Sermon Tone Analysis

Luke 16:1-13

Jesus on Money: Making Friends with Unrighteous Money

 

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.”[1]

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ut your money to work for you.”

This slogan has been popularised in recent years by a bank seeking to become established in Canada.

Perhaps you think this slogan was coined by that bank.

Actually, the concept is quite old, even if the particular phrase has only recently been coined for advertising.

Money is a tool—nothing more and nothing less.

Either wealth can bless an individual, or it can prove to be a curse.

The determinate of whether money is a blessing or a curse lies in how wealth is used.

Jesus provided an example of fiscal wisdom when He told a story about a manager who worked for a rich man.

That story and the commentary Jesus appended after relating the story, serves as the text for our message this day.

A recent news blog noted that money could not keep an ex-President from experiencing the effects of eating too many hamburgers—he required a quadruple bypass surgery despite his wealth.

The same blog also noted that wealth did not spare wealthy homeowners in Florida from the effects of repeated hurricanes, although the blogger did allow that it was perhaps easier to rebuild after the winds had passed on.

Money is a tool.

To be of benefit, money must be put to work.

If all that is accomplished with money is the accumulation of more money, it is doubtful that the individual accumulating understands the purpose of wealth.

If all that is accomplished is to consume wealth on pursuing desires, it is doubtful that the spendthrift understands the purpose of wealth.

It would be wise to learn how to use the tool of wealth properly.

A Brief Recounting of the Story Jesus Told — The setting for this story is important if we will understand Jesus’ teaching.

The account is found in the sixteenth chapter of Luke’s Gospel.

Notice that Jesus told this story immediately after He had related three parables concerning the joy associated with finding that which had been lost.

He told of a lost sheep [*Luke 15:1-7*], a lost coin [*Luke 15:8-10*], and a lost boy, the latter account being the parable of the prodigal son [*Luke 15:11-32*].

Our text then begins by informing us that He also said to the disciples.

This is a literary device alerting us to the fact that what has preceded lays a foundation for what we are about to read.

The stories Jesus told before relating this account was for the benefit of someone other than His disciples.

Those others to whom He had been speaking were the Pharisees and the scribes [*Luke 15:2*].

Note the verse immediately following our text.

It helps us understand this parable.

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed Him [*Luke 16:14*].

The Pharisees and scribes presented themselves as moral arbiters of society and as paragons of ethical values, and yet, they were lovers of money.

Scripture informs us that contrary to their public personae, they were completely materialistic.

The setting that we have for this story, then, is a crowd of people surrounding Jesus one Sabbath day[2] as He neared the Cross.

In fact, this day was less than six months before the Cross.

Time was short to communicate matters of eternal importance.

On this particular day, He addressed the religious leaders, informing them of the joy of Heaven at the salvation of sinners.

Jesus was cautioning the religious leaders against materialism.

Remember, these religious leaders claimed to be the spiritual and moral elite of the land, and yet, they were utterly materialistic.

Though addressing His disciples, Jesus knew that the Pharisees and scribes were listening with greatest interest.

Again, to ensure that we understand the flow of the Master’s mind, recognise that He has moved from a discussion of the joy realised at finding that which is lost, to wise use of that which has been entrusted to each of us.

If we claim to be moral and ethical people, we must realise that we will be judged by the manner in which we handle the goods entrusted to us.

You have nothing through your own strength.

God gave you strength, ability, and opportunity [see *1 Corinthians 4:7*].

God gives every good and perfect gift [see *James 1:17*].

Therefore, all that you hold belongs to Him.

Each of us is but an administrator—a steward—administering the grace of God lavished on us.

Turning to His disciples, Jesus told the story of a crooked manager who worked for a wealthy man.

Word came to the wealthy man that the manager had taken advantage of his position to steal.

We witness something akin to this story as the Auditor General gives repeated reports concerning the mismanagement of government moneys.

She forcefully reminds the politicians that the moneys do not belong to the government, but rather the government is responsible to act on behalf of the people.

That wealthy man in this parable was defrauded by one who should have been trustworthy.

When the manager realised that he was about to be audited, he had reason for concern since he was charged with wasting the money of the rich man who happened to be his employer.

In light of his subsequent actions, we can well believe that he not only wasted the man’s money, but he likely was stealing as well!

The dishonest manager weighed his options.

He knew he was about to be fired.

He reasoned that he was not strong enough to dig.

It is likely that this was not a matter of disability so much as it was a disinclination to labour with his hands.

Physical labour had no appeal for him.

About the only decent thing we can say about this crooked manager is that he was ashamed to beg.

He was a scoundrel, a rogue of the first order.

The only answer for him was to defraud his master to an even greater extent.

Therefore, he went to one debtor who owed a hundred measures of oil and reduced the bill to fifty.

Another debtor owed one hundred measures of wheat, and the corrupt administrator changed the debt to eighty.

There is neither rhyme nor reason to the disparity in the reductions granted, except to say that he was a rogue to the end.

These remissions of debt were at the expense of the rich man, but the thieving steward acted as he did in the hope that he would have a place to work after he was fired.

The strange twist in the story Jesus told, was that at the last, the rich man who had been robbed commends the thief for his shrewdness.

Isn’t that an odd way for Jesus to conclude a parable intended to teach moral precepts?

Be very careful in the conclusion you draw; the story conveys more than is apparent on the surface.

Never does our Lord commend the thief because he was a thief.

The actions of the dishonest manager were in no way laudable, nor does Jesus in the least hint that He approved of such action.

Then, what conclusion can we draw?

The Purpose for Jesus’ Story — Why do you suppose Jesus told such a strange story?

The answer to this question is revealed in the closing statements.

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.

I urge you to take careful note of the first of these two statements.

The sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Jesus is drawing a contrast between the sons of this world and the sons of light.

The scribes and Pharisees were clearly identified as the sons of this world, as is anyone who lives only for the things that must pass away with the passing of this world.

The disciples who were also listening were identified as the sons of light.

The scribes and Pharisees, performing their assorted religious duties, would ultimately pass away and have no permanent impact; but the disciples were about to go out into the world to carry on the work of the Kingdom of God.