USING YOUR RESOURCES FOR ETERNAL PURPOSES

LUKE 16:1-13

          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." 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 my manager.' 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.' I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes. And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' And he said, 'A hundred measure of oil.' And he said to him, "Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty." Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measure of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'

          "And the 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." 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 dwelling.

          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. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth (Mammon), who will entrust the true riches to you? 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?

          "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 (Mammon)" (NASB).

INTRODUCTION

          When you go to a doctor for your annual check-up, he/she will often begin to poke, prod, and press various places, all the while asking, “Does this hurt? How about this?”

          If you cry out in pain, one of two things has happened. Either the doctor has pushed too hard, without the right sensitivity. Or, more likely, there is something wrong, and the doctor will say, “We’d better do some more tests. It is not supposed to hurt there!”

          So it is when pastors preach on financial responsibility, and certain members cry out in discomfort, criticizing the message and the messenger. Either the pastor has pushed too hard, or perhaps there is something wrong. In that case, I say, “My friend, we are in need of the Great Physician because it is not supposed to hurt there.”

          I would like to speak on the subject: “Using Your Resources for Eternal Purposes.”

          Of all the parables that Jesus taught, the parable of the shrewd manager is the most puzzling. For that reason, numerous interpretations have been given. Each one is trying to explain the teaching of the parable in its ethical implications. Questions that have been posed include these: Did the lowering of the amounts the debtors owed reveal dishonesty, or was the manager dishonest all along, resulting in his dismissal? Should the parable end at verse 8a or verse 9? Is Jesus condoning unethical business practices?

The Setting:

          One of the most common features of our Lord Jesus’ parables is their shock value. They surprise and startle. The “heroes” are the most unexpected people. That is particularly true of the parable of the unrighteous steward, found in Luke 16:1-13. It is a story that has stirred controversy and debate among interpreters. But despite the questions it has raised, it confronts us with an essential truth about life as a disciple. The parable is given in verses 1-8a and Jesus elaborates the principles the parable is intended to teach.

I.      THE MORAL STORY OF THE

     INGENIOUS STEWARD VV. 1-8A

            The parable begins with a rich man who has a manager in charge of administering his affairs. This parable takes us into the world of finance and responsibility. The manager is a steward. That is, he is an employee, perhaps of an absentee landlord, who has been given control over his master’s business and assets. Clearly, his responsibility is to use this trust to promote his master’s interests, not his own. However, human nature as it is succumbed to the temptation to divert his master’s funds for his own purposes and pleasure. He wastes the money, violating his trust and mishandling his master’s possessions. News of his fraudulent and dishonest ways reaches his employer, and when confronted with the charge of dereliction of duty, the man had no answer to give. The shrewd manager was speechless, and we know that silence means consent or complicity. Probably he told himself, “I am too clever to be caught.” He taught that he had covered his tracks carefully however; he did not know that people were watching him. Therefore, his world of dishonest gain came crashing down. His master called him to the carpet. This parable shows that violation of trust is not just a modern invention. It was just as common in the ancient world as it is today. Some CEOs' are languishing in prisons today because they embezzled corporate funds that were entrusted to them.

          Certainly the man deserves to be fired from his job. But it is important to notice the manager’s important position after his master’s words: “Give an account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” Modern companies generally tell fired employees to clean out their desks immediately, or they have it done for them. This employer does not fire the manager outright as it is done in most cases today. Rather, he gives the manager a window of opportunity. His dismissal is inevitable, but it is not yet final. Until the account is rendered, he has some room for movement. Still time is short, and immediate action is imperative. He has no time to waste. Facing a future on the streets, the fired manager contemplates his options. It is here that the manager’s shrewdness or astuteness is revealed. He knows that his options are limited. He is too weak for manual labor. Perhaps arthritis is killing him. He is also too proud to beg. Perhaps he was unkind to beggars when he was enjoying his extravagant lifestyle. Unless he acts quickly, one of those might be his fate. But he knows the adage, “Scratch my back and I will scratch yours.” Perhaps he can do favors for a few people, so that they would be indebted to him.

