1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And 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, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ 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?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in 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 he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus moved from addressing the Pharisees to speaking with His disciples. He told a parable of a rich man who had a manager who had been irresponsible with his possessions. The man was like a financial planner or estate manager in charge of managing the rich man’s wealth. He was called to give an account and was going to be fired from his position. The man realised that losing his job would leave him in a tough situation so he decided on a scheme that would elevate him in others’ eyes so they would deal kindly with him after he lost his job. He brought in his master’s debtors and worked with each one to reduce their debt. He discounted their debts which allowed him to quickly generate cash flow for his master while making things easier for the debtors. The manager was commended for acting shrewdly by using his current situation and material things to plan ahead and secure his future. Jesus used this to teach His disciples that they should use material things for future spiritual benefit. He presented a good lesson from a bad example. The manager had used wealth for his own comfort. The disciples were encouraged to use worldly wealth shrewdly and wisely in service of leading others into the kingdom. When the money finally fails to be of use, in death, they will be welcomed into eternity with eternal friendships.
Money gives us an opportunity to show faithfulness with little. Unfortunately, money also presents us with the opportunity to be dishonest with a little. Whichever way we act with little shows how we will act when given more. If we are faithful with the worldly resource of money, then we show that we will be trustworthy with true riches. If we use the wealth God has entrusted us shrewdly and wisely for His kingdom then He will entrust us with greater responsibility, both in growing His kingdom here on earth and in future reigning responsibility in heaven. If we are unfaithful with what is not our own (everything we have belongs to God) then how will we fare when God evaluates our stewardship in order to reward us in heaven? Jesus concludes that we cannot serve two (conflicting) masters. If you love one, you will hate the other. If you are devoted to one, you will despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. A love of money will drive you away from God (1 Tim 6:10). A love for God will keep you from the unhealthy desire to accumulate wealth.
Take some time to consider your relationship with money. Whether you have a little or a lot, is money something you are overly concerned about? Do you view the money you have as God’s money that you are ultimately seeking to use to further His kingdom? How would you describe your use of money as showing your love for God?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Everything is Futile: Ecclesiastes 1-2