Welcome to Week 8 of He Gave Us Stories, our series on the parables Jesus told, and to Luke chapter 16 where we find the Parable of the Dishonest Manager (other Bible translations call it the Unjust Steward or even the Shrewd Manager, but we’ll go with the ESV paragraph headings).
This is another parable on the subject of money. By now you have no doubt noticed this is a frequent topic for Jesus, and that’s no illusion. Depending on who is counting them, the number of parables Jesus taught varies but it’s never less than 38 (there are some duplicates between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and there are some that are very similar where scholars disagree on whether they are unique or slight rewordings of the same parable). If we take that lowest number, 38, as our count, it’s remarkable to consider that 11 of them concern finances.
It is said that Jesus spoke more about finances, which includes money, wealth, possessions, and all similar topics, than he did on faith and prayer combined. Clearly this was an important topic to the Lord! He knew how seductive money is to our hearts. It is the greatest competition for our affections. As Jesus states plainly in this week’s parable, either you rule your money or your money will rule you. There is no in between.
Prayer guides by Tracy Lautenschlager.
Index to Days 2 through 5
Day 1
Caught!
Observe
The manager of a rich man’s finances was accused of wasting the rich man’s assets and panic sets in.
Luke 16:1-3
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.’ 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.
Psalm 91:5-16
5
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Matthew 10:28
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Isaiah 41:10
10
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
At least in the ESV, the title of this parable is the DISHONEST Manager, but he is not referred to as such at the beginning of the story. The word translated as “wasting” in verse 1 can also mean squandering or scattering. This manager was apparently not doing a very good job at managing the rich man’s finances. Had he actually been stealing from him, it’s not likely that the rich man would simply have demanded an account and indicated the manager would be fired. That manager would have been imprisoned, or worse. Caught in a web of his own mistakes, the manager panics. His soft and comfortable life had made him too weak for manual labor, and his high status as the manager of a rich man’s finances had inflated his pride too much to beg. It isn’t likely that Jesus wants us to see ourselves in either the manager or the rich man, it’s more probable that they’re both simply examples illustrating the point Jesus is making. But it is fair to ask ourselves what sort of situations fill us with panic and where do we turn when they do?
- What circumstances are most likely to make you panic? Why?
- When you panic, how do you cope with it?
- Is it sinful to panic?
Heavenly Father, I have faced sudden and frightening financial events and I have felt panic. So often, my first response has not been to trust you. And, sometimes, I was not blameless in the lead-up to the problem, so I didn’t turn to you because I felt guilty. Lord, teach me the truth that you have given me all I have, and it is yours to withdraw. Teach me to rest in your provision, so I can fearlessly deploy your blessings for your kingdom. Amen.
Day 2
The Plan
Observe
The manager comes up with a plan and offers discounts to those who owed a debt to his employer. The rich man has a surprising reaction to this.
Luke 16:4-8a
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.
Matthew 10:16
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Proverbs 14:15
15
The simple believes everything,
but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
Proverbs 18:15
15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
Scholars differ widely on the interpretation of the manager’s plan. (In fact, scholars differ widely on many aspects of this parable!) Some say the manager did no wrong by discounting the debts owed to the rich man. They suggest that the amounts were inflated as a form of stealth interest (since it was forbidden under the law for one Jew to charge another interest, there was a common practice of inflating the base amount owed), or that the manager had added something extra to the bill when it was presented, intending to keep that portion for himself. By discounting the debts, he was simply erasing the forbidden interest charge or giving up his own illegal profiteering. Other scholars argue this can’t be the case, and the discounts were just that. The manager wanted to curry favor with the debtors, who might need managers of their own and remember him fondly. (The amounts being discussed here were so large that these debts were clearly one wealthy man owing another wealthy man. These were not ordinary workers.) Whichever is true, the result is the same: the rich man was caught between a rock and a hard place. Until he was fired, the manager acted with the full authority of the rich man, thus the discounts could not be rescinded. These discounts would also have produced enormous goodwill toward the rich man (as well as the manager), so to complain about the manager cheating him now would make the rich man look weak and petty. The rich man therefore commended the dishonest manager, not in the sense of being pleased but more likely in a reluctant admission of “well played.”
- What is your reaction to the manager’s plan and his apparent success in getting away with it? Are you amused? Do you respect his audacity? Are you appalled at his dishonesty? Describe your thoughts.
- What do you think should have happened to the manager as a result? If you were that rich man, would you have commended him? If not, what would you have done?
Dear Lord, I pray for wisdom to seek your direction when confronted with a tough decision, and for the patience to wait for the answer. Lord, help me not to act in haste. Teach me not to judge others harshly who seem to be caught in the middle of a hard period, but to pray for them and walk beside them, with encouragement and generosity. Amen.
