Parable of Unjust Manager

Theological Focus:

Jesus' disciples are called to exercise godly wisdom with their God-given finances and possessions in order to accumulate eternal rewards as ambassadors to this fallen world, by living for Christ first and foremost, while refusing to be mastered by money.

Introduction:

Man who buys his son french fries at McDonald’s. He reaches over his son’s shoulders to sneak a french fry to which his son slaps his hand and says, “don’t touch my french fries!” The question is, are those really his son’s french fries if he didn’t pay for them?

Likewise, are the things we own truly ours if God is sovereign over all things in which all things come from him?

This is what we’ll be talking about today as we look into the Parable of the Dishonest Manager / Unjust Steward.

I. Living for Eternal Rewards (Luke 16:1-8)

A. Revelation:

- Jesus is now talking to the disciples after telling a series of Parables to the Pharisees about the joy of a lost sinner being found and reconciled.

This parable is very difficult to understand in many ways and is easy to get lost in unnecessary details if we are not careful!

This parable that Jesus is telling his disciples has to do a rich man and his manager/steward. It says that this manager had various charges brought against him that he was mismanaging and wasting his possessions! (Comparable to the Prodigal Son who squandered his father’s possessions) This was unacceptable, of course, which led the rich man to fire the manager.

The manager, who was facing unemployment said “What shall I do?....I am not strong enough to dig and am too ashamed to beg!” So he summons the debtors of his master one by one.

The first one he asks, “How much do you owe my master?” The first one answers “a hundred measures of oil (875 gallons).” He then tells him to right 50 measures of oil. The next one he asks and he says “a hundred measures of wheat (1,000 - 1,200 bushels).” Then he tells him to write 80 measures of wheat.

So this manager, who had been essentially fired, was telling the debtors NOT to pay the full amount that they owed!

Here comes the most surprising and perplexing part of this parable: “The master COMMENDED the dishonest manager for his shrewdness[!]”

Shrewdness entails craftiness, wisdom of a fallen world.

Q: While the master was not commending the manager for being deceitful, why do you think the master commended the “dishonest manger” for being shrewd/crafty?

A: One possibility is that the master was able to receive immediate gains even though it wasn’t the full amount, another was that the manager was able to look out for himself for personal security, etc.

Jesus is NOT telling us in this parable that we should be deceitful and crafty, rather to use this parable, in which everyone is corrupt, as an example for the necessity of Godly wisdom!

“For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” The point being here is that he was using worldly wisdom and foresight to receive temporal, earthly gains.

Jesus is saying that fallen sinners are better in their wisdom and foresight for earthly gains than “sons of light” or Christians are in using their wisdom and foresight for heavenly gains, for heavenly treasure.

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B. Relevance

- This was true in Jesus’ day, it is true in our day as well!

Example: Many times this is seen by many who claim to be Christians and are focused on being “healthy and wealthy” in this life! Another is the lukewarmness of Christians in this day and age, a sense of apathy to spiritual things outside of church.

Q: How might we as Christians do a better job at exercising godly wisdom and foresight to pursue things that never fade away?

A: Discussion

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Transition: The common denominator is “wisdom and foresight” between the sons of the world and the sons of light, that should be used in light of eternity. How do we do this? Jesus tells us in verses 9-11.

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II. Being a Faithful Steward of our God-given Wealth (Luke 16:9-13)

A. Revelation

Verse 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.” This verse can also be very confusing. It seems like Jesus is telling us to make friends by unrighteous means, but a closer look will show that is not the case!

“Unrighteous” wealth can also be seen as “worldly” wealth, and has been translated that way in other translations. It’s the kind of wealth that is used in a fallen world = that is feeble and temporary.

It is saying that this wordly wealth not only can fail, but will inevitably fail! Because it says “when it fails” (not if!) they (the friends) may receive you into the eternal dwellings - which is heaven or eternity.

Putting it together: we are to use the money we have in this world for the purpose of making eternal friends. (Notice it’s these friends who will welcome you into heaven)

Contrast: the dishonest manager made friends through being shrewd in a negative sense, but we make friends by using our gifts and talents for the sake of the Gospel, and it is these friends who are those who come to faith in Christ as a result!

Q: How might you use the temporary money, wealth, or possessions you have in this life for eternal purposes?

A: Discussion

Illustration:

Samaritan’s Purse received this letter:

From Lim, a 12-Year-Old Girl

“I live in Somroung village of Kandal province, Cambodia. I love bicycling. In the future, I would love to be a teacher.

“I was very excited when I received the gift box because it’s the first present that I have ever received in my life. I was so excited, tears started to come [as I had] joy in my heart. When I opened my gift box, I saw a lot of things that I have dreamed for, and I wished I could have—such as hair clamps, pencils, colored pencils, dolls, shoes, a bracelet, a necklace, and a beautiful dress. All these things I never expected to have. I began feeling care and love from someone I never knew.

“The next day, I came to the Gospel Community Church again. Through The Greatest Journey discipleship class, I made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. As I was studying, I learned that God is seeking me every day. I knew I was lost. I asked forgiveness and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior and want to know more about Him and His will for my life. My favorite Bible story was about how David was able to kill the lion and Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

“Thank you so much for the gift box. You have brought me to God!”

Similarly, when we use our gifts, talents, resources, and possessions for the advancement in the Kingdom of God, we make friends that we probably won’t even meet on this side of heaven, but will be received by them when we get there!

Jesus then gives a proverb right in the middle of this, but then applies it to worldly wealth. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much” and then the opposite is true “one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much”. Again, Jesus is NOT commending the manager's dishonesty, but says that we should be faithful in much.

He asks if we have not been faithful with our money, possessions, wealth, etc, how then can we be faithful with the “true riches” -(storing up treasures in heaven)?

verse 12 emphasizes “all that we own is on loan!” In other words, we are steward’s of God’s money and possessions!

Because we are steward’s of God’s possessions, we cannot serve God and money.

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B. Relevance

Q: How should this change our perspective on what we own in relation to God?

A: Discussion

Q: What implications does it have for you today?

A: Discussion

Illustration: I had a roommate in college who was approached outside a Rite Aid by a guy and his girlfriend who asked him for some money to buy a bus ticket. My roommate was someone who lived for Christ and was very compassionate, and gave him some money so that they could ride the bus.

My roommate then some time later saw the same guy and his girlfriend walk outside the drugstore with a couple of ice cream cones and the guy’s eyes went buggy-eyed when he saw my roommate staring at him in disbelief!

Christians do the same thing that the guy and his girlfriend did in that they were given money that was not there’s and did not use it the way the giver, my roommate, had intended them to use it.

- All the money we have is ultimately not our money, but God’s money, and he intends for us to use it for his glory.

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Transition: The next obvious question to that is: “how do we do that?”

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IV. Application - Steward God’s Money Well!

- Obviously this does not mean that we shouldn’t use it for our own well being in this life or even for entertainment! But we are to not make money an end for itself or those things an end in themselves. We need to use it for Kingdom purposes as well.

- One specific way I want to encourage you to apply this is to make a habit of giving regularly.

- One way to do this is to download the Pushpay app onto your phone and to give to the church.

This is one way to be a good steward of your money, when you are able to express your dependence on him and recognize that all of your money comes from him.

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Conclusion:

So often we are like that child who slaps his father’s hand over a french fry because we think it belongs to us when it really belongs to the father. We are not truly owners in this life, but stewards! Only then can we truly have a healthy, eternal perspective.