7 July 2018 — The unjust servant
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Of the nearly forty parables told by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels, about one third of them deal in some way with money. That money played such a prominent role in the teaching of Jesus is not surprising, since it has a dominant role in society and the lives of individuals. People spend much of their time thinking about money; how to acquire it, spend it, save it, invest it, borrow it, keep track of it, and sometimes give it away. The widespread preoccupation with money that dominates today’s society results in anxiety, covetousness, selfishness, greediness, discontent, idolatry, and pride.
Scripture has much to say about money, including how to obtain it, how to regard it, and how to use it.
The Bible reveals both right and wrong ways to obtain money. The most important way to make money is through work. says,
In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty.
Proverbs
and Paul wrote that those who refuse to work should not eat ().
“In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (cf. 6:6–11; 20:4; 28:19), and Paul wrote that those who refuse to work should not eat ().
Second, money can be obtained by saving for the future. Solomon wrote:
There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it.
Third, money can be obtained through proper assessment of one’s resources and wise planning. Solomon advised,
“There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,” wrote Solomon, “but a foolish man swallows it up” (; cf. 30:24–25).
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks,
And attend to your herds;
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
Third, money can be obtained through proper assessment of one’s resources and wise planning. Solomon advised, “Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations” ().
Finally, money can be obtained through gifts ().
“Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations” ().
Finally, money can be obtained through gifts ().
On the other hand, there are wrong ways to get money, including stealing (whether directly [; ], or by fraud [; ; ; ]), charging exorbitant interest on loans (; ; , ; ; ), withholding from others what is due them (), or gambling, which foolishly trusts in chance rather than in the providence of God.
Scripture reveals both the right way and the wrong way to regard money. The right attitude is to acknowledge that God owns everything (; ), and is the source of people’s ability to earn money (; cf. ).
The wrong way to regard money is to love it, which leads to disastrous consequences (). Loving money is destructive (), numbering among its victims Achan (), Balaam (), Judas (; ), and Ananias and Saphira (). Loving money leads to a lack of trust in God (; ; ), results in ungratefulness and pride (), and causes people to behave foolishly (), rob God (), and be indifferent to the needs of others ().
The Bible also establishes the proper use of money. People are to earn it to support themselves (), their families (), and their nation (), as well as to help people in need (; ).
Above and beyond those things, there are some necessary biblical prerequisites to giving to kingdom purposes. First, those who would truly honor God in giving must transfer ownership of their money, possessions, time, and talents to Him. Second, they must make exalting Christ and proclaiming the gospel the supreme purpose of their lives. Finally, they must put themselves in a position to use their money to honor God by taking steps to get out of debt (paying bills, prioritizing spending, eliminating nonessential spending, selling items that perpetuate debt, refusing to borrow money for luxuries, pursuing contentment, etc.).
Several principles mark New Testament giving. First, for the Christian giving offering is entirely voluntary (cf. ). Second, the tithes that Belong to God are given out of duty for God. It is not to be done in a legalistic way, but out of love and gratitude towards God. It is to be willing, joyful, eager, enthusiastic, and from the heart. It is also to be secret, unlike the showy public giving of legalists and hypocrites (), regular and systematic (), and motivated by love, not legalistic compulsion ().
The argument that Christians are biblically mandated to tithe ten percent of their income is based on a flawed understanding of the Old Testament. (For a discussion of tithing, see 2 Corinthians, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2003], 281–83; Whose Money Is It, Anyway? [Nashville: Word, 2000].) Far from being legalistic, giving is to be willing, joyful, eager, enthusiastic, and from the heart. It is also to be secret, unlike the showy public giving of legalists and hypocrites (), regular and systematic (), and motivated by love, not legalistic compulsion ().
In this parable and His application of it, the Lord redirects our attitudes and establishes His will for believers concerning wealth.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp. 332–334). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Body
Anita Sharpe, writing in the April 5, 1996 edition of the Wall Street Journal, penned a penetrating article entitled “More Spiritual Leaders Preach the Virtue of Wealth.” The opening line reads: “God has a new co-pilot: Midas.” Her thesis is that the convergence of the conspicuous consumption of the 1980s and the more spiritual focus of the 1990s has produced a climate in which virtually every religious expression is preaching the spiritual virtue of wealth: Jews, charismatics, evangelicals, liberals, and New-Agers.
