Session 7 Exploit Your Friends

We rightly associate all things righteous and holy with Jesus Christ. Yet in one parable, Jesus seems to endorse the unrighteous behavior of an individual. On closer examination, we see that Jesus was not approving the man’s practice but He was able to identify a principle from the man’s behavior that could be useful. Believers are to seize opportunities to use their resources wisely to accomplish kingdom goals.

This is probably the most confusing of all Jesus’ parables and certainly is the one that has generated the most divergent theories as to what it means. Three issues will help greatly.

1. There is a question as to whether this is primarily a business setting centering on interest accrued on a loan (the laws of usury), or whether it is an agricultural setting centering on crops paid by tenant farmers to an owner. The latter is a far more plausible scenario for Galilee, an agricultural province, and more in keeping with Jesus’ usual parables, so often set in farming situations. Moreover, the fact that the payments are in farm goods (16:5–7) is evidence for an agriculture setting.

2. Is the dishonesty stated in verse 8 referring to the entire story, so that he was fired for dishonest actions in verses 1–2, or is it restricted to verses 5–7? As I will be saying, the latter is more likely. The opening centers on incompetence rather than dishonesty.

3. Does the story end at the end of verse 7 (1–7, 8–9, 10–13), at verse 8a (1–8a, 8b–9, 10–13), or at verse 9 (1–9, 10–13)? The tone of verses 8b–9 fits the conclusion that it is Jesus’ explanation of the parable and makes the second option the best of the three.

Let’s go to

Luke 16:1–2 ESV

1 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. 2 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.’

Who is the audience here? Look back at (and )

Luke 15:1–2 ESV

1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 16:14 ESV

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.

The audience for the parable of the dishonest manager included Christ’s disciples (v. 1) and also the Pharisees (v. 14).

The manager is the steward in charge of the estate, a trusted servant who exercised the chief responsibility for the management and distribution of the household goods. The manager acted as the agent for his master, and had full authority to transact business on behalf of his master.

“Wasting his possessions” was not dishonesty but incompetence. It is the same term (diaskorpizō) as in , when the prodigal son “squandered his wealth.” It probably means he invested the profits very poorly and lost his master huge amounts of money.

So his master calls him to account and gives him the ultimatum. He now needs to get the books in order and “give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.” He is fired. All that was left was giving an inventory of the financial situation for his successor. The manager can make no reply, for he is clearly guilty of all charges.

Can you already get a sense of how Jesus is setting them up?

Let’s move to

wasting his possessions. The manager’s dishonesty is a central theme woven throughout the parable. The manager is clearly guilty as charged, because when the master fired him (v. 2), the manager made no attempt to defend himself (v. 3).

Luke 16:3–9 ESV

3 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. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ 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?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 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. 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.

Luke 16:3-9

As you read the thoughts of the manager, what do you feel like his primary concern is?

Worldliness and how the world sees him.

He is too weak to work as a common laborer (“not strong enough to dig”) and too proud to become a lowly beggar (“ashamed to beg”). He is committed to only one thing—finding a job that allows him to maintain his status in society. He would like a parallel move to the same kind of job. The question is how to accomplish that given the situation.

In what way do we see this desire reinforced in verses 5-7?

He still controls the books, and all he has to do is make a couple of subtle changes to make himself look good to prospective bosses (possibly the debtors themselves). He is willing to commit fraud to ensure a temporary home on earth.

The first creditor owed a hundred measures (about 875 gallons) of olive oil

The second owed a hundred measures (about 1,100 bushels) of wheat. The olive oil’s amount was cut in half, while only 20 percent was removed from the wheat, probably because olive oil could easily be watered down. It has been estimated that the amount saved for each of them was close to 500 denarii, or about sixteen months’ wages.

The first creditor owed a hundred measures (about 875 gallons) of olive oil, and the second owed a hundred measures (about 1,100 bushels) of wheat. The olive oil’s amount was cut in half, while only 20 percent was removed from the wheat, probably because olive oil could easily be watered down. It has been estimated that the amount saved for each of them was close to 500 denarii, or about sixteen months’ wages. It has also been thought it would take about 150 trees and a couple hundred acres of land to produce that much, so these were large tenant farms and fairly wealthy tenant farmers. They were saved a small fortune and would have owed a great deal of gratitude to the manager.

