And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is your pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
Lord.
Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luke 3:9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
‘Master, here is your mina,
The term "Master" reflects the servant's acknowledgment of authority, representing Christ's lordship. The "mina" was a unit of currency in the ancient Near East, equivalent to about three months' wages. It symbolizes the gifts, talents, or responsibilities entrusted to believers. The servant's presentation of the mina indicates a return of what was given without any increase, highlighting a lack of initiative or faithfulness.
which I have laid away in a piece of cloth.
The act of laying the mina in a piece of cloth suggests negligence and fear. In the cultural context, money was often hidden for safekeeping, but this method shows a lack of effort to invest or grow what was entrusted. This reflects a spiritual truth about the dangers of not using one's God-given gifts for His glory. The imagery of the cloth can be seen as a metaphor for hiding one's light or talents, as warned against in Matthew 5:14-16. This servant's actions contrast with the biblical principle of stewardship, where believers are called to actively use and multiply what God has given them.
The parable’s spotlight now shifts from the faithful servants (vv. 16-19) to a third, unfaithful one. His mere arrival before the master underscores two certainties:
• Every servant of Christ must appear before Him to settle accounts (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:12).
• Rank or visibility in this life is irrelevant; what matters is faithfulness (Luke 16:10-12).
The narrative warns that passivity, not outright rebellion, can still provoke the Lord’s displeasure (Luke 12:42-46).
What the servant says reveals what he believes. Scripture constantly links speech with the heart (Luke 6:45; Matthew 12:36-37). An account must be verbal as well as practical; words will either justify or condemn. Here, the servant’s words foreshadow self-justification, not repentance.
He acknowledges the mina belonged to the master all along—correct theology on the surface (1 Chronicles 29:14; 1 Corinthians 4:2). Yet he offers back exactly what was entrusted, unchanged and unfruitful.
• The mina represents whatever resources, opportunities, and gospel influence Christ places in our hands (Ephesians 2:10).
• Simply preserving what God gives, without increase, is failure (Matthew 25:24-27).
• The servant’s tone lacks joy; there is no sense of privilege in serving (Psalm 100:2; Colossians 3:23-24).
He admits hiding the mina instead of putting it to work. In first-century culture this was a lazy, fear-driven method of “safekeeping.”
• Hiding light contradicts the Master’s intent (Matthew 5:15-16; Philippians 2:15-16).
• Fear and sloth often masquerade as prudence (Hebrews 6:12; Proverbs 26:13-15).
• Faithfulness means risk and diligence, not maintenance (James 2:17; Revelation 3:15-16).
By wrapping the mina, the servant effectively declared the Master’s commission unworthy of effort—a serious dishonor (Luke 19:22-23).
Luke 19:20 exposes the tragedy of wasted stewardship. The third servant reached the judgment seat with nothing more than he started with—no growth, no fruit, no multiplication. Scripture treats such caution as disobedience masquerading as care. Every gift, time slot, relationship, and gospel opportunity carries the expectation of increase for Christ’s glory. The lesson is clear: receive the Lord’s trust gratefully, employ it courageously, and meet Him with returns—not excuses.
(20) Thy pound, which I have kept ., .--Literally, which I kept--i.e., all along. He had never made any effort at doing more.Laid up in a napkin.--The smaller scale of the parable is shown in the contrast between this and the "hiding the talent in the earth," in St. Matthew. The "napkin" (the Greek word is really Latin, sudarium) appears in Acts 19:12 as "handkerchiefs." Such articles were naturally, then as now, used for wrapping up and concealing money which the owner wished simply to hoard.
Verses 20, 21. - And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: for I feared thee, because thou art an austere man; thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. This is the third class into which the servants who knew their Lord's will are roughly divided. We have, first, the devoted earnest toiler, whose whole soul was in his Master's work - great, indeed, was his reward. And, second, we have the servant who acquitted himself fairly respectably, but not nobly, not a hero in the struggle of life; he, too, is recompensed magnificently, far above his most ardent hopes, but still his reward is infinitely below that which the first brave toiler received at his Lord's hands. The third falls altogether into a different catalogue. He is a believer who has not found the state of grace offered by Jesus so brilliant as he hoped; a legal Christian, who has not tasted grace, and knows nothing of the gospel but its severe morality. It seems to him that the Lord gives very little to exact so much. "Surely," such a one argues, "the Lord should be satisfied with us if we abstain from doing ill, from squandering our talent." The Master's answer is singularly to the point: "The more thou knowest that I am austere, the more thou shouldest have tried to satisfy me!" The Christian who lacks the experience of grace ought to be the most anxious of workers. The punishment here is very different from that awarded to the enemies (ver. 27). We hear nothing of darkness and gnashing of teeth; it is simply deprivation. Still, even this modified penalty seems to tell of an eternity of regret and loss. Instead of the ten cities, or even the five, there is not even the poor pound left to the hapless condemned one, unworthy even to retain that little heritage.