The parable of the ten pounds (19:11–27) is similar to the parable of talents in Matthew 25:14–30, but there is no agreement on the literary relationship between the two parables. In Luke the context of the parable is the expectation that the consummation of the kingdom is imminent (19:11). Luke has already taught that the kingdom is present in Jesus’s ministry (Luke 11:20), but even though Jesus has inaugurated the kingdom, he has not completed it. Since he is “near Jerusalem,” some think the completion of God’s kingdom purposes is at hand. The parable implies an interval of time before the kingdom is consummated. The nobleman goes on a distant journey (19:12). Typically Jesus is not interested in speculating on the date of the kingdom’s consummation; he focuses on the need for responsib…