What does he do to create a conspiracy?

He had the debtors change their own bills and so made them complicit in the fraud. He probably believed that in so doing they would have to pay him back in kind and give him a job.

Does verse 8 surprise you? What is the meaning here?

Instead of having the crooked manager arrested and thrown in jail, which is what would happen in any normal society, he praises the man “because he had acted shrewdly.”

The key is that the master (kyrios) is neither God nor Jesus, as some have supposed. This is a parable about the secular world and the way it operates. The phrase “dishonest manager” in the niv literally means “unrighteous steward” in the Greek, meaning he is the perfect representative of this unrighteous world in his actions. This is a parable about worldliness.

It is the very shock of this that is Jesus’ point. He is describing the illogical ways of the secular world. It is like the “golden rule” of Wall Street, “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” In other words, get ahead at any cost. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

No owner in all of history has ever commended a man who has defrauded him of a small fortune. Many point out that he praises the shrewdness, not the act of dishonesty, but they are one and the same act. You cannot separate them so easily. This is the supreme example of the reversal of expectation. It is the very shock of this that is Jesus’ point. He is describing the illogical ways of the secular world. It is like the “golden rule” of Wall Street, “Do unto others before they can do unto you.” In other words, get ahead at any cost. This is a parable about worldly shrewdness and the absolute dichotomy between the financial ways of the world and that of the kingdom people. The manager did find the solution and was able to solve his dilemma, but he did so at the cost of his moral values. The flip side, the way to get ahead with God, is the subject of 16:8b–9.

This is a parable about worldly shrewdness and the absolute dichotomy between the financial ways of the world and that of the kingdom people. The manager did find the solution and was able to solve his dilemma, but he did so at the cost of his moral values.

The world’s citizens, however, are only of this age. They have no future beyond the here and now. Children of light will shine through all the ages of eternity. Live now so you are assured of eternity.

God’s people are the polar opposite of the world. People get ahead in the world by taking everything they can for themselves. The saints get ahead with God by using what they have to help others. Christ followers repudiate the manipulative techniques of the world and so are the opposite of both the manager and the owner. Jesus is interpreting his own parable and applying it to his listeners. The key is the great contrast between “the people of this world” and “the people of the light,” namely, the secular person and the Christian. There is a lesson to be learned: the shrewd act of the manager showed that he as an “unrighteous” agent of this world knew how to use his resources for his advantage. He and other worldly people are “more shrewd” than believers who belong to “the light” of God. They know how to get ahead in this world (“dealing with their own kind”), while believers don’t know how to get ahead with God, namely, how to use their resources wisely.

In verse 9 Jesus proceeds to answer the dilemma and tell his followers how to be “shrewd” with their “worldly wealth.” It is exactly opposite from what the manager did. He stole his master’s resources for his own needs, but he did it to “gain friends” (the debtors) and get a job that would provide an earthly, temporary home for himself. Most likely it didn’t last long. The one thing that didn’t change was his incompetence, so it is doubtful that his new job lasted much longer than his first one had. Jesus is telling his followers that they too need to use their worldly wealth to “gain friends for yourselves,” but in this case it could actually be seen as an idiom for almsgiving. We are shrewd when we use our resources to help others and to benefit the kingdom. As in 6:20–26; 12:13–21, 33–34, possessions should be seen as a divinely bestowed treasure to be used to benefit others more than self. This is the primary difference between followers of Christ and the shrewd manager.

Jesus here turns to the eschatological reality in which the saints use this life to prepare for the next. He concludes (in the Greek) with “they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” Most see the third plural “they” as passive in thrust, “you will be,” a reference to God welcoming us to heaven. This could well be, but I prefer to keep the “they,” with it meaning that the people we have helped will be in heaven to welcome us there. They will be our heavenly reward, all the good we have done with our resources. Everything we spend helping others is immediately banked in heaven waiting for us to arrive to collect the rewards we have earned. The manager had only temporary rewards and a temporary home, but ours is eternal.

