__ATG Lesson 9
Use your money on things that matter.
Understanding the Bible
As opposition to Jesus increased among the religious
officials of his day, he turned his attention more to teaching his disciples,
those who would continue to proclaim the gospel after his death and
resurrection.
Luke chapters 12 through 19 record much of this
teaching. Some is for the inner circle of disciples, and some is for the
multitudes that followed him. Most of these teachings were in the form of
parables which Jesus said was done so
that "The knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables,
so that, _though seeing, they may not
see; though hearing, they may not
understand._ " (Luke 8:10 NIV).
In this section Jesus gives teaching for the people of
the Kingdom, or those that followed him. In this week_s passage Jesus speaks to
the disciples about their use of money with a unique story, using the example
of a dishonest person to make a positive point about the use of money. He wants
his disciples to use worldly goods to promote the Kingdom of God.
Bible Commentary
Managing others_ wealth
There were rich men in the Middle East at the time of
Jesus, and often they had vast holdings of land and property. They often hired
managers to look after a particular estate or property. A manager would be
equivalent to a modern day finanical advisor. Jesus often taught parables using
analogies to rich men or poor men.
There are also several parables about men leaving their property in the
hands of others to manage for them They are not necessarily patterned after a
real person, but only serve as an example or a backdrop for the story he is
telling. As Christians we have been
left in charge of the resources God has given us.
Bad management
The manager in this parable would have been
responsible for the rich man_s estate. He would have had total authority over
the piece of property that he was overseeing, and would be able to use the
resources and money as he thought best.
Apparently this manager was not doing a good job, and
was wasting the master_s resources.
There is no accusation of dishonesty at this point, but just the charge
that he is being wasteful. The Greek word used here for wasteful, is the same
Greek word translated squandered in the parable of the prodigal son. The
manager may have been using his master_s property in riotious living, or he may
have just been a poor manager and a lot of things went to waste under his care.
People of Jesus day perhaps knew people like this and could easily relate to a
story about an incompetent manager.
1. What
problem did the rich man have with his manager in this parable?
The manager had been doing a bad job of managing, and
was wasting the rich man_s resources.
2. Why was
Jesus giving this parable?
He was teaching his disciples about living in the
Kingdom of God. He wanted them to
understand how they should be using money in light of their position as
children of God, and perhaps he wanted to correct some wrong attitudes that the
Pharisees had taught.
Good from evil
As Christians we are called to be seperate from the
world, and in general, worldliness is seen as a negative thing. Yet as human
beings we have to live in the world, so it is hard at times to know how we can
be both spiritual and worldly at the same time. In this parable, Jesus gives us
some very practical advice from the story of a man who was dishonest. Instead
of wasting our resources we should be using things in the world to promote the
Kingdom of God.
Wordly wise
Jesus was not promoting dishonesty, but was using the
story to illustrate how we should be wise in our dealings with worldly things.
Some see worldliness as evil and they
go to the extreme of trying to separate themselves as much as possible from the
world, even to the point of secluding themselves from the world altogether.
While this extreme does little to promote the Kingdom of God, the other
extreme, of total worldliness is also to be avoided. In this parable, Jesus is advocating using worldly things to
promote the gospel. His message is that when used properly, money and worldly
things can be very good things. The problem comes when we misuse these things,
or when these things get to the point of controling us.
Genius of the parable
The parable is a short story with a point aimed at
getting people to see things in a new way, according to the New American Bible
Dictionary. Most scholors today believe parables do not illustrate a general
principle the way proverbs do, but instead are aimed at making a specific
point. The stories of Jesus are meant
to help people understand what the Kingdom of God is about, and bring them to a point of decision by using a story
that is usually easy to relate to. The parables of the New Testament used
familiar things the hearers could easily relate to, such as a rich man, a poor
man and so on, and in that process made clear something new and helped the
hearer understand in a new way. The details of the parable are at times
irrelevant, because they serve only to bring the hearer to the point of the
story.
