The Man Of Noble Birth
THE MAN OF NOBLE BIRTH
LUKE 19:11-19
Note the background to this story of a nobleman who went far away to receive a kingdom.
When that clever scoundrel Herod the First died, his will divided the kingdom between his sons. Judea was part of the portion of Archelaus, and this was why Joseph and Mary, returning from Egypt, did not go back to Bethlehem, but went north to Nazareth in the realm of Herod Antipas (Matthew 2:22-23).
Archelaus, who had a full share of his father’s vices, without the first Herod’s diplomatic astuteness, began his rule over Judea with the sanguinary suppression of disorders in Jerusalem. A widespread Jewish uprising necessitated the armed intervention of Varus, the governor of Syria. It was at this time of tension that Joseph and Mary returned from Egypt, and the disturbed state of the country was abundant reason for their change of residence.
But it was vital for Archelaus to have his authority confirmed by Augustus in Rome, and necessary, in consequence, for him to hurry to the capital before reports from Palestine, and especially the despatches of Varus, presented the condition of affairs in Judea in too unfavorable a light. A Jewish embassy, and Herod Antipas in person, opposed Archelaus’ appointment. Augustus, surprisingly, did confirm his title to Judea, but refused the appellation of “king.”
Archelaus, then, was the “nobleman” who went abroad to “receive a kingdom,” and it was natural enough for the Lord to use the incident as a parable in Jericho, because this was his starting-point. Archelaus had a large palace in Jericho, and the sight of its white marble and terraces suggested the pointed story.
It is a further striking illustration of the necessity of dissociating the incidental machinery of a parable from the moral or doctrinal significance. There could be no greater contrast between the Lord, leaving behind him his followers with responsibilities, and the villain of the Herod family, whose tyrannical rule until AD 6 altogether failed to justify the confidence which Augustus had placed in him. We shall look further at the exegesis in our comments on the next section.