Our Sunday School lesson was taken from Luke 16:1-9. It can be difficult to understand, depending on which translation you read. We grasped for the true meaning with some difficulty and interesting discussion. I couldn’t wait to get home and search for understanding. Perhaps you studied the same lesson.
Jesus told His disciples a story about a rich man whose financial manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So, naturally the rich man fired his manager.
Worried about his future, the manager took immediate action by reducing the debts of the people who owed money to his master in hopes they would like him and invite him into their homes when he was out of a job.
Jesus said, “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with people of their own kind than are the people of the light.” Luke 16:8
He is saying, “Look, the people of this world are clever. They think about how to prepare for their future. They’re shrewd. But the people of the light (believers) aren’t shrewd in their dealings with money. What!?
Jesus is prompting His disciples to be shrewd, not dishonest, shrewd (wise) with how they use wealth. He tells them that the dishonest manager used money to prepare for the future, and so should they. Then, He compares the people who will welcome the manager into their homes with the new converts who will welcome us into Heaven.
Jesus continues, “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9
In the blink of an eye, this life will be gone, and so will all our money. But eternity is forever. Jesus is saying the disciples should use their wealth to bring unbelievers to Christ so that these converts will welcome them (the disciples) into their homes in eternity.
In other words, if they were shrewd (like the people of this world), they would be shrewd in preparing for their lives in eternity. They would use worldly wealth to build the kingdom of God.
How do I know this? Because Jesus goes on to say, “… So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” Luke 16:11
What are “true riches”? Well, it’s not worldly wealth. That we know. I believe “true riches” refers to treasure we will receive in Heaven.
In Matthew 6:20 Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...”
Click the link below to read this parable in the Amplified translation.
- What do you think Jesus is teaching us with this parable?
- Do you think we focus on this present life more than the life we will have with God in Heaven when we leave this world behind?
- Do you think Christians make God’s work a priority in their lives?
- Doesn’t everything we have really belong to God anyway?
- How will we use it?
- Do we love money?
Please share your thoughts!
With Love,
This is My Journey Unscripted.
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
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Real Christian Women 
God Bless You!! Thank You For Sharing This Teaching. I Persoanlly know that Everything Belongs to Him. What He Gives Us We are To Be That Example: To Help Others In Need. If We know Someone In Need Of Food, They Need A Car Ride, A Visit, A Hug…etc. But Not Just Material and Money, But also His Word: He Doesn’t Want To Keep It To Ourselves. I Love When He Said To His Disciples In: Matthew 28:19:20. We Never Know That We May Someday Need Help As Well From Them. That What We Do; We Should Do It To Please Him..and Not Man. Is He Please With We Do? And Is It For His Glory!! \0/\0/ Shalom!! ((Hugs)) 🙂
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Amen Sister Betty Jo! Thank you for sharing with us. God bless you!
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God Bless!! \0/\0/
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Excellent! This passage, as you say, can be difficult to understand. I have wrestled with it, myself. Thanks for sharing some light.
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Thank you for commenting. I would love to hear your thoughts about this passage.
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I stumbled over this passage for years, as I read it, because I couldn’t figure out why the lord would commend a steward who wasn’t shrewd enough to get him his full measure, and was under-handed in getting anything at all.
But I think that the steward was wise in understanding that the debtors could never pay what they owed, and that he was able to get as much out of them as possible (which was better than the nothing the lord had).
It seems that God is showing us that wisdom is a gift from God and that we can use that gift for ourselves, or to glorify God. The steward was using it for himself, but his method was wise. I think God is telling us to look around at the various gifts that people have, and how they use them; not necessarily FOR WHOM they use them. We can learn from anyone (or even a donkey 😉) when we seek first the kingdom of God, and see things through from His perspective.
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