3. How did the manager solve his problem?
He changed the amount owed on bills that people owed
to his boss. In doing this he was planning ahead for his future after he lost
his job.
4. What was
the manager hoping to gain through changing the bills?
He wanted to win friends, and by reducing their bills,
he would win friends. These friends would be able, and probably willing, to
help him after he lost his job and had need.
Using resources
The shrewd manager prepared for his future using the
resources he had. He realized he would not be able to survive with the jobs he
thought he could find after being fired, either being a digger or a begger. He
realized that he needed friends to look after him, so he found a way to make
quick friends by reducing their bills. This was dishonest, but the point it
brings out, is using the resources one has to reach the goal in mind. The
manager thought creatively, and perhaps Jesus is saying here that we should
think creatively when we are in tough situations. A modern day phrase -
thinking outside the box - might work in this situation. Worldly people know
how to use worldly things, and at times Christians are not as astute as they
perhaps should be in using worldly things for Godly purposes.
Owning verses being owned
On the one side, Jesus tells his disciples to use
wordly wealth, but on the other side, just a few verses later, he tells them
they can have only one master. This is not a contradiction, but depends on
one_s understanding of using and being used. Money or worldly possessions in
themselves are neither good nor bad. There are many examples in the Bible about
righteous rich people as well as righteous poor people.
In II Timothy we are told that the love of money is
the root of all evil. Money is not evil, it only becomes evil when it is the
object of love. Money is meant to serve us, but if we spend all our time
pursuing money, we may lose sight of that fact. Just as the pagans worshipped the creation instead of the
creator, if we love money, we may find ourselves serving money instead of the
God who created money.
Using the system
Just as the
manager used his position to make friends who could help him after he
lost his job, Jesus tells us we should also use money to win people and be
welcomed into eternal dwellings. This is part of Jesus_ commentary on the story
he had just told, and it is similar to the idea of laying up treasure in
heaven. If we use our resources to promote the Kingdom of God, we will be
helping win people to Christ. In doing so, we will certainly win friends who
may get to heaven first so they can
welcome us when we arrive. For instance, in supporting a missionary, one will
never know who he has reached or who his contribution has helped to find
salvation. Those people who support missions and other Christian work, will no
doubt be surprised when they get to Heaven and find out how many friends they
won by helping them get to God_s eternal dwelling.
Faithful in small things
Imaging how wealthy God is. God created everything and
owns everything, and he is able to give what he wants to give to his children.
In his commentary on the parable, Jesus says one who has not been trustworthy
with little cannot be trusted with a lot. By comparison, we could be the
richest person on Earth, and our wealth would still not come close to the
wealth of God. The richest person on
earth is poor before God.
Jesus is teaching that if we are not trustworthy,
meaning making a wise use, of our resources here on Earth, we will likely not
be counted trustworthy to handle greater blessings in heaven., and even perhaps
in this life here on Earth.
5. Was Jesus advocating dishonesty by telling this
story about dishonesty being praised?
No. He was using the story to make a point about wise
use of resources. He was not advocating that people follow the example of the
manager in his practice of fraud, but
he was advocating that people think and act wisely when dealing with finances.
6. Why does
Jesus want us to use worldly wealth?
Jesus teaches
here that we should use worldly wealth and worldly systems to promote the
kingdom of God. Things in themselves are neither good nor evil, but how things
are used can be for good or for evil. He is telling his disciples to make good
use of resources in promoting the Kingdom.
7. What does Jesus mean by saying if one cannot be
trusted with little, he cannot be trusted with much?
He is speaking of money, but the principle can be applied to spiritual things as
well. God has given all of us certain
resources to use for God_s purpose. If we are unable or unwilling to use these
resources wisely, God will perhaps not give us greater responsibility because
we will likely not make good use of greater things if we have not made good use
of lesser things.
CBS Lesson 9
Use your money on
things that matter.