What did a manager without a job do? He knew he was too old and out of shape to go back to manual labor. He was too proud to beg for help from his friends, or worse, to sit on the street corner, hat in hand. Using all his managerial skills, he developed a plan. He would not have to beg. Friends would welcome him with open arms.

16:5–7. The plan was simple: a fire sale on debt. Perhaps the men he called in were tenant farmers who worked the land and gave a percentage of the crop to the landowner. The first owed one hundred baths of olive oil, a bath being about nine gallons. The manager reduced the 900-gallon debt to 450. The second tenant owed one hundred kors of wheat. The precise equivalent of a kor is not known. Scholarly estimates vary from six and one-half to twelve bushels. This debt was reduced by twenty percent. Certainly these were simply examples. Other people also took advantage of the manager’s situation and his debt fire sale.

What was happening here? Another example of squandering his master’s wealth? Perhaps. The manager may have been illegally reducing debt. He may have been subtracting interest that had accrued on the debt in violation of biblical teaching (see Deut. 23:19–20). He may have been sacrificing his own commission for long-term gains. Jesus did not condone the man’s business practice as legal or one to be imitated by others. This was a long-term plan by the manager to have friends indebted to him when he needed them. But how would the landowner react when he heard the news or saw the books?

16:8. Ironically, the landowner praised the man. Why? Because his business plan was smart and it accomplished the purposes the manager set out for it. First, it made the landowner look good in the eyes of those who were indebted to him and who continued to do business with him. Second, it looked forward to the long term rather than being limited to the present moment. Third, it assured people would be indebted to the manager and thus honor bound to help him when he would need it, much sooner than they suspected.

Jesus put the parable in context. In this world the children of light—those who have become lamps letting God’s light shine through them (11:35–36)—often are much more foolish in their dealings with other people than are the secular people who have no concern for God. God’s people should be as dedicated to living out kingdom living with other people in this world as the people of this world are in living out their own values to their own advantage in this world. The world’s citizens, however, are only of this age. They have no future beyond the here and now. Children of light will shine through all the ages of eternity. Live now so you are assured of eternity.

In verse 9, the term “unrighteous wealth” is used. what does that mean to you?

Unrighteous wealth probably refers to the way in which the pursuit of money may often involve: (1) unrighteous means in acquiring wealth by taking advantage of others; (2) unrighteous desires in the use of wealth for personal gratification and selfish purposes, rather than for the care and well-being of others; and (3) the corrupting influence of wealth that often leads people into unrighteousness.

The word translated here as “wealth” is a Hebrew and Aramaic term (Hb. and Aramaic mamon; Gk. mamōnas; English “mammon”) for wealth and possessions (including money).

Because wealth will inevitably fail both to satisfy and to provide for eternal needs, Jesus exhorts his disciples to make friends for yourselves in the generous use of wealth and possessions for the care and well-being of others, so that when wealth does fail, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

16:9 And I tell you is a solemn expression stressing the importance of the application, which Jesus now states by admonishing his disciples to be generous in their use of money and possessions. Unrighteous wealth probably refers to the way in which the pursuit of money may often involve: (1) unrighteous means in acquiring wealth by taking advantage of others; (2) unrighteous desires in the use of wealth for personal gratification and selfish purposes, rather than for the care and well-being of others; and (3) the corrupting influence of wealth that often leads people into unrighteousness. The word translated here as “wealth” is a Hebrew and Aramaic term (Hb. and Aramaic mamon; Gk. mamōnas; English “mammon”) for wealth and possessions (including money) and is the same word translated “money” in v. 13 (see ESV footnote). so that when it fails. Because wealth will inevitably fail both to satisfy and to provide for eternal needs, Jesus exhorts his disciples to make friends for yourselves in the generous use of wealth and possessions for the care and well-being of others, so that when wealth does fail, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. “They” probably refers to the “friends” who have been helped by such generous giving. Believers who use their wealth and possessions generously in this way give evidence of their faith and commitment to God and of their understanding that God will give eternal rewards to those who are generous in their use of the resources he has entrusted to them.

