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For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
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The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.
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He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.
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Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’
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But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’
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“After he was crowned king, he returned and called in the servants to whom he had given the money. He wanted to find out what their profits were.
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The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’
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“‘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.’
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“The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’
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“‘Well done!’ the king said. ‘You will be governor over five cities.’
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“But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.