Mina: Edit history

Biblical Occurrences

In the New Testament, the mina appears in Luke 19:11-27, in the Parable of the Minas. A nobleman, departing for a far country to receive a kingdom, entrusts one mina to each of ten servants and tells them, "Occupy till I come" (Luke 19:13). On his return, he gives the servant who gained ten minas from his one mina authority over ten cities, and the servant who gained five minas authority over five cities. The servant who kept his mina wrapped in a napkin has it taken from him.

In the Old Testament, the same unit appears under its Hebrew name, maneh. It occurs in 1 Kings 10:17, Ezra 2:69, Nehemiah 7:71-72, Ezekiel 45:12, and elsewhere. The word "MENE" in Daniel 5:25, written on the wall of King Belshazzar's palace, is also widely held to be related to this unit.

Background

The mina was originally a unit of weight, and a fixed weight of silver or gold itself represented monetary value. In the Greek reckoning of the New Testament period, one mina is understood to have equaled 100 drachmas, and 60 minas made one talent. Since a drachma is generally regarded as roughly equivalent to a laborer's daily wage, one mina represented several months' wages, far less than a talent.

In the Old Testament period, both the ratio of the maneh to the shekel (a unit of weight) and its actual weight varied by era and region. Ezekiel 45:12 sets out its own specific ratio. Scholars differ in their estimates of the exact weight.

The parable's scene of a nobleman traveling to a far country to receive a kingdom is often compared with the practice of client rulers in Judea who traveled to Rome to have their royal authority confirmed. An interpretation connecting it in particular with the case of Archelaus, son of Herod the Great, is widely known.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Luke presents this parable as spoken by Jesus after He stayed in Jericho at the house of Zacchaeus, when He was near Jerusalem and the people "thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear" (Luke 19:11). For this reason, the Parable of the Minas is commonly read as a text about the king's departure and return, that is, the period of waiting until the Second Coming, and about the reckoning for what has been entrusted.

Interpretations and Issues

• Relationship to the Parable of the Talents: In Matthew 25, in the Parable of the Talents, each servant receives a different amount according to his ability. In the Parable of the Minas, every servant receives the same amount, one mina each. Some interpret the two parables as separate teachings given on different occasions, while other scholars regard them as a single tradition transmitted differently in each Gospel.
• What the mina represents: Many interpreters take the mina to represent the gospel, the Word, grace, time, or life, entrusted equally to all believers. The talents, by contrast, are often read as gifts that differ from person to person. The text itself, however, does not state what the mina signifies.
• Differences in reward: Some preachers cite the differing rewards of ten cities and five cities as evidence of degrees of heavenly reward. Others are cautious about expanding what they regard as a narrative detail of the parable into doctrine.
• Minority interpretation: Some scholars view the nobleman as an oppressive ruler of the time and read the servant who hid his mina as someone who refused to cooperate with that rule. This interpretation is not widely accepted in church tradition.

In the Korean Church

In preaching in Korean churches, the Parable of the Minas is frequently addressed under the themes of stewardship, faithfulness, and the final reckoning before the Lord. Such sermons often contrast "the one mina given equally to everyone" with "the talents given differently to each person."