Parable of Shrewd Manager

Money

(Introduction) Jesus speaks of money, the handling, of money spiritually and physically several times in scripture. Luke 16 has two parables dealing with money, and some commentators will even link the Prodigal from Luke 15 into dealing with money too.

Question: Can you think of any verses that come to mind regarding money before we get started today?

Money can be used for God’s glory, or against God, in our parable let’s see what we can learn.

Insert Lk16:1-17

Luke 16:1–17 NASB95

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.” 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.

Insert some questions

Background

Audience: Disciples (v.1); Pharisees (v.14)

Location: No indication that there is a change from the previous location from Lk15, or even from Lk14, so could it be still in the house of a Pharasee, at the dinner (Lk14:7) on the Sabbath? We do not know for sure, but this could be.

Joining the parables: Some commentators as mentioned a moment ago link the Prodigal and the Shrewd Manager together as both wasted money. The Prodigal was his own inheritance money, the Shrewd manager was the Rich man (someone else money).

Some believe this parable is not chronological but contextually placed here due to the subject matter of the parable before and after. But this is conjecture for the scripture does not tell us these things.

Explaining the Text

This parable is only found in Luke; there are many similar teaching about money management in other places, but not parabolic like this.

I think we can agree we can being taken hostage by money and money works us, enslaves us, instead of us working money for God’s glory.

Have someone look up 1Tim6:10, maybe even in a couple of versions for this is so often misquoted.

Notable the term “certain rich man” (v.1) some versions just say “rich man” in the translation from the Greek it signifies a man who was significantly wealthy; and the verbiage would lead that he did not live there but had a manager who managed things there.

The shrewd manager, this manager is not a slave, but one who has authority to conduct the business of the rich man, to manage the household.

Next term “accused of” or in some versions “reported to him as squandering” his possessions. Again, there is the Greek and it was very strong wording, “dieblethe, “was accused with hostile intent. This was not the manager making an accounting error, this was done with intent. Squandering is the word wasting, as in wasting away something.

Womack in his commentary says: “The fact that the present participle may indicate that this was an ongoing thing and not just one act of misusing funds. It could imply neglect of duty or misappropriating of funds, but since there is no suggestion of having to pay compensations, the former is more likely.”

Anyway about it, the manager has been called on the carpet to give an account, give an accounting of your management, and was being fired. Interesting if it was by theft it would be immediate dismissal, but it seems there was time given since the manager went out to negotiate the with the owners debtors

Purpose and application:

Questions arise how can the manager make these settlements with the debtors? It would seem he had the authority to act on behalf of the rich man. Jesus is not condoning the man for the action, but acknowledging the man in this world able to be shrewd in his dealings.

Jesus tells the listeners that they need to deal with people of this world, to use what we have to bring people to know that what they have will fail, but they can have eternal dwellings, so invest wisely.

In no way is Jesus commending the dishonesty, lying, stealing of the manager.

(Transition) - here are some points as Womack puts in his writing.

Purpose to teach children of the world are wiser in their dealings than children of God in their dealings.

We need to know the differences in the dealings, and deal properly; Children of the world and of the Lord have different understanding of dealings:

Getting ahead in career, calling or position is prime goal for children of the world

Living a life that is consonant with Christ’s teaching is the measure of success for the Christian. -

Children of the Lord need to learn to use their abilities and provision as well as the children of the world use theirs for their own purposes, we for the kingdom of God purposes, eternal purposes.

Children of God cannot have divided loyalties: It is either God or Satan.

It is apparent from the passage that some of the listeners were as some may say “straddling the fence,” but there is no straddling the fence when it comes to Jesus. He calls for us to be all in.

Insert Lk16:13 again.

Luke 16:13 NASB95

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.”

Learning to live the parable:

(Intro) Womack says this on his intro to this section:

“How does this parable affect you and me in the present century? In what is being referred to as the “Post-Christian world.” in which you and I are living, can we really act in such a revolutionary way as to be wiser than the children of this world? I believe we can!”

Learn to manage our lives, possessions and talents more to the glory of God.

Priorities (Mt6:33) easy to say, but do we do?

It is easy to get caught up in the things of this world, we live in the world, but are not of the world.

Many things are important in this life, in this world in which we live, our family, jobs, friends and more, but none of these compare to the supreme importance, the eternal importance of putting Christ first. Until we do this we are not as wise as the children of the world. For they do keep their prime goals prime and labor diligently to reach their prime goals.

God demands faithfulness of His stewards (Insert Lk16:10 again).

Luke 16:10 NASB95

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.

We have gifts, we have talents, we have abilities, but do we use them for the glory of God?

God wants our heart, He wants our willingness more than our abilities, our talents.

The Shrewd manager was intent on providing for his earthly welfare; the Christian needs to be intent to provide for his eternal welfare

The mammon of unrighteousness is temporal, but true riches stored up in heaven are eternal!

(summarize) (Prayer) (Close)