SCRIPTURE: LUKE 16
THE PARABLE OF THE SHREWD MANAGER (vs. 1-15)
“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 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 a manager any longer.” (v. 2) 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. I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.” (v. 3) So he called in each of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, “How much do you owe my master?” He replied: “Eight hundred gallons of olive oil” (v. 6). The manager told him, “Take your bill, sit down quickly and make it four hundred.” (v. 6). Then he asked the second to reduce a thousand bushels of wheat to make it eight hundred. The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (v. 9)
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (vs. 10-12)
“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.” (v. 13) Then Jesus said to the Pharisees who were sneering at him. “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” (v. 15)
ADDITIONAL TEACHINGS (vs. 16-18)
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (v. 18)
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS (vs. 19-31)
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied: “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us. He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. (v. 27-28). Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them. (v. 29). No, father Abraham” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” (v. 30). He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (v. 31)
THOUGHTS:
This chapter emphasized the subject of money. It teaches us the proper place of money in our life.
- Stewards should use wealth for their master’s welfare not for their own pleasure.
- We should use our money wisely.
- Invest wealth in people and in the future.
- Serve God with our wealth.
- We cannot serve both money and God at the same time.
- Do not let money become your God.
Jesus’ teaching about divorce is stricter. He says that marriage is a lifetime commitment. To leave your spouse for another person is adultery in God’s eyes.
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus showed that a diseased beggar is rewarded in heaven and a rich man is punished at hell. Despite the material blessings he had, the rich man was selfish. He never fed Lazarus nor cared for him. The amount of money we have is not as important as the way we use it. What is your attitude toward your money and possessions? Do you hoard them selfishly or do you use them to help others?