Believers who use their wealth and possessions generously in this way give evidence of their faith and commitment to God and of their understanding that God will give eternal rewards to those who are generous in their use of the resources he has entrusted to them.

Let’s finish with

Luke 16:10–12 ESV

10 “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. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

Make an argument here for equating what Jesus is saying to our sanctification process.

God’s people are the polar opposite of the world. People get ahead in the world by taking everything they can for themselves. The saints get ahead with God by using what they have to help others. Christ followers repudiate the manipulative techniques of the world and so are the opposite of both the manager and the owner. Jesus is interpreting his own parable and applying it to his listeners. The key is the great contrast between “the people of this world” and “the people of the light,” namely, the secular person and the Christian. There is a lesson to be learned: the shrewd act of the manager showed that he as an “unrighteous” agent of this world knew how to use his resources for his advantage. He and other worldly people are “more shrewd” than believers who belong to “the light” of God. They know how to get ahead in this world (“dealing with their own kind”), while believers don’t know how to get ahead with God, namely, how to use their resources wisely.

In verse 9 Jesus proceeds to answer the dilemma and tell his followers how to be “shrewd” with their “worldly wealth.” It is exactly opposite from what the manager did. He stole his master’s resources for his own needs, but he did it to “gain friends” (the debtors) and get a job that would provide an earthly, temporary home for himself. Most likely it didn’t last long. The one thing that didn’t change was his incompetence, so it is doubtful that his new job lasted much longer than his first one had. Jesus is telling his followers that they too need to use their worldly wealth to “gain friends for yourselves,” but in this case it could actually be seen as an idiom for almsgiving. We are shrewd when we use our resources to help others and to benefit the kingdom. As in 6:20–26; 12:13–21, 33–34, possessions should be seen as a divinely bestowed treasure to be used to benefit others more than self. This is the primary difference between followers of Christ and the shrewd manager.

Jesus here turns to the eschatological reality in which the saints use this life to prepare for the next. He concludes (in the Greek) with “they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” Most see the third plural “they” as passive in thrust, “you will be,” a reference to God welcoming us to heaven. This could well be, but I prefer to keep the “they,” with it meaning that the people we have helped will be in heaven to welcome us there. They will be our heavenly reward, all the good we have done with our resources. Everything we spend helping others is immediately banked in heaven waiting for us to arrive to collect the rewards we have earned. The manager had only temporary rewards and a temporary home, but ours is eternal.

Second Application: Faithful with Earthly Resources (16:10–13)

Jesus now uses a series of contrasts between the unfaithfulness of the manager and the trustworthiness expected of his disciples. The first is at the heart of stewardship—if we can be trusted in the small things of life (money), we can be trusted with the great things (kingdom resources). The manager showed this with respect to his “shrewd” use of dishonesty, but God wants to know if similar prudence will be exercised in us as well. God wants faithful stewards, and that means an absence of self-centered behavior.

Turning to specifics, good stewardship means trustworthiness in handling “worldly wealth” (16:11). This is what the parable was all about. The “little” would be day-to-day use of our physical resources, and the “true riches” would be the kingdom resources God has made available to us. If we are unfaithful with the earthly possessions he has given us, he can never trust us with kingdom riches. The point is that God has made us stewards in the arena of our earthly lives and ministries, and if we cannot handle that, then we will also misuse heavenly treasures. Many think the future tense here refers especially to the age to come, referring to an absence of heavenly reward for those who fail to use their resources for his glory.

In this light our earthly possessions are called “someone else’s property,” namely, God’s (16:12). All we have actually belongs to him, and he has placed it under our care to manage. This would include spiritual realities, for it more literally reads “what belongs to another,” broadening the field from material possessions to everything we have from God. These three verses look at this life as a proving ground for heaven. God is seeing where our priorities are and with what he can trust us. Our wealth, our possessions, and our ministry to others and the church must demonstrate faithful stewardship, and that will determine what is ours in heaven. These verses actually provide important material for a biblical doctrine of rewards.

