Luke 16

Luke 16 (NKJV)

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

1He 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.

2So 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.’

3“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.

4I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’

5“So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’

7Then 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.’

8So 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.

9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

10He 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.

11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

13“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.”

The Law, the Prophets, and the Kingdom

14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.

15And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

16“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.

17And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

18“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

19“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.

20But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,

21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

25But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

27“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house,

28for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’

29Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’

30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

31But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

Luke 12:15

Luke 12:15 (NKJV)

15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Scripture readings

Devotional 📖

There are two main truths that Jesus reveals about money through the parable of the rich man and the parable of the unjust steward.

The Lord expects us to be just and wise stewards over our resources.

Jesus is very clear in this chapter on how he wants believers to have a relationship with money. The parable of the unjust steward is called unjust because he was wasting the goods of the master, and yet he was commended at the end. This parable is one of the trickiest parables to understand but I think we can simplify the lesson we learn from it.

Jesus says in verse 8 and 9:

'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. “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. '

The steward is commended, not for his unjust deeds, but for dealing wisely in preparing himself for future employment through establishing relationships. Jesus says that in a similar way, we can use the resources we have as leverage to build relationships with those around us that will help us in the future if something goes wrong. Jesus is not commending them for their lack of diligence in stewarding the master’s resources, but their initiative after realising they would be fired.

Oftentimes we rely on God to fix situations we got ourselves into, neglecting to use our own tenacity and diligence to secure for ourselves an inheritance. All blessings come from God, through men, to men. It’s important we are intentional in the relationships we are building that can be used to expand God’s kingdom here on earth. We must be faithful stewards of all that is given to us.

Money is not bad, the love of money is.

The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich, he was in hell because he loved money more than he loved God. It’s important that we understand God is not against wealthy people, otherwise Joseph of Aramatheia would not have been counted as one of His disciples, though in secret (John 19:38). Money is not only important to supply your daily needs, but an incredibly useful tool for kingdom expansion. Without money, how can we hold crusades, finance missions, and purchase Bibles? God does not fight your wealth, until it takes His place in your heart.

We must be careful not to place our esteem or our identity in what we own because our life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. We must guard our hearts from greed and selfishness.

We can see from the story that the rich man knew Lazarus. In the afterlife, he recognised him in Abraham’s bosom. This means that he also recognised him laying at his gate and did nothing to help him. This was his error: greed and selfishness. Money had become an idol in his heart, so much so that he lacked compassion for his neighbours.

The truth is we cannot serve God and serve money. Everything we own and receive belongs to the King, we are merely stewards, and if He asks for it, we must be willing and ready to give it to Him for whatever purpose He desires.

Prayer 🙏

Father, thank you for everything you have placed in my hands. Forgive me for any ways that I’ve been an unjust steward. Teach me how to be wise and faithful over the things you give me and to manage my resources in light of eternity. Continue to have first place in my life. I will submit everything to you, King Jesus.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Jesus and money

Devotional 📖

Prayer 🙏