Matthew 13:12

13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹ 

Matthew 25:28-29

25:28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. ²  25:29 For the one who has will be given more, ³  and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ⁴ 

Luke 8:18

8:18 So listen carefully, ⁵  for whoever has will be given more, but ⁶  whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has ⁷  will be taken from him.”

Luke 16:9-12

16:9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, ⁸  so that when it runs out you will be welcomed ⁹  into the eternal homes. ¹⁰ 

16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little ¹¹  is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 16:11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy ¹²  in handling worldly wealth, ¹³  who will entrust you with the true riches? ¹⁴  16:12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy ¹⁵  with someone else’s property, ¹⁶  who will give you your own ¹⁷ ?

Luke 19:24-26

19:24 And he said to his attendants, ¹⁸  ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has ten.’ ¹⁹  19:25 But ²⁰  they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten minas already!’ ²¹  19:26 ‘I tell you that everyone who has will be given more, ²²  but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. ²³ 

John 15:2

15:2 He takes away ²⁴  every branch that does not bear ²⁵  fruit in me. He ²⁶  prunes ²⁷  every branch that bears ²⁸  fruit so that it will bear more fruit.

[13:12]  ¹ sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.

[25:28]  ² tn Grk “the ten talents.”

[25:29]  ³ tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”

[25:29]  ⁴ sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.

[8:18]  ⁵ tn Or “Therefore pay close attention”; Grk “Take heed therefore how you hear.”

[8:18]  ⁶ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[8:18]  ⁷ sn The phrase what he thinks he has is important, because it is not what a person thinks he has that is important but whether he actually has something or not. Jesus describes the person who does not heed his word as having nothing. The person who has nothing loses even that which he thought was something but was not. In other words, he has absolutely nothing at all. Jesus’ teaching must be taken seriously.

[16:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “unrighteous mammon.” Mammon is the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. The call is to be generous and kind in its use. Zacchaeus becomes the example of this in Luke’s Gospel (19:1-10).

[16:9]  ⁹ sn The passive refers to the welcome of heaven.

[16:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “eternal tents” (as dwelling places).

[16:10]  ¹¹ sn The point of the statement faithful in a very little is that character is shown in how little things are treated.

[16:11]  ¹² tn Or “faithful.”

[16:11]  ¹³ tn Grk “the unrighteous mammon.” See the note on the phrase “worldly wealth” in v. 9.

[16:11]  ¹⁴ sn Entrust you with the true riches is a reference to future service for God. The idea is like 1 Cor 9:11, except there the imagery is reversed.

[16:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “faithful.”

[16:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “have not been faithful with what is another’s.”

[16:12]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “what is your own.”

[19:24]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “to those standing by,” but in this context involving an audience before the king to give an accounting, these would not be casual bystanders but courtiers or attendants.

[19:24]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the ten minas.”

[19:25]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context. Those watching the evaluation are shocked, as the one with the most gets even more. The word “already” is supplied at the end of the statement to indicate this surprise and shock.

[19:25]  ²¹ tc A few mss (D W 69 pc and a few versional witnesses) omit this verse either to harmonize it with Matt 25:28-29 or to keep the king’s speech seamless.

[19:26]  ²² tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”

[19:26]  ²³ sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken away from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either. Three groups are represented in the parable: the faithful of various sorts (vv. 16, 18); the unfaithful who associate with Jesus but do not trust him (v. 21); and the enemies (v. 27).

[15:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “He cuts off.”

[15:2]  ²⁵ tn Or “does not yield.”

[15:2]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[15:2]  ²⁷ tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.

[15:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “that yields.”