The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

Introduction

Context: Today we come across what many consider a challenging passage, or even a problematic passage in Scripture. The passage is a parable that Jesus told, and then Jesus’ teaching about the meaning of that parable. As we’ve seen previously parables are short stories that are designed to make a theological point, often with a twist ending. Parables were often shock and awe teaching mechanisms, setting the listener up to see something from a different angle. And in this parable Jesus teaches about a very dishonest man, a liar and cheater, whom we’re supposed to take some positive lesson away from. Interestingly, this is one of Jesus’s most practical parables he tells. The whole thing is about money, and how we handle our money, and what it means to be a Christian with money.

Parable: Let’s begin with a few question to pave the way for where we’re going? Is money a good thing or a bad thing? Are there godly principles for managing my money? Should I try to earn more money if I have the chance? What are things I should avoid when managing my money?

Outline: Today as we study this parable together, I will draw out three pillars of Christian money management. Like I said, this passage is highly practical, and so along the way, I am going to aim at providing simple and very practical principles for us to build our theology of money upon.

Luke 16:1–13 “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. 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.’ 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. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ 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?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons…”

Meaning & Application

Review the General Storyline of the Parable: This parable can a bit difficult to understand the story, so let me break it down in its simplest terms. In this story we encounter a man whose job was to be a steward, or the manager, of a rich man’s wealth. This steward managed essentially the business operations of this wealthy man. In verse 1 we discover that

Luke 16:1 “… charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.”

In other words, the manager that the rich man had hired to manage his wealth, was squandering the rich man’s wealth. He was managing it poorly. And so the rich calls his hired manager, and fires him right there on the spot. And the real dishonesty of this man begins to shine forth. Before he leaves his post, he starts to think to himself how hard life will be without his job as a manager. He doesn’t want to have to resort to begging. So he gets sneaky. He realizes that none of the master’s clients know that he’s been fired yet. So he calls em, and he starts striking deals with them. These clients are thrilled as they’re getting 25% and 50% discounts on their debts. The clients don’t know that the manager is acting out of his own self-interest. The steward’s motivation is simply self-preservation. He wants to make sure that when walks away from this job, which he must because he’s been fired, that there are some people out there that will remember how kind he was to them, and they might be his friend.

When the Master finds out what he’s done, he is surprisingly gracious in his response.

Luke 16:8 “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness…”

Notice, its not his dishonesty that the master commends. The dishonesty is the reason he’s fired. The man was a liar and a bad steward. But the Master commends his shrewdness. Shrewdness is something like: a wisdom to figure out a way to things done. In a way, that master is looking at the steward and saying, “If you would have applied that shrewdness, that business acumen and dealmaking, towards managing my wealth, I would have taken care of you forever. As it is you’re fired because you’re a liar and you’re fired.”

I WE ARE STEWARDS

The first pillar of Christian money management is that we believe we are subjugated stewards (managers) of our wealth, and not authoritative owners. Essentially, this parable is about us. All that we have in this life, is ultimately God’s. He is the Lord, and He by his kindness has placed a certain responsibility upon each of us, in varying degrees to manage his creation and creation order.

The Mistake the Steward Made: The mistake the steward made in the parable is the same mistake we make. He revealed in his deal making with the master’s clients, that in his heart, he really believed it was all his money and he could use it for his own purposes as much as he needed. We are stewards of every good gift that God has given us.

Psalm 24:1 ESV

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

It’s all Gods. From the hair on our head, down to the jobs that we hold, down to the money that we spend, none of it is ours. We are stewards. And like the steward in the parable, we will give an account for how we stewarded that which God assigned us in this life.

Stewards of Everything: To be clear, this idea of being a steward extends far beyond just the wealth that God assigns us. We are stewards of our bodies. This physical body that God grants us is not ours to use however we please. That is why the Apostle writes that we are to

Romans 12:1 “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

We are stewards of talents, our personalities, and our particular influence that God has granted us. These things in our life are not ours to use however we please, but we are stewards of them, to use for God’s intended purposes. Further, we are stewards of our time, the moments of our life. Many of us see our time as our own, to manage as most suits us. But that is to forget that we are but stewards, and that we will give an account for our moments, and how we used our time, and whether we accomplished our own ends or our master’s ends with our time. Every aspect, and every thing, in our life is not our own.