Day 3
Be Shrewd
Observe
Jesus begins making applications from the story. His first one is this: use your finances to accomplish your goals.
Luke 16:8b-9
8 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.
Proverbs 19:17
17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.
Philippians 4:14-17
14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.
Jesus makes an observation that should probably be apparent to each of us: the people of this age are shrewd in their dealings with one another. In each interaction they seek to improve their position. The wealthy seek more wealth and the powerful seek more power. Everything else is subject to these goals. Jesus means for us to show the same single mindedness toward the Kingdom of God. Every interaction we have should be seeking to advance that kingdom. Verse 9 can be confusing because Jesus uses the term “unrighteous wealth.” He’s connecting back to the actions of the dishonest manager here (the words dishonest in verse 8 and unrighteous in verse 9 are the same Greek word). The manager used what he had control over—his master’s money—to benefit himself. We should use what we have control over to benefit others who will one day be with us in heaven.
- If the sons of light pursued the Kingdom of God with the same zeal that the sons of this world pursue profit and pleasure, what would be different in this world?
- By connecting us to the manager in this story, Jesus is making what assertion regarding the wealth we control?
Father God, I see from this teaching that trusting you to provide, living by faith, is not a passive endeavor. It does not mean that I can be ignorant or thoughtless about money. I am responsible to use wisely what you have given me and to discern what that means in my world, in the community in which you’ve placed me. Show me, Lord, and I will do it. Amen.
Day 4
Be Faithful
Observe
In the next of his applications from the story, Jesus tells his listeners to be faithful, even when it’s over just a little and especially when it’s over something you’ve been loaned that is not your own.
Luke 16:10-12
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?
Matthew 6:19-20
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
Proverbs 20:6
6
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man who can find?
These verses ask us to think about what is very little and what is much, what is the difference between unrighteous wealth and true riches, and what belongs to us versus what belongs to someone else. What we have and control now is both least and unrighteous (which, once again, doesn’t mean wealth is evil or those who are wealthy have done wrong in its accumulation, rather it simply means wealth conveys no righteousness to the one who controls it—you are no better a person for having it). Similarly, very little versus much isn’t a measure of amount, it’s an indication of relative worth. True riches are treasures laid up in heaven. These are vastly more important than wealth and possessions in this world, and the Christian who has stored a few gold coins in heavenly deposits has something worth more than all the billions belonging to all the richest people on earth. Faithful use of what we have now leads to true riches while unrighteous consumption is its own reward and offers nothing more. Verse 12 highlights another important aspect to consider. Our treasure in heaven is permanent. It will never be taken from us, nor will it rot or be destroyed by time. It calls to mind the famous Jim Elliot quote, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
- What is an example of being faithful over what is very little?
- What does the way you use your possessions reveal about how you regard their impermanence?
Dear Lord, Thank you for those who have taught me about faithfulness and have entrusted me with some part of the vast wealth of your kingdom. Thank you for guiding me with those resources, and for the glimpses you’ve given me of the fruit of faithfulness. Remind me, again and again, to seek your wisdom with each blessing. How should I use this for your kingdom Lord?
Day 5
Choose Your Master
Observe
Unless you choose to rule over your money and use it in service to God, your money will wind up ruling over you.
Luke 16:13
13 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.”
1 Corinthians 10:21
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Joshua 24:15
15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Note that Jesus does not say you can’t have money and God at the same time, he says you can’t serve money and God at the same time. There is a view among some that to have possessions at all is idolatry and Christians are called to divest themselves of their wealth. We push back at that consistently because it’s not biblical. In fact, the Bible is full of examples where godly people had great wealth. Joseph of Arimathea provided a tomb for the body of Jesus. Man-made tomb caves were expensive and thus often reused. To have a new tomb was something only a rich man would possess. More than 700 years before Jesus died, Isaiah wrote “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death” (Isaiah 53:9). Truly you cannot serve both God and money. Many things can become lesser idols and distract us from God (and those things should surely be torn down), but there is little else but money that can become a replacement for God. To be the devoted servant of either requires so much time and focus that there is no room for anything else.
- What is required to be a devoted servant of money?
- Why is God right in rejecting anything less than the full measure of our devotion?
Heavenly Father, This world does seem consumed with the love of money, and I can be caught up in it so easily. Wealth can be seen and counted and compared, but your kingdom seems, at times, invisible here. Help me to love people, as you love them, rather than things. Teach me to see and value what you value, for I am yours, and I want you to be my only master. Amen.