’t hate this master like the citizens described in the foreign land, but he has a disregard for his demands and a misconception of his character. He was not faithful because he didn’t have true faith. He didn’t believe in the benevolence of his master.
Understanding the Unfaithful Servant's Fate
We mustn’t minimize the loss this servant experienced and what that means for those who are not found to be faithful in the end. We shouldn’t see this servant as simply missing out on the reward of ruling cities. He was described as being “condemned” as “wicked” and losing the little that he had. I believe we need to interpret this as not the loss of rewards in heaven, but the loss of heaven entirely. This interpretation is confirmed when we compare this story to a very similar one recorded in the gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 25:29-30, “29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
In this passage, the worthless or unfaithful servant was cast out into darkness and experienced pain and disappointment. These unfaithful servants didn’t receive less rewards in heaven but rather the judgment of hell. Jesus wrapped up his story by describing the destiny of those who hated the nobleman.
Luke 19:27, “27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”
This is a brutal way of describing the destiny of those who hate Jesus. This graphic scene reminds us that we are unaware of how severe our sins are. We have two options when we read passages like these. Either we can conclude that God is overreacting in his judgment or that we are underestimating our sin. The Bible doesn’t speak of God as overreacting when it comes to human sinfulness. God is described as patient and slow to anger. The scriptures tell us that we don’t know the depths of our depravity and the severity of our wickedness. Those who have chosen to maintain a life-long hostility toward God will face an eternal future of active opposition from Him.
The unfaithful and the haters are both outside of heaven. God doesn’t grade on a curve. Those who hate God and those who disregard his demands suffer a similar fate. I find it interesting that Jesus spent so much time talking about the unfaithful servant. I wonder how many people are represented by this character in Jesus’ story. How many people would claim some degree of connection to Jesus, but disregard his demands and misconstrue his character? Sadly, I think many fall into this category. Many people admire Jesus and even have some nice things to say about him, but don’t like everything he says and all that he demands of them. This is not true faith, which will not result in faithfulness, and will bring about judgment. The unfaithful are better than the haters, but they are not graded on a curve.
Living Faithfully Amidst Uncertainty: Embracing Obedience Over Speculation
As followers of Christ, we need to be mindful of Jesus’ encouragement in this story to be faithful. I find it interesting how many of us feel like the disciples did in verse 11. With everything going on in Israel, we are left wondering if the kingdom of God is going to “appear immediately.” It may, it may not. Either way, we know our assignment. Be faithful while we wait.
Let’s not get caught up in creating calendars for Christ-coming. We don’t know when he is coming, but we know what to do while we wait. Love our neighbors. Share the gospel. Disciple our children. Serve our spouses. We are not called to decipher dates. That is a distraction to our obedience. We are told directly by Jesus that we will not know the day or hour of his return. Let us be more focused on our faithfulness than forecasting future events. God will generously reward us for our obedience, not our predictions.
Salvation: Not by Comparison, but through Confession and Transformation
If you are not yet following Jesus, I hope you see that being better isn’t good enough. God doesn’t grade on a curve but on the cross. Salvation is not a competition. It’s not about outperforming your neighbor. Salvation is about confession. We must confess our sinfulness and our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. That faith will transform us and lead to faithfulness. Don’t place your security on being on the high end of the moral curve of humanity. Security comes from the work of Christ on the cross. You will be judged on your response to the cross in the end.