Anita Sharpe, writing in the April 5, 1996 edition of the Wall Street Journal, penned a penetrating article entitled “More Spiritual Leaders Preach the Virtue of Wealth.” The opening line reads: “God has a new co-pilot: Midas.” Her thesis is that the convergence of the conspicuous consumption of the 1980s and the more spiritual focus of the 1990s has produced a climate in which virtually every religious expression is preaching the spiritual virtue of wealth: Jews, charismatics, evangelicals, liberals, and New-Agers.
She reports that a large charismatic church in Seattle hosted a seminar led by conservative Jew Paul Zane Pilzer on the topic of his book God Wants You to Be Rich. The church’s pastor is quoted as saying that the denomination’s college uses God Wants You to Be Rich as a text: “It’s a kind of foundation for our economics class.” God supposedly wants every layperson, pastor, and missionary to be rich. Ms. Sharpe goes on to report on two Chicago churches, one evangelical and one liberal, that have had huge responses to seminars about money and the Bible.
She concludes her article with snippets from New-Age spokespersons such as Catherine Ponder of the Unity Church Worldwide who sponsors “prosperity dial-a-thought” and Deepak Chopra’s best-selling The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success, which draws from the Bible, Khalil Gibran, Lao-tzu, and the Rig-Veda. New-Agers even have a retreat center devoted to success and affluence—the Little Horse Spa for the Spirit.
Many in our culture, from evangelicals to New-Agers, are doing their best to serve God and mammon. But as Christians we want to know what Jesus says about all this, and we find out in Luke’s Gospel. We have heard him in the jolting woe of the Sermon on the Plain (“Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort,” 6:24) and in the pungent Parable of the Rich Fool in 12:13–21. Now Jesus raised the issue again in the successive parables of the dishonest manager (16:1–13) and the rich man and Lazarus (16:19–31) and not much later in the account of the rich ruler (18:18–30), followed by the story of Zacchaeus who gave half his possessions to the poor (19:1–9). Jesus has indeed spoken on the issue!
On this occasion he began by telling his followers, through parable and specific lessons, what should be their (and our) attitude toward wealth and possessions.
THE PARABLE (VV. 1–8A)
The parable is straightforward. There is nothing allegorical in it. It has no hidden meaning. It is the story of a dishonest household manager who has a terminal confrontation with his boss, engages in some serious reflection, and comes up with an ingenious solution.
The confrontation is a firing. If you have ever been fired, you know it leaves you with an empty feeling to say the least. It happened to me when I was a young teenager who was not performing to my boss’s expectations. He said something like, “Your time with us is terminated,” and I said “What’s terminated?” In the following minutes he added to my vocabulary! I had a slow, low walk home.
In Jesus’ tale, the terminated man was a scoundrel and wastrel, and he deserved what he got. His boss didn’t waste any words:
He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
In todayterms, “Give me all your records, and clean out your desk. You’re outta here!” This is depressing, even if you are a crook.
“What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer” (v. 2). In todayterms, “Give me all your records, and clean out your desk. You’re outta here!” This is depressing, even if you are a crook.
Even if you are not given to deep thought, being sacked is cause for reflection, especially if you’re thoroughly white-collar with no calluses except on your elbow from “tipping a few.” The thought of manual labor was unacceptable. And begging? The non-canonical book of Ecclesiasticus says, “It is better to die than to beg” (46:28b). The man’s musings sound like a soliloquy from an opera:
“Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’
The solution that he dreamed up was pretty slick. You can see him high-fiving the air and shouting, “Yes!” In order to get the sense of just how clever this was, we must understand that it was illegal in Jewish culture to charge interest to fellow Jews (cf. ; ; ). There was no such thing as principal and interest. So they would hide the business interest by hiding it in the loan, so that the principal included the interest. It was not unknown to charge as much as 100 percent interest on profitable commodities. The manager, according to common, accepted business practice, was making such usurious loans, just like everyone else.
“What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—I know what I’ll do so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses” (vv. 3, 4).
The solution that he dreamed up was pretty slick. You can see him high-fiving the air and shouting, “Yes!” In order to get the sense of just how clever this was, we must understand that it was illegal in Jewish culture to charge interest to fellow Jews (cf. ; ; ). There was no such thing as principal and interest. So they would hide the business interest by hiding it in the loan, so that the principal included the interest. It was not unknown to charge as much as 100 percent interest on profitable commodities. The manager, according to common, accepted business practice, was making such usurious loans, just like everyone else.
Thus the solution:
“So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred’ ” (vv. 5, 6).
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred’ ” (vv. 5, 6). The truth is, the debtor actually only owed 400 gallons of oil. The other 400 were the manager’s commission. The debt had been large (800 gallons was the yield of 146 olive trees). Accordingly, the debt reduction was massive.