The conclusion summarizes the issue (16:13). The question is who we will serve with allegiance and commitment. We must make a conscious choice, for “no one can serve two masters.” It was not impossible for a Roman slave to have two owners, but if that extremely rare event ever happened, the slave could not be equally divided between them. The slave in the final analysis would have to “hate the one and love the other” or “be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Jesus here assumes the two masters are at opposite ends and opposed to one another. The one you reject of necessity will receive your contempt. This is especially true of the two masters here: “you cannot serve both God and money” (Greek: “mammon”). By its very nature money is an enslaving force, and let us all be honest. Every one of us is a materialist and to an extent enslaved by our possessions (Rom 6:19–22; 1 Tim 6:9–10, 17). We should realize that our money too easily becomes a demonic power trying to possess us and gain total control over us. God demands we switch our loyalty entirely over to him.

Jesus emphasized hrere that the habit you form now stays with you.

No matter how few resources you have, be trustworthy with them, he said. Only as you get in the habit of generous, trustworthy use of resources can you be trusted with more. That habit will lead you to continue to be trustworthy, no matter how high the value of your resources.

You may think that it does not make much difference how you handle the little that you have. You can cheat and mislead and squander such resources. After all, it is just unrighteous money, not worth anything.

Again, Be faithful in little; you will be faithful in much. Be unfaithful in little, you will be unfaithful and unrighteous if you get the opportunity to manage many resources. If you are unfaithful in unrighteous worldly goods, no one will trust you with heavenly goods.

16:12 Not … faithful in that which is another’s means faithfulness with respect to worldly possessions that God entrusts to his people for their stewardship during their lifetime (cf. 19:11–27). Your own refers back to the “true riches” of 16:11 regarding spiritual responsibility in God’s kingdom and heavenly reward.

First Application: Give It Away (16:8b–9)

God’s people are to be the polar opposite of the world.

People get ahead in the world by taking everything they can for themselves. The saints get ahead with God by using what they have to help others.

In verse 9 the manager stole his master’s resources for his own needs, but he did it to “gain friends” (the debtors) and get a job that would provide an earthly, temporary home for himself.

Jesus is telling his followers that they too need to use their worldly wealth to “gain friends for yourselves,” but in this case it could actually be seen as an idiom for almsgiving. We are shrewd when we use our resources to help others and to benefit the kingdom.

Possessions should be seen as a divinely bestowed treasure to be used to benefit others more than self. This is the primary difference between followers of Christ and the shrewd manager.

Second Application: Faithful with Earthly Resources (16:10–13)

If we can be trusted in the small things of life (money), we can be trusted with the great things (kingdom resources). The manager showed this with respect to his “shrewd” use of dishonesty, but God wants to know if similar prudence will be exercised in us as well. God wants faithful stewards, and that means an absence of self-centered behavior.

Good stewardship means trustworthiness in handling “worldly wealth” (16:11). This is what the parable was all about.

If we are unfaithful with the earthly possessions he has given us, he can never trust us with kingdom riches. The point is that God has made us stewards in the arena of our earthly lives and ministries, and if we cannot handle that, then we will also misuse heavenly treasures.

Many think the future tense here refers especially to the age to come, referring to an absence of heavenly reward for those who fail to use their resources for his glory.

In this light our earthly possessions are called “someone else’s property,” namely, God’s (16:12). All we have actually belongs to him, and he has placed it under our care to manage.

God is seeing where our priorities are and with what he can trust us. Our wealth, our possessions, and our ministry to others and the church must demonstrate faithful stewardship, and that will determine what is ours in heaven.

These verses actually provide important material for a biblical doctrine of rewards.

Jesus here assumes the two masters are at opposite ends and opposed to one another. The one you reject of necessity will receive your contempt. This is especially true of the two masters here: “you cannot serve both God and money” (Greek: “mammon”). By its very nature money is an enslaving force, and let us all be honest. Every one of us is a materialist and to an extent enslaved by our possessions (Rom 6:19–22; 1 Tim 6:9–10, 17). We should realize that our money too easily becomes a demonic power trying to possess us and gain total control over us. God demands we switch our loyalty entirely over to him.

Session 7 Exploit Your Friends

Introduction

How much did he give back?

Applications for Us