When it Comes to Wealth: When it comes to our wealth, the money that we earn and spend. It’s not ours. We are but subjugated stewards of God’s resources. Whether God grants us extraordinary wealth, or only a small amount in this life, we are stewards. And it is entirely God’s prerogative how he distributes his resources to his stewards. And so when we’re trying to discern how does God want me to manage my money, we must begin with the heart of God. We must begin with “What does God intend this money to be used for.” The truth is that the Bible has a world to say about earning and managing money properly. God has not left us as stewards without clear instructions.

Review: And so the very first mistake is one of mindset. We, like the manager in this story, believe the lie that we are authoritative owners of our wealth, instead of believing the truth that we are subjugated managers of whatever wealth God providentially determines to place in our care.

II APPLY YOUR SHREWDNESS TOWARDS THE KINGDOM

The second pillar of Christian money management is that Christians are called to apply all of our shrewdness, their cunning, their business acumen, their energy, their effort, and their wisdom, towards investing in The Kingdom of God. Too often we mistakenly believe that shrewdness, wherewithal, cunning, and business acumen, are wordly skills that have no benefit to the Kingdom of God.

Shrewdness (v8): Let’s look at the two most difficult verses in this passage again, verses 8 and 9. We’ll go slowly and make sure to get clarity on what he’s saying and instructing.

Luke 16:8 “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.”

Remember the Master does not commend this manager on his dishonesty. He commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. Then Jesus picks up on that word and essentially says, “The sons of this world (nonbelievers) they strive and labor and work and use cunning and shrewdness to achieve their earthly ends. But believers can sometimes be so lazy and nonchalant when it comes to building the Kingdom of God.” Jesus, in effect, is giving a bit of slap towards Christians “sons of light.”

The Kingdom & Gospel: If we apply this to our own lives we might it like this. When you were a nonbeliever, your world ultimately consisted of what you could see with your eyes. You made money and spent money, and built your careers, with whatever goals and plans you had in mind according to this world. But now that you are a “son of light” you know the truth. Christ has come. The eternal one himself, God made flesh, has arrived and he accomplished his work on the cross. Through His death, we have received the forgiveness of sin, a relationship with God. Now, as Christians, there is no deeper foundation of our life, and no higher ideal for our life, than to live fully for God, to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To be his hands and feet as He builds his kingdom. To be his mouth and heart as he ministers to the hurting, and the lost, and the vulnerable around and in this city. You as a Christian are to see the world through the eyes of Christ.

You Would Think: You would think that with that foundation of Christ resurrected from the grave, that Christians would take all of shrewdness to get the job done, and networking skills, and tech savvy skills, and finding a deal skills, and wealth building skills, and organizational leadership skills, and legal skills, and apply it like never before into the Kingdom of God. But they don’t. For some reason, we have this false belief that all of that “shrewdness” is only good for this world, and should not be applied to the Kingdom of God.

Make Friends of Unrighteous Wealth: Then Jesus builds off this in the most extraordinary way. He says,

Luke 16:9 ESV

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 is not a command in any way to make money in an immoral way. The phrase “unrighteous wealth” is best understood as “worldly money.” Jesus is providing commentary on how to use money in this world. So practical! He says “This unjust steward used his money to make friends in this life. But I tell you, use your money to make friends in the next life. Be cunning, and generous, and creative, and effective, so that in eternity they will welcome you.”

Examples: What does this mean? It means, bless people with your money. Bless them! Spend extravagantly, as best as you are able on others in a Kingdom Way. He’s saying to invest in people’s souls extravagantly.

He’s saying spend your money on supporting missionaries. So that one day you get into heaven, and a group of folks walk up to you and say “We never met down on Earth, but you funded Mike and Kimberly and Dan and Megan, and those missionaries that were sent out from Park South Loop, and through them we came to know and love Jesus. Thank you for investing! Spend your money that you might experience that joy!