WASTEFUL, LAZY
MANAGER’S WAYS CATCH UP WITH HIM
Luke 16:1-2 (KJV)
And he said also unto
his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same
was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and
said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy
stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
Luke 16:1-2 (NIV)
1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was
a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he
called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of
your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
This parable is one of
the series where Jesus offers teaching to his disciples about living as
citizens of the Kingdom of God. Here he teaches about money and wealth. The
Pharisees of Jesus day believed that God blessed the righteous with wealth and
that if someone was poor it was because of sin. This particular parable was aimed primarily at the disciples, but
the Pharisees were close by and reacted negatively to his parable (Luke
16:14-18.)
Jesus often taught
with examples of rich and poor people, and it is clear from his teaching that
one’s status in monetary matters does not reflect that person’s level of
spirituality.
The people listening
to him could perhaps readily relate to a manager getting in trouble for not
doing a good job at his work. At this point in the parable there is no
indication that the manager was stealing, but rather perhaps he was just lazy
and not doing a good job.
1. What problem did the rich man have with his
manager in this parable?
2. Why was Jesus giving this parable?
THE MANAGER FINDS A
WAY OUT OF HIS TROUBLE
Luke 16:3-7 (KJV)
3 Then the steward said
within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the
stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am 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 lord’s debtors unto him, and
said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An
hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down
quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said
he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of
wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
Luke 16:3-7 (NIV)
3 “The manager said to
himself, ‘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— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I
lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ 5 “So he called in each one of his master’s
debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 ”‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he
replied.
“The manager told him,
‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ 7 “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.’
Upon losing his job,
the manager has to figure out a solution to his predicament. He is realistic
enough to know that his basic options, digging or begging, will not work, so he
comes up with a creative, but dishonest solution.
A manager would have
authority to settle claims with debtors and those who owed the landlord money.
Apparently he had not been fired yet, but was given time to put his things in
order, and this gave him time to come up with a scheme that would win him some
friends.
The manager would have
access to all records, and perhaps no one else did, so that made it easy to
change the numbers to benefit those who owed the rich man money.
The unjust manager, as
he is called, thought ahead and planned ahead, and utilized his resources to
take care of his future.
3. How did the
manager solve his problem?
4. What was the manager hoping to gain through
changing the bills?
BAD EXAMPLE OF A
MANGER TURNED INTO A STEWARDSHIP LESSON
Luke 16:8-13 (KJV)
8 And the lord
commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of
this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I
say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness;
that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10 He that is faithful in that which is
least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust
also in much. 11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous
mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that
which is another man’s, who shall give you that which 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 hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.
Luke 16:8-13 (NIV)
8 “The master commended
the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this
world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the
light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that
when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
10 “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. 11 So if you have
not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true
riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property,
who will give you property of your own?
13 “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.”
It probably did not
take the rich man long to figure out the scheme his manager had pulled off, and
he praised the manager for his cunning.
Jesus is not teaching we should be dishonest, but he used the story as
an example of being wise in planning for the future and with wise use of
resources.
In applying the
parable, Jesus taught that worldly people are better at using worldly things
than spiritual people are, so it is good to use their way of thinking at times
to promote the kindgdom of God.
As a result of being
wise with worldly possessions, one can lay up great treasures in heaven. In
God’s economy, how you use a little money is a very small thing, but as Jesus
taught, if one cannot be trusted with a small thing such as that, then that
person cannot be trusted with larger things.
In this sense the parable is very similar to the idea of reaping what
one has sown.
Jesus closes the
parable by saying you cannot serve two masters. Often money controls people
instead of people controling money. If we are controlled by our money, making
that our goal instead of the Kingdom, then we cannot truly serve God. We must
serve one or the other. When used properly money and worldly things can be an
aid in promoting the kingdom of God, and should be used appropriately.
5. Was Jesus
advocating dishonesty by telling this story about dishonesty being praised?
6. Why does Jesus want us to use worldly
wealth?
7. What does Jesus
mean by saying if one cannot be trusted with little, he cannot be trusted with
much?