          He hatches a plan, and the plan is very simple. He begins to call his master’s customers and change their bills. After all, he has managed the accounts and still has legal authority to act on his master’s behalf. “How much do you owe?” Eight hundred gallons of olive oil, the debtor said. It would have cost one thousand denarii, which is more than three years' salary for an average worker. He tells the debtor, here is your old I.O.U. Rewrite it, put down four hundred gallons and I will sign it. Desperate times in the life of a dishonest person always demand desperate measures. Therefore, he goes to the next person who owes the master. “How much do you owe?” A thousand bushels of wheat,” he said. That was the equivalent of the amount of 2,500-3000 denarii, which is about eight to nine and half years' wages. He tells this customer, “Here, make it eight hundred. I will sign it.”

          We do not know enough about first century business practices to be certain of what is going on here. Some commentators are convinced that the whole business is fraudulent and that he is implicating these people in cheating his boss. That is possible, but since these people presumably would continue to do business with the rich man, it seems rather unlikely. It is more likely that the transaction is subtle and semi-legal. According to the Law of Moses, Jewish businessmen were not allowed to charge interest to fellow Jews (Exod. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 15:8; 23:19). However, that made commercial transaction difficult. Therefore a subterfuge (evasive trick) often was followed. When money was loaned it was illegal to write a bill stating any interest. Therefore, written bills generally showed only one amount, the principal loaned plus the interest and the manager’s fees. This amount was often stated in term of commodities (oil, wheat), rather than money. In this way, it would appear that the law was being followed.

          If this is true, what the steward is probably doing is discounting the face value of the notes by suspending the interest charges. Since these charges are not legal within Jewish law, his boss has no ground of action against him. Presumably, the debtors would be suspicious of the reasons but would accept the offer gladly. He has therefore, tied his master’s hand effectively with people he wants to remember him kindly in his time of need. The parable closes with the statement, “And his master praised the unrighteous manager, because he had acted shrewdly.” It is important to see what it said and what is not said. First, it is not Jesus who is making this statement, but rather the rich man in the parable. Jesus cannot condone any practice that is contrary to His holy and righteous ways. Second, the master in the parable does not say that he is pleased by this steward’s actions, but that he is impressed. The manager has tied his master’s hands and achieved his own ends. The master certainly does not commend the manager’s earlier dishonesty, but, like a defeated athlete commenting bitterly and ironically on his opponent’s skill and strategy, he feels compelled to acknowledge the man’s success. Have you not seen a sport fan routing for an opposing team because they scored a beautiful goal or touch down?

          Jesus is ready to make the point. He notes that the master commends “the dishonest manager.” The manager has prepared the soil for his future care by what he has done. Since the word shrewd is the key to the parable, it is important to consider its meaning carefully. The Greek word means, “To act with foresight,” and it is illustrated in Jesus’ discourse by the wise man who built his house on the rock in anticipation of a coming storm (Matt. 7:24). It also describes the five “wise” (shrewd) virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), who bring extra oil in anticipating future need. This is the dishonest manager’s quality; he acts decisively in the present to position himself for the future. His behavior is consistent with his circumstances. He recognizes his crisis and seizes his opportunity because he has his eyes on the future, not just the present. He is astute enough to act with practical cleverness and judgment.

          The parable is troubling. This man seems to be an unlikely hero. In fact, he is not a hero at all. However, in his actions, dubious as they are, we can see a quality demonstrated which we who are Christians are needed to live effectively in the world. Jesus elaborates that quality in the rest of the parable.

II.               THE MAXIM OF INTELLIGENT

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP VV. 8B-13

In the first of several applications of this parable, Jesus notes that the “People of this world are more shrewd to their own kind than the sons of light.” That is, people in the world give more thought to their physical well being than the righteous do to their spiritual well being. What Jesus is saying is that people of the world are shrewd in dealing with temporal things. They see the possibilities and seize the opportunities. They sacrifice present comforts for future prospects. Unbelievers outpace Christians in their foresight, their ingenuity, and their risk-taking. They study their world, see the opportunities and seize them, knowing that opportunities missed are opportunities lost.

          Too often Christians are lethargic or uncreative or un-strategic in our thinking. We spend money but do not use it well. Our planning is careless; our strategy is simplistic, and naïve. When it comes to using our material resources for God’s kingdom purposes many Christians are resistant and uninvolved.