He’s saying spend your money on Chicago Christian Academy’s of the world, the Christian schools that serving children across the city and teaching them to know and love the Lord and to be world changers. Because you’re going to invest in them now, in the name of Christ, and then one day when you get into heaven, somebody is going to tap you on the shoulder and say, “You provided scholarship for me to go to Chicago Christian Academy, and I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but I met the Lord there, and that group over there, that’s all my kids, and me and my whole family know the Lord because of that scholarship you provided. Spend your money that you might experience that joy!

Illustration: I can’t Wait: What gifts and skills do you have to apply shrewdly in the kingdom? Where can you invest, and who can you invest in, to see people encounter Christ! You know when I get to heaven, I can’t wait to find John Bunyan and tell him how he impacted me even though he lived a few hundred years prior. I can’t wait to find Charles Spurgeon, and I know I’ll be in a long line for him, but when I get to the front, I’ll tell him how much his sermons changed me forever, and impacted all of you. Whose going to tap you on the shoulder? Whose life is deepening in Christ because of your shrewd investment?

III MONEY CANNOT BE OUR GOD

The third pillar of Christian money management, is that we must never permit money to play God in our life. And the sad truth is that that is far too easy to have happen.

Luke 16:10–11 ““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. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”

He is drawing our eyes back to the dishonest manager. And he essentially says that that man had been entrusted with a responsibility to manage the rich man’s wealth, and he failed. And so that rich man did not trust him with more responsibility, but rather took away that little responsibility he already had. A question we might ask is why did that steward behave that way?

Jesus’ Response: Well I think Jesus brilliantly exposes the heart of that dishonest manager, and in so doing exposes a common trap that many of us fall into.

Luke 16:13 “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.””

Money is a very sneaky thing. Like all idols of the heart, money in and of itself is not an evil thing. Jesus is in this passage is teaching us how to think about and how to use money in a way that honors god. Money can be a good thing. But like many good things, if we have the wrong perspective on it, it is able to become an idol. So when Jesus says “You cannot serve God and money.” He is saying that God will not share the throne of your heart with anybody else or anything else. And there is a way to treat money in your heart, in such a way that it begins to compete with God.

Money As An Idol: How does this happen? Let’s think about money for a moment, and let me draw three specific ways that money competes your heart for worship over God, and oftentimes wins.

A False Sense of Security: Money can give a person a false sense of security. If any of you have ever been in a season of life where you have very little money, and its very difficult to get by month from month, you know that feeling of “If only I had some money, I wouldn’t have to choose which bills to pay.” Here’s the thing, that is very real. This is the real world, bills need to get paid. But here is what can happen, very easily. God brings you through that season, and then you get to the other side, and then you say to yourself, “Well I’m going to save up enough money so that I’m never in that circumstance again.” Is it wrong to want to better your circumstance? No! But there is a nuance of the heart that is being revealed there that is treating money as their security and not God. Why do they feel a sense of security? It’s because of money. And so this person reads Psalm 28:7 which says,

Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped…”

But in their hearts, money is their strength and shield. And so if you want to know if money is slipping into an idolatrous place in your heart, begin to do that work of discerning where your heart finds its security. What are you really trusting in?

A False Sense of Joy: Money can give you a false sense of joy. Do you remember our study of Luke 12 the rich man whose crops produced so much excess that he built extra store houses to store it all up. And when it all stored up he said,

Luke 12:19 … “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’”

Where is this man’s joy coming from? Where is his sense of satisfaction coming from? It’s rooted in his money. This person is unable to say with the Psalmist

Psalm 4:7 “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”

And so if we want to know who is on the throne of our heart? Ask yourself where your deepest joy comes from? What makes you leap with satisfaction?

A False Sense of Worth: Third, and perhaps most important, money provides a false sense of worth. When money takes control of a person’s heart, they begin to evaluate themselves and their own worth, and other people and their worth according to their financial success. You remember the story in Scripture of Naaman the leper. Naaman was a very successful man, but he was plagued by leprosy. And when he hears that there is as prophet in Israel might be able to cleanse him, he makes the journey. We’re told

2 Kings 5:5 “… So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.”

Naaman’s attitude is one of, “I’m successful, and therefore God will heal me. I’m worthy of the prophet’s healing.” When he finally get to the prophet Elisha, the prophet instructs to bathe in Jordan River. And Naaman fumes because he feels in his heart that bathing in Jordan River is beneath him. Naaman is extreme example of what money can easily do in our heart. It’s gets a hold of us. We start to think that we’re something, more than somebody else, because we’ve collected some money. Naaman had to be humbled.