The truth is, the debtor actually only owed 400 gallons of oil. The other 400 were the manager’s commission. The debt had been large (800 gallons a hundred measures was the yield of 146 olive trees). Accordingly, the debt reduction was massive.
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred’ ” (v. 7). Here he wrote off a 20 percent commission on a less inflationary commodity.
Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
Here he wrote off a 20 percent commission on a less inflationary commodity.
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred’ ” (v. 7). Here he wrote off a 20 percent commission on a less inflationary commodity.
The manager did this with “every one of his master’s debtors ” (v. 5)—and every one of them thus became his debtor. So when the unemployed manager would show up over the years as he made his rounds, there would always be a room and a table set for him. What a rascal this creative crook was!
As the disciples listened, they were expecting to hear how the master cleverly extricated himself and gave the crook his due. Imagine their surprise, and I think laughter, when Jesus said,
So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
[end with ....dealt shewdly…]
He did not approve of what his ex-employee had done, but he certainly admired his foresight and astuteness. This was one smooth operator. He was so quick, so artful, so utterly cool in looking out for Number One.
LESSONS TO BE LEARNED (VV. 8B–13)
While the disciples were admiring the surprise turn in the story, Jesus turned it on them, perhaps with a smile himself:
So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
Lu
[begin with …For the sons…]
The dishonest manager had faced reality. He refused to live with his head in the sand. If he did not do something fast, he would be out on the street. He used all his intelligence, wit, and energy to insure his earthly comfort. In contrast, “the people of the light” stand on the edge of eternity but lack the vision, foresight, and strength of will to do anything about it—especially in their relationships with others. If only Christians would give as much attention to the things that concern eternity as they do to their worldly business.… If only we would be as spiritually shrewd as the corrupt manager was in temporal pursuits.
Lesson #1
Jesus went on,
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.
Literally, “they [i.e., the friends you have made with your worldly wealth] will receive you into eternal dwellings.”
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (v. 9). Literally, “they [i.e., the friends you have made with your worldly wealth] will receive you into eternal dwellings.”
Just who are these “friends” who will receive us into Heaven? Many scholars think this refers to God himself, because Jewish literature often referred to God in the divine plural (“they”) to avoid using the name of God. Others think “friends” refers to people who have been spiritually benefited by one’s wealth. The word may include both God and redeemed humanity welcoming a newly departed and generous believer to glory. What a picture! God, his angels, and grateful souls—eternal friends, those who have heard the gospel because of one’s giving—greeting and leading a faithful believer into the eternal tents. St. Ambrose said, “The bosoms of the poor, the houses of widows, the mouths of children are the barns which last forever.”4
What is inescapably clear here is that our wealth and possessions are to be used to win eternal friends. This is the proper use of what we have. We must give generously of our money for the furtherance of the gospel. If we are not doing so, we are not making proper use of what God has given us and we are not enhancing eternal friendships. This is an intensely spiritual matter.
We must also use our possessions to gain eternal friends. It is not enough to give money—we must devote our personal belongings to making eternal friends as well. The mere giving of money can be so sanitized and insulating, but when we use our homes for others, so that our personal space is loaned to others, when we use our vacation homes to refresh others, or let others borrow our cars, then we have begun to touch upon what Christ says.
One thing is sure: our worldly wealth will go somewhere—we cannot hang on to it. One day our most precious things will fit in a hospital drawer. The only wealth that will endure is that which has been invested in others for the sake of Christ and his gospel.
Is our use of our money bringing us closer to God? Have we used our wealth and possessions to gain eternal friends?
Lesson #2
Jesus next taught that we must be trustworthy with money:
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
Some neuter this text by confining it to the general principle of verse 10—namely, if you are faithful in small things, God will trust you with much. Of course, that principle is true, and it has been lived out millions of times among God’s people. But verses 10–12 are a unit, and Jesus is talking about money! Verse 11 means that if you have not been faithful with money, “worldly wealth,” God will not trust you with true spiritual riches—the care of souls, missions, evangelism, the oversight of his church.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (vv. 10–12). Some neuter this text by confining it to the general principle of verse 10—namely, if you are faithful in small things, God will trust you with much. Of course, that principle is true, and it has been lived out millions of times among God’s people. But verses 10–12 are a unit, and Jesus is talking about money! Verse 11 means that if you have not been faithful with money, “worldly wealth,” God will not trust you with true spiritual riches—the care of souls, missions, evangelism, the oversight of his church.
