by Rev. Bryan Findlayson

Scripture: Luke 16:1-13

Introduction

Our passage for study consists of a teaching parable followed up by three supportive sayings. The message is simple, "disciples who do not show faithfulness in this life cannot expect to enter the life of the age to come", Earle Ellis.

The passage

v1-7. Jesus opens with an illustrative parable. The shrewd manager realized he was about to get sacked. Naturally he felt he was entitled to a lump sum payment in lieu of severance pay and so he fixed himself up with a nice little retirement package at his employer's expense.

v8a. The parable continues into the first half of this verse. The "master" is the employer. In telling the story, Jesus makes the point that the employer was impressed by the excellent business acumen of the manager in so effectively setting up a superannuation plan at such short notice and so the employer "commended" his shrewdness, without necessarily rewarding his embezzlement.

v8b. Jesus goes on to make a rather sad observation. Secular people are more shrewd in handling the resources of the age that we live in ("their own kind") than are godly people ("people of the light"). "The people of this world look out for themselves better than the people who belong to the light", CEV.

v9. Jesus now delivers the first of three exhortations; this first one serves as the punch-line for the parable. A disciple must use their resources (their wealth, their "this world's things") in such a way as to secure their future. The future for a believer, of course, has nothing to do with retirement and the need for superannuation; our future has to do with eternity. So, before our resources run out, particularly our time, we would do well to use what we have in preparation for eternity.

v10-12. A person who has shown that they can be trusted with small things (this world's things) can obviously be trusted with greater responsibilities (eternal things). If we have selfishly dissipated this world's resources, how can we be trusted with the greater resources of eternity? If we have selfishly used the resources of this world, which belong to God, how can we be trusted with heavenly resources, resources which would be ours for eternity?

v13. No, in the end we can't serve two masters. We either live for the things of this world, or we live for Christ. The choice is ours.

Money, money, money

We are all conformed to the world to some degree. We strive to earn more, to pay less for goods and services, and to accumulate more for the future. Jesus observes that, for a disciple, this behavior is quite stupid. A believer is going to share in the riches of eternity, so grasping the ephemeral elements of this age is indeed foolish. Using our opportunities here, in preparation for eternity, is a more sensible way to behave.

It is often suggested that if we give 10% of our earnings we have fulfilled all righteousness. Yet, all we have succeeded in doing is fostering self-righteousness. The truth is that the required standard is a 100% right-use of this world's things. Is there any one of us who would claim they have given all to Jesus? None of us have faithfully used the resources on loan to us from God. Luckily, Jesus has done this for us. He is the only trustworthy servant who has served but one master - God and not money. When we hold onto Jesus we become, in him, that trustworthy servant, and receive, as a gift, the "true riches" of eternity. Such is the bounty of a generous and loving God.

None-the-less, we are bound to deal with our wealth in a way that runs counter to the mega-buck mentality of the world. We are bound to strive to be that "trustworthy" person we are already in Christ - be what we are as best we can. Oh yes! we will still find ourselves serving "both God and money." Thankfully, God's mercy in Christ is unlimited, and in the end, it's that mercy which prompts us to do the best we can for our Lord.

The following two principles from our passage for study are worthy of note:

1. Devalue. Wealth should not become a prop to our existence; it should not be allowed to assume a god-like status in our lives.

2. Maximize. We should learn to maximize our resources for the kingdom within our given humanness, ie. Conserve for the kingdom, rather than dissipate for ourselves - little by little.

The maximizing of time, talent and tinkle for the kingdom, is the most neglected of the above principles, yet it is prominent in the New Testament, cf. Math.25:14-30. Learning to handle our resources is an excellent preparation for our reign with Christ in eternity. Worldly people are shrewd in the way they use their resources for their future life. Believers should be just as shrewd. Our future lies in eternity and how we handle our resources here, prepares us for our service there.

Discussion

1. The steward had foresight in providing for his earthly future. What lesson does Jesus draw from this story for Christians, ("people of light")?

2. If we can serve only one master and "Mammon" is the master we seem to end up serving, how is it possible for us to be saved?