All the “slaves,” like the ones in the parable of the minas, were ‘to do business until he came.’ (Luke 19:11-13) It would be Jesus’ business, the King’s business, and the obedient slaves would therefore have to be at unity of thought and action. Christ is not divided against himself. (1 Cor. 1:10) His “slaves” would certainly not promote his business by working against one another, as in Christendom, where one sect teaches one thing and another sect teaches another.

BEGINNING OF THE PARABLE’S FULFILLMENT

When did Jesus begin to commit these “belongings” to his disciples? Did he commit these to them independently or as a united group? The account at Acts 1:1-5 takes up where the Gospel of Luke left off, that is, “until the day that he [the resurrected Jesus] was taken up, after he had given commandment through holy spirit to the apostles whom he chose. To these also by many positive proofs he showed himself alive after he had suffered, being seen by them throughout forty days and telling the things about the kingdom of God. And while he was meeting with [a body of faithful disciples] he gave them the orders: ‘Do not withdraw from Jerusalem, but keep waiting for what the Father has promised, about which you heard from me; because John, indeed, baptized with water, but you will be baptized in holy spirit not many days after this.’”

So not only had Jesus prepared the “field,” making it ripe with a potential for many more disciples, but he had also prepared the first ones of his body of “slaves” to receive his “belongings.”

The fulfillment of the parable must have begun between the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his ascension to his heavenly Father’s presence. For when did Jesus first call his “slaves” together to commit to them his “belongings”? The apostle Matthew gives an account of Jesus’ words at a meeting in Galilee after his resurrection: “Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.”​—Matt. 28:16, 19, 20.

But on the day of his ascending to heaven Jesus was more specific about the course that the work of increasing his “belongings” would take. We read: “When, now, they had assembled, they went asking him: ‘Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?’ He said to them: ‘It does not belong to you to get knowledge of the times or seasons which the Father has placed in his own jurisdiction; but you will receive power when the holy spirit arrives upon you, and you will be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the most distant part of the earth.’”​—Acts 1:6-8.

LOOK FOR A UNITED BODY TEACHING BIBLE TRUTH

After his resurrection Jesus made appearances to various ones of his disciples, more than five hundred in one instance. And at Pentecost there were about 120 who experienced the baptism with holy spirit. (1 Cor. 15:6; Acts 1:15; 2:1-4) So there were many more than three “slaves” who began immediately to ‘do business’ with the talents, 3,000 hearing the witness about Jehovah God’s purposes through Christ on that day. But they did not follow an independent course or split up into various denominations. They all joined in the same vigorous, united promotion of true worship.​—Acts 2:41-47.