Generous & Faithful Stewardship

And if existence, having physical life, is a stewardship from God… how much MORE is discipleship! (By unmerited grace being given spiritual life, fully restored to God and fitted for his service) This is the train of thought in Jesus’ parable to his disciples, and it certainly applies to us as well. We are expected to be faithful managers of what God has entrusted to our care.

And as we shall see, money and possessions are the resources most readily recognizable for making just such a point.

Luke 16:1–13 ESV

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 of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 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. “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? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 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.”

Having recently taught other parables to condemn the self-righteous attitude of the religious elite, as well as to comfort the sinners who were coming to him (Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son)… In chapter 16 Luke shifts attention back to discipleship, where the unifying theme is how Christ’s followers are to handle possessions—generously and faithfully. There will be two parables that dominate most of the chapter, with a brief but important interruption in between where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for being lovers of money and declares that God will in fact judge people according to their hearts. (Though spoken first to the disciples, this chapter does therefore also continue the theme of the wrong attitudes of the religious leaders, represented by the Pharisees.)

In the first parable, which we just read together, Jesus uses an ungodly example to make a point for his followers.

The Crafty Manager

Jesus audience would not be surprised that a very wealthy landowner would have a servant or an employee who managed his estate, so that he could focus on other things. (This steward in the parable appears to be a free person, not a slave.) The manager’s job of course was to handle the owner’s possessions in such a way as to look our for the interests of said owner, to gain him further wealth and honor.

When the master hears the manager is misusing his wealth (“wasting” - as in the previous parable when the younger son squanders his share… - We here are possibly led to surmise that the manager is lining his own pockets rather than focusing on the gain of his employer. Or perhaps he has been lazy and inattentive so that the properties are not being used in a way that best benefits the owner.) Whatever the case, the manager hears this and apparently has sufficient evidence to believe the accusations.

The result is that he is going to remove the manager from his position. But this firing is not completely abrupt, for the manager is told to give an accounting first. (He would have been responsible to keep record of all transactions.)

The dismissal appears to be ensured, and this steward does not attempt to argue that he is falsely accused. Either the evidence was overwhelming, or the rich man’s demeanor such that he knew it was a forgone conclusion.

First he panics a bit about his options. Being used to this kind of work (clerical - un-calloused, clean hands - as we say, white collar work… a desk jockey), he is certain he will be unable to handle manual labor. Digging would have been an example of the hardest of such manual labor, and the lowest of jobs, so he’s being pretty dramatic. He pictures himself disgusted from the sweat and blisters of it all, and dropping in the dirt from the heat and exhaustion. At the other end of the spectrum, he’s too ashamed to beg.

He’s going to need employment after this, and if he loses this job with nowhere to turn, he’s in big trouble. “I’ve got it!” This manager hatches a plan to ensure that he has friends and options for the future. (He’ll be welcomed into their houses, whether as a house guest or more probably for similar-type management employment. It would be a step down from this supremely wealthy employer to one a bit less wealthy, but still much better than manual labor—ew, gross.)

Jesus’ parable then gives two examples of the manager following through on his plan to secure his future. He reduces the debts of his employer’s debtors in order to get in their good graces. (Again, for his own future benefit.) It’s quite possible that these are tenants who lease the land in exchange for a share of the crops, which they would pay the owner at the time of harvest.

The debts are large, so these debtors themselves are more wealthy than the average person. The previous olive oil payment agreed upon was 100 baths, or about 850 gallons. That would require the produce of almost 150 olive trees, and would be valued at 1,000 denarii (remember, equivalent then to approximately 1000 days’ wages for a day-laborers). Cutting it in half would have saved the tenant 500 denarii, making him extremely grateful to the manager. The second payment owed from another borrower was in wheat crops: a measurement of 100 cors being about 1,000 bushels of wheat. It could take as much as 100 acres to yield that crop and would be valued at 2,500 denarii. Reducing this debt to 80% would have also saved this owner 500 denarii, for which he would feel indebted to this manager for such a favor.

How could the manager swing such a thing? If he rewrote the contracts and had the debtors write and sign their portion with their own hands, these new contracts could be made to look original and the previous ones destroyed.

Now the most interesting, and the most challenging part of the parable in terms of interpretation, comes in the wealthy employer’s response to this ruse. (And Jesus’ corresponding explanation.)

Luke 16:8 ESV

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.

The manager does not seem to get away with this deceit, and the owner in fact gets less than what he might have received, and yet he praises the manager for this final act as steward. How are we to understand this? The rich employer doesn’t commend him for being dishonest but for being cunning, for finding a way to put himself in the good graces of the debtors, thinking ahead about his future prospects.

Perhaps also at the same time he has made the owner seem pious and benevolent (perhaps also getting him some financial return on debts that were difficult to repay?). “In hard times, masters would sometimes forgive part of the debt, writing it off as a loss, in return for being considered benevolent.” -Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Lk 16:6–7.