The Gospel Frees Us: The truth is that shades of this exist in our hearts. And whenever we discover shades of idolatry working their tendrils and latching onto our hearts, what is the correct step. As Christians, whatever we do, we don’t leave it unchecked. No! We cannot serve and God and money! And I don’t want a small problem in my heart to grow into a big problem! We must repent. We must go before a holy God and confess that money has become an idol. And we get specific and we tell God how it really is. And in our confession and our repentance we look up to the cross of Christ, and we begin to see the depths of why he was sacrificed. His death was for that sin, in whatever degree it inside of you and me. Our idolatry of the heart was the very thing that separated us from God, and therefore it is the very thing that is placed upon the shoulders of Christ as he hung on the cross. God not only forgives us for our idolatry, but like Naaman he desires to cleanse us of it, so that we don’t find ourselves asking who really has the throne of my life. Christ forgives in full!

Practical Application

I began by saying today that I believe is incredibly practical in this text. He’s teaching us how to think about and how to use our money as he intended. I’d like to close today with five very simple and very practical applications, as a way of shaping our attitudes around money faithfully.

Make Money: First, make money. There was a period in church history, before the Reformation, when it was commonly believed the true sign of godliness, were those who took a vow of poverty. And then the protestants came along (that’s you and me), and said “Wow, that is really not biblical.” The Bible instructs to make wealth. To provide for our families. To work diligently. The Bible teaches us that those who do not work, do not eat. There is no free handouts for the lazy. Work hard and make money. Richard Baxter, a great Pastor of many years ago wrote these words about a Christian’s duty to make wealth.

“If God shows you a way in which you lawfully get more than in another way (without wrong to your soul, or to any other), if you refuse this, and choose the less gainful way, you cross one of the ends of your calling, and you refuse to be God’s steward.”

Save Money: Second, save money. Again here, money can become an idol, it can become a false security. But there is wisdom in saving money properly.

Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

I think that sometimes we have Christians feel like they’re doing something worldly or ungodly if they seek to accrue wealth. As God permits, use wisdom and good skills and shrewdness to save, and invest. Remember, a savings account can become an idol, and so we do not make the depth of our savings the single driving passion of our money management. But we aim to save and invest responsibly.

Pay Off Good Debt Fast & Don’t Take Bad Debt: Third, pay off good debt as fast as you can, and avoid taking on bad debt. Good debt is something like a responsible mortgage or a responsible school loan. It’s “good” because the idea is that it will accrue more wealth for you in the long run. There are of course bad mortgages, poorly structured mortgages, and excessive interest rates on school loans, that you should use shrewdness in avoiding. But a responsible mortgage permits somebody to begin owning property earlier than they would otherwise own, and property historically is a wealth creating asset. Bad debt, historically is something like credit card debt. It’s bad, because its not building wealth.

Proverbs 22:26–27 “Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts. If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?”

You don’t want to owe people money, especially credit card companies.

Give As Generously As You are Able: Learn to give generously and radically. Remember this passage from today. Use your money to build relationships in eternity. Push yourself to be creative in your generosity. Support ministries and missionaries. Buy people’s meals for them unexpectedly. When you hear someone is struggling in the church, find a way to bless them, to alleviate their hardship. Remember the stewardship principle, the money is not ours to begin with. We are stewarding the Lord’s money.

Keep a Close Eye on Fleshly Desires: Fifth and finally, keep a very close eye on desires for extravagance. John Robinson, another Pastor from long ago wrote that,

“Both poverty and riches have their temptations… And of the two states… the temptations of riches are the more dangerous.”

Keep a very close eye on your hearts desire for the finer things. If God so grants you some attainment of wealth in this life, commit yourself to intentionally living below your means. Commit yourself to not being flashy with your stewardship. Guard your heart tremendously. Riches have a way of numbing a man to God. Of lowering the volume with which we he belts out hymns on a Sunday morning in the gathered Church, of causing a malaise to come over his own private bible study. Guard your heart preciously, for “you cannot serve both God and money.”