          G. Campbell Morgan relates an experience he once had while staying in the home of a wealthy Christian. One morning at family prayers, this devoted church member eloquently and tenderly prayed for the salvation of the heathen and the missionaries. When prayers were finished, the father was startled beyond measure, when one of his boys, a lad of ten years, said to his father: “Dad, I like to hear you pray for the missionaries.” The father replied, “I am glad you do, my boy.” Then the boy replied, somewhat to the embarrassment of his father, “But do you know what I was thinking when you were praying? If I had your bank book, I would answer half your prayers.”

          Do you know what the boy was saying to his rich father? He was telling his father that it was not enough to pray for the salvation of those who do not know Jesus and Christian missionaries who are ministering to them. It is imperative that we give our financial resources to help them as well.

          Therefore, by this parable, Jesus counsels Christians to give our money away and be generous, so that we may gain God’s favor and be welcomed to His eternal home. God honors those who are generous to His work. Jesus’ first message in this parable is that shrewdness with money can achieve eternal goals. Mammon is an interesting term that includes not only money but also possessions. Jesus makes it clear that mammon has enormous power. It is not simply neutral. When it is not placed under the authority of Christ, it becomes a rival god and leads to evil. The pursuit of mammon can cause you to ignore God, undervalue family, walk over people, use them, act unethically, and engage a host of other destructive actions. This is why the Apostle Paul calls greed idolatry (Eph. 5:3). To pursue wealth and the status that comes with it means to worship creation, not the Creator.

          In this parable, Jesus calls us to recognize the limits of wealth (v. 9b). The Apostle Paul also reminds us that “we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (1 Tim. 6:7). Shrewdness forces us to recognize that money is powerful but limited, temporary, and temporal. Part of its character is that it will always fail. At the time of death, you cannot take it with you. No one takes it with him/her. Shrewdness with money also focuses on how it can be used for eternal purposes (v. 9). Every Christian will be welcomed into heaven; not every Christian will have the same number of friends to welcome them. When you use your money to meet the needs of fellow believers and when you use your money to spread the gospel, you can be sure that there are eternal consequences. Christians must use our earthly possessions for spiritual investment just as worldly people use their money to obtain material gains. The people of the world know how to use worldly possessions and apply materialistic ways. If the people, who do not serve God live by the standards of the world, should not those of us who profess to be God’s people uphold the Law of God and live by divine standards? Should we not practice what we preach, and show by word and deed that money will ultimately fail but heavenly riches will last forever?

          The principles of stewardship are very simple. Little things are the school of life. “A little thing is a little thing; but faithfulness in a little thing is a great thing” (Hudson Taylor). Faithfulness with money is primarily an issue of character. Jesus goes on to tell us that shrew disciples recognize that stewardship of money prevents bondage to money: “You cannot serve both God and Money.” You have to make a choice. You can have only one master. You can be a steward of money or you can be a servant of it, but those are your only options. Mammon always strives to take the place of God in your life. Jesus is saying to you that there is no middle ground. Either God owns your wealth or it owns you. Henry Fielding once wrote, “Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil.”

          We all serve something or someone. There is no partial discipleship to Jesus, and there is no part-time employment by Mammon. You must choose your ultimate loyalty. When you choose Jesus Christ as your sole master, He does not remove your money. In fact, He takes the money and transforms it into an ally.

          How do you get your money? What do you want to get with your money? When do you give your money? Where should you employ your resources? These are the questions you need to ask in order to act decisively with your resources in the present to maximize your opportunities in the future.

          The story is told of a man who was shipwrecked on a lonely and unknown island. To his surprise, he found that he was not alone; a large tribe of people shared his island. To his pleasure, he discovered that they treated him very well. In fact, they placed him on a throne and catered to his every desire. He was delighted but perplexed. Why such royal treatment? As his ability to communicate increased, he discovered that the tribal custom was to choose a king for a year. Then, when his term was finished, he would be transported to a particular island and abandoned.

          Delight was now replaced by distress. Then he hit on a shrewd plan. Over the next months he sent members of the tribe to clear and till the other island. He had them build a beautiful house, furnish it, and plant crops. He sent some chosen friends to live there and wait for him. Then, when his time of exile came, he was put in a place carefully prepared and full of friends delighted to receive him.

          Christians are not headed to a deserted island but the Father’s home. Yet the preparations we make here follow us there. If we are shrewd, there will be eternal friends and eternal rewards to greet us. Fools serve money and leave it all behind. Shrewd believers serve God and invest in eternity.

          Therefore, use your money to help others who are in need and also give to support the work of God's Kingdom today.