In the second half of verse 8 then Jesus gives the point of the parable. By contrasting the sons of this world with the sons of light, Jesus can, without commending the character of the two actors in the parable, commend shrewdness in dealing with earthly resources because of thinking ahead with a concern for the future. In other words, even more than those who aim to be financially savvy and have worldly craftiness for their own future, children of light (here certainly referring to those who fear God and follow Jesus) ought to plan for future in eternity by investing in the kingdom with their resources. The word shrewd might sound negative to us, though, in a way that a word like prudence does not… if that helps. The Bible, as does Jesus here, commends prudence and wisdom.

Jesus here shows us how godly wisdom can apply godly principles and behaviors from observation of even ungodly examples. - We might learn what not to do. We might also learn that if an unbeliever or entirely selfish person can apply himself with the urgency and savviness that they do, surely we as believers in God’s current and future restoration should be all the more driven/motivated and wise, having eyes toward our heavenly reward.

One might summarize such an application of the point of the parable like Darrell Bock does:

“Christians should apply themselves to honor and serve God in their actions as much as secular people apply themselves to obtain protection and prosperity from money and the world.” (Bock, 1333)

Jesus expands the application of the parable further:

3 Additional Applications

… providing 3 additional implications from the parable, beginning with greatest specificity and moving progressively toward more overarching, or progressively more foundational.

The first is the most specific, about money:

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.

How might we summarize what Jesus suggests in v. 9 as an application of the previous principle?

Be generous with money.

In labeling it unrighteous wealth, I believe Jesus here is referencing worldly wealth (as opposed to spiritual/heavenly riches), possibly also with a hint at the way such wealth in this world can lead to evil when not kept in its proper place. Just so, Paul teaches Timothy to be on guard for himself (and by extension to warn those he shepherds accordingly): “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1 Tim. 6:10a)

But what might Jesus mean by saying to make friends with our worldly wealth? We know Jesus cannot be suggesting something so base and crass as “buying friends,” because that would contradict the importance of character (the point of the next application). Following verse 8 then, Jesus is suggesting that his followers ought to be as wise for investing earthly wealth for spiritual purposes as the worldly are crafty to invest it for their own earthly purposes. Be generous with secular money for spiritual gain, not only your own gain but the gain of those who might become true friends.

Giving to the poor and being generous with those around you and investing in kingdom purposes is in fact a BETTER investment of earthly finances than trying to amass wealth for this life. When this life reaches its end (the point where all wealth fails, as Jesus says here), what matters more is being welcomed into heaven. -Here we have a connection to the shrewd manager thinking of his future to have a place to land when his firing is official.

When life fires us (we die), we will find that our concern in this life ought to have been investing in spiritual realities because they will last forever. An interpretive question arises here, though, as to whether this “they” welcoming us into heaven is other believers who have gone before, or the angels, or a plural royal reference to God. I prefer the latter, but whoever the welcoming party might be, it is ultimately God who has accepted us and welcomes us home (see the parable of the prodigal but repentant son returning to a forgiving father, ch. 15).

The first application then is to be generous with earthly money for eternal purposes. That is the wise investment for not only your future, but the future of others as well.

Jesus continues with yet another application of the parable in vv. 10-12...

Luke 16:10–12 ESV

“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? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

In contrast to the character of the dishonest manager, Jesus has a different expectation for his followers:

Be faithful as stewards.

No matter how much is entrusted to our care, and be it earthly or spiritual resources, we are to be found faithful. The central issue is character. Follow the argument: If you aren’t faithful even with worldly wealth, why would God entrust you with spiritual riches? And if you cannot be faithful in this life (which is a stewardship from God… all is HIS), then how can you be trusted with the inheritance to come?

Along with generosity, then, we are here deeply challenged toward integrity and consistency.

Who are you when no one is looking? [pause]

Are you more concerned with comparisons of how much God is entrusting to others, or are you consistent and faithful in the little things he has given into your care? [pause]

Following this same train of thought, but broadening still further, like explaining the foundation for all of this, in v. 13 Jesus says:

Luke 16:13 ESV

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.”

What is the point of this wisdom saying from Jesus?

Above all, serve God.

Mammon is an Aramaic word for possessions or money. - This application then is overarching, while staying connected to the theme of using money, earthly resources as a tool, rather than being ruled by it.

The two masters, God or money, are mutually exclusive. You cannot devote yourself to both. You will either live your life in slavery to material gain or you will use money and possessions in service to God.

The bottom line is whole-hearted service to God, such that you “despise” wealth as an end in itself and seek to use it then as a resource to bless others to the glory of God.

Conclusion: As Jesus’ disciples, God expects us to be faithful and generous managers of both the physical and spiritual resources he has entrusted to our care.

We have been entrusted with the keys to the eternal kingdom. God has granted us spiritual life through Jesus, and we therefore know that he is the single most important thing that we could possibly share with anyone and everyone in the circles of contact that God gives us.

Jesus therefore calls us to, in this parable, be faithful stewards of both that rich inheritance as well as with physical resources—the same things everyone on earth has, to one degree or another, to whom God has granted the privilege of this physical life. We are to use resources at our disposal (money and possessions) for God’s kingdom-building purposes—in other words, with a focus toward spiritual, eternal realities. And we do so with a wise long-range understanding of greater blessing in the life to come.

PRAY

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