The unrighteous steward

Let the parables continue

For the outline only:

Jesus had been teaching many parables over the last few chapters and in our passage today, and next week we will see more.

Parable of mustard seed and leaven (Lk13:18-21)

Kingdom starts small, grows

Parable of the guests (Lk14:7-15)

Humility and the dangers of self-promotion

Parable of the banquet (Lk14:16-24)

Do not miss out on the invitation in favor of worldly things.

Parable of lost sheep (Lk15:1-7)

God’s relentless love for the lost soul, His mercy and His care.

Parable of lost coin (Lk15:8-10)

Like the sheep the joy in finding something that is lost, every soul!

Parable of lost son(s) (Lk15:11-32)

The compassion and forgiveness by the Father of a repentant sinner who comes to his senses. And anger, resentment that can be dangerous too.

(Transition) Jesus is now shifting to his disciples in his discussion with some Pharisees listening in, but that will be for next week. He is teaching about stewardship and wealth.

Steward: A steward is a person who handles, manages someone else’s resources.

Theme of the passage

Stewardship, trustworthiness (faithfulness) devotion to God (priorities)

Our Passage

Luke 16:1–2 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.’

Luke 16:3–4 NASB95

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.’

Luke 16:5–6 NASB95

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.’

Luke 16:7–8 NASB95

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.

Luke 16:9–10 NASB95

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.

Luke 16:11–12 NASB95

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?

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.”

Is there anything that sticks out to you in this passage?

Who is Jesus speaking to in this passage (v.1)?

The disciples

The manager knows he is going to be “let go,” what does He did he do (vv.3-7)?

He decided to go to each of the masters debtors and negotiated (my wording) each debt so to find favor with them for the future since he is about to get let go.

How did the rich man respond to the unrighteous manager (v.8)?

He was praised for acting shrewdly.

What is Jesus instructions you find (vv.9-10)?

Make friends using wealth of unrighteousness.

He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much.

What is Jesus warning you find (v.13)?

You cannot serve two masters

Parable of Shrewd manager

The problem: Rich man’s manager is squandering his possessions.

What does squander mean?

waste (something, especially money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner.

He was called to “give an account.” all man will have to give an account one day to the Lord for everything we said and have done.

The unrighteous manager: acts shrewdly in trying to secure his future.

We can see what he did, that is easy to see. But what does the word shrewdly mean?

To act in a way that shows sharp powers of judgment; astutely.

The unrighteous manager knowing he was going to give an account thought about his future and did something about it right then. He used his position right then with eyes looking forward to the future to his next “phase of life” as Guzik puts it. We do that too, we have retirement planning, estate planning, and we hopefully have eternal planning in place too.

The rich man praised him because of his shrewd behavior.

There is nothing in the passage that said he praised his conduct, just praised his shrewdness.

Then Jesus brought in the men of this world (people of this world) acted with forethought more than even the son’s of light (believers).

Lessons from the unrighteous steward.

First, he knew he was going to be called to give an account.

Second, he took advantage of his current position to arrange a comfortable future.

Third, may we not be a people where the people of the world are more shrewd than we are, may we use the resources that God has given us to bring people to Him.

More lessons on stewardship and trustworthiness

What do you see as “Jesus” point in these verses?

Use your resources now with an eye on eternity.

Fun fact: Mammon is from the Aramaic, and it originally meant “That in which one puts one’s trust in.’ hence wealth (quoted by Pate).

Faithfulness in little things demonstrates how you would be with larger things.

When you think of being a good steward, what comes to mind for you? What does being a good steward mean?

As God’s people we are to be good managers of our money, our resources. If we cannot be faithful, a good manager of that, how can we be given care of people and their very lives (Guzik).

Riches belong to God, and we are made stewards of those riches.

The impossible: Serving two masters

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.”

You cannot have two masters, just as a slave cannot have two masters. Jesus tells the crowd it is impossible.

You will sacrifice for your God. If you are willing to sacrifice for the sake of money, but will not sacrifice for the sake of Jesus, do not deceive yourself, money is your God.

A friend once joked that trying to please both God and wealth is like trying to paddle a canoe with one oar. You end up going in circles! When our focus is split between two desires, we can’t move forward effectively. Just like our friend in the canoe, let’s drop one oar and truly row with purpose toward the destination God has for us!

“When God is served, mammon is used beneficently. When mammon is served, the claims of God are ignored.” (Morgan)

Christ calls for loyalty to be singular.

Do you use God’s provision for the kingdom or for self?

We need to examine ourselves and our use of God’s resources (mammon) are we being a good steward and being faithful.

Some thoughts and application

In the opening verses (vv.1-8) what can we learn from the manager’s actions?

When it comes to stewardship what does faithfulness in small matters look like in daily life?

In regards to serving two masters, what may be a sign that money is taking priority over God in our lives?

Application:

Evaluate how you use God’s resources, are they aligned with God’s purpose?

Consider ways to use your God given resources for God’s kingdom

Are you being faithful and responsible in the “little things” God has blessed you with?

Be one who challenges yourself to live a life of integrity in all areas of your life regardless of your circumstances.

Be sure what master you serve.