Luke 16:1-13

Luke 16:1-13

1 Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2 “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 ‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 “And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Parables can be very instructive as well as very confusing.  This parable about the unfaithful steward can be very confusing because it seems to promote dishonesty.  The key to understanding a parable is to be careful not to infer anything from the parable that would contradict other teachings of Scripture and to look for ways the parable illustrates other clear teachings.  This parable seems to illustrate two basic principles that are consistently taught throughout all Scripture.  Another good idea is to try to state the overall teaching of the parable in one short phrase.  I would summarize this parable as: “be faithful in light of the future.”

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE: The first portion of this parable seems as if Jesus is commending dishonesty.  The unfaithful servant goes and reduces the bills of people while he still has the authority to do so.  His rationale is that these people will then be so thankful for his “generosity” that when he is in need, they will provide for his needs.  Jesus commends the shrewdness of this steward’s actions.  It is vital to understand that Jesus is not commending his unfaithful business practices before his confrontation or his dishonesty afterwards.  Jesus commends the fact that the steward is concerned about and making provisions for the future.  Jesus in not trying to teach His disciples how to mange their money or do business.  He is teaching these men the importance of living in light of eternity.  Out tendency is to live for the momentary pleasures this world has to offer.  Kingdom living requires eternal perspectives.  Jesus is trying to impact His audience by showing how this very unfaithful steward was wise enough to plan for the future.  If this scoundrel is wise enough to stop living in the moment in order to provide for his future; follows of Jesus must do the same.  One day all of us will stand before Jesus.  We must do all in our power to prepare ourselves and help others prepare for that coming judgment.

PRACTICE WHAT IS FAITHFUL: The key teaching of this parable is to be faithful with that which is of eternal value.  Money is not eternal.  It is considered to be a “very little thing.”  However, our faithfulness with that little thing of money will indicate to God how trustworthy we will be with that which is truly important.  There are temporal things in which we can invest as well as eternal things to which we give our attention.  Our handling of the temporal things is a good indicator of how we will handle the eternal things.  None of the temporal things truly belong to us.  That which is eternal will last forever and be ours to enjoy in heaven for all eternity.  If we are faithful, we will put God’s eternal kingdom far above our temporal comfort.  It is impossible for us to have both a love for the Lord and a love for our own status and comfort.  It is necessary to make a choice between living for now or living for eternity.  It is a waste of time and energy to pretend that we can serve both God and money.  Following God requires an undivided attention and affection.  We must be faithful with every aspect of our lives.

APPLICATION: Don’t live for the present, live in the present but for the future.  Don’t be enamored with money but be enamored by eternity.  Be more concerned about eternal dwellings than earthly dwellings.  Be faithful with little things so God can entrust us with big things.  Recognize God’s ownership of all things, both in the hear and now as well as for eternity.