Frankly, this is where many would-be Christian leaders fall short. They simply are not trustworthy with their money. For them, God is sovereign in everything but money. God needs “help” in financial matters, a little crossing of the line here and there. Second to sensuality, this is the greatest stumbling block of pastors. I was recently informed of a minister in a prominent church who was dismissed because he had not paid his income taxes for five years.
Again, some Christian leaders cultivate a public impression of generosity and magnanimity but give only a pittance, thus falling short in the integrity of stewardship. Jesus is clear: one must be trustworthy with money if he or she is to be trusted with spiritual riches. Jesus says it again, with a different twist:
And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
If you have not been trustworthy with the material possessions God has given you to manage, how can he give you eternal spiritual possessions of your own? We are merely stewards of our material wealth—God is the owner. Martin Luther lived with this perspective. He wrote:
“And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (v. 12). If you have not been trustworthy with the material possessions God has given you to manage, how can he give you eternal spiritual possessions of your own? We are merely stewards of our material wealth—God is the owner. Martin Luther lived with this perspective. He wrote:
Therefore we must use all these things upon earth in no other way than as a guest who travels through the land and comes to a hotel where he must lodge overnight. He takes only food and lodging from the host, and he says not that the property of the host belongs to him. Just so should we also treat our temporal possessions, as if they were not ours, and enjoy only so much of them as we need to nourish the body and then help our neighbors with the balance. Thus the life of the Christian is only a lodging for the night, since we have here no continuing city, but must journey on to heaven, where the Father is.
One’s use of money and spirituality are inseparably bound together. The sooner we realize this and do something about it, the better for our souls.
Lesson #3
It is totally impossible to serve both God and money:
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Luke 16:13
This is radical. There is no middle ground. If we are devoted to money, we will “despise” God with our intellect and “hate” him with our emotions—the totality of our being.
“No servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money” (v. 13). This is radical. There is no middle ground. If we are devoted to money, we will “despise” God with our intellect and “hate” him with our emotions—the totality of our being.
New-Agers feel no tension about this because God, self, and money are all tied up together in one profound idolatry (cf. ). We Christians are the ones who feel the tension because duty pulls us in one direction and the pressures of daily life in the other.
A few words of qualification before we go on: We all go through times when a material focus is required—the purchase of a home, remodeling, redecorating, buying a car, the management of investments, etc. We live in a material world, which requires attention. Also, the possession of wealth, even great wealth, does not make one a materialist, though it dramatically increases the danger. Jesus said,
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I have known rich people who lived very well but were not materialists. Furthermore, as a Ugandan friend observed of us Americans, “You are all wealthy.” So the application is relevant to all of us.
I have known rich people who lived very well but were not materialists. Furthermore, as a Ugandan friend observed of us Americans, “You are all wealthy.” So the application is relevant to all of us.
Having said this, I am sure that while as a group we subscribe to the truth that we cannot serve God and mammon, we nevertheless attempt to do both. And we are good at it. Perhaps the best in the world. We are so good that we think we are serving only God.
But we are often failures. And we know it because of the way we talk about these things with our spouses and friends. What usually characterizes your husband-and-wife talks? Your house, shopping, a new car? What is it that you most want to talk about with your friends? “Have you seen my …?” “Let me show you …” We all need to be on our guard in this area.
CLOSING REFLECTIONS
Jesus was so forthright in these lessons. Make friends through your use of money. Use your money to gain friendship with God and people so that both Heaven and redeemed humanity will welcome you home in eternity. Be faithful with money because if you do, God will entrust you with true spiritual riches. And remember, you cannot serve both God and money, period. Serve God only. Use your money to serve him.
The Lord calls us to be shrewd, to use all our mind, intellect, and will in the management of money, so that we will be welcomed above. What are we doing with our money? How shrewd and calculated are we with our wealth so we can make sure we are gaining eternal friends to welcome us to Heaven?
It must begin with giving. Dr. Carl F. H. Henry, the dean of evangelical theologians, was asked in a 1990 interview, “One of the major weaknesses, perhaps, of the Western church is our affluence. What kind of crippling effect has this had on the Western church and what can we do to remedy that?”
Dr. Henry answered:
I don’t think that God despises riches; in fact, He gives them to us. What He despises is the misuse of them, and He rewards stewardship. Even Christian missions owe a great debt to the consecrated and often sacrificial philanthropy of well-to-do Christian leaders. What we need to do is enlarge the vision and burden of those to whom God has given much so they understand that they have an opportunity that is rare in the history of Christianity to substantially advance the way of Christ.
Our giving must be matched by the sharing of all we have for the well-being and refreshment of God’s people and the proclamation of the gospel.
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 147–153). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.