Day #256: Luke 16:3-9

Luke 16:3-9 (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.'
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.

The manager just lost his livelihood, but he had a window of time before being fired. So he thought about how best to handle his coming unemployment. Having been a manager, he did not want to dig ditches, he had too much pride to beg, and his mismanagement of his master’s funds would cause no one else to hire him for such a position. So he came up with a plan whereby others would take care of him. By plying upon the code of reciprocity, the manager could find food and housing and possibly a job from those whose debts were reduced.

Much discussion has arisen around exactly what this money manager was doing in this situation. Some commentators suggest that what the manager was doing was removing the interest and his own earnings from each of the debts. Most likely, this manager was acting very shrewdly in figuring out a way to put his master’s debtors in his own debt. The debts here involved are very high, thus these probably would have been commercial transactions—perhaps involving lease arrangements on pieces of land. The manager summoned all his master’s debtors and reduced their debts by a substantial amount. In this fraudulent way, the manager earned their good will. Once the debts had been dishonestly reduced, the master could do nothing, but social custom would require these debtors to reciprocate such kindness to the manager.

The commendation for the dishonest rascal raises questions. Why would dishonesty be commended? The manager had cut down the debts, legally made them binding with a third party, and indebted others to him. Thus, there was nothing left for the master to do than to commend the manager for his shrewdness. He had solved his problem—albeit at expense to his master. The commendation seems odd, unless the master was simply appreciating the farsightedness of the plan.

The citizens of this world are more shrewd than the godly are. Citizens of this world refers to unbelievers, who are neither committed to God nor his eternal standards. The godly refers to the disciples and followers of Jesus. The shrewd manager sized up his situation, made some decisions, came up with a strategy, and did what was needed. Jesus was not commending dishonesty, but rather the manager’s foresight and diligence to follow through and make friends. The manager did not profit directly in reducing the debts, but he used the principle of reciprocity to gain favor with the debtors. By doing a favor for them, the manager could require a favor from them.

Then Jesus added, “I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.” Believers are to make wise use of their financial opportunities, not to earn heaven, but to use their resources to make friends by helping the poor. If believers use their money to help those in need or to help others find Christ, their earthly investment will bring eternal benefit. Those who obey God will find that the unselfish use of their possessions will follow. Soon Jesus would spell out some of the applications for gaining friends.


SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Luke 16:8 is key: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly." He doesn't commend him for his dishonesty but he does say he was shrewd. Some of us may bristle at that word. Remember though, this is Jesus who is talking. Get mad at him. What does it mean to be shrewd? It’s the Greek word - which means wise and discerning. This guy was wise and discerning. He did some things right. What did this guy do that was right? Two things.

#1. He looked ahead and planned. v.3 & 4 "The manager said to himself, `What shall I do now? My master has taken away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig and I'm ashamed to beg.'" He said, `I know what I'll do when I lose my job here so people will welcome me into their house.'"

He has a plan. Many Christians only live in the here and now. They never look ahead. They never plan. Many Christians are doing absolutely no financial, no future planning. They don't look ahead. They don't plan ahead. That is not wise.

#2. He acted quickly. He called in each one of his master's debtors and says "How much do you owe? Eight hundred gallons?" He says, "Take your bill, sit down quickly." Circle "quickly". He did it while he had the time. He acted quickly. He looked ahead and he planned ahead.

Jesus says to us as believers, "In light of everything that's going to happen in eternity, you ought to do the same thing with your money. You ought to look ahead, you ought to plan ahead and you better do it while you've got the opportunity." That's God's investment strategy.

Ponder these things today. Is there anything that God is saying to you about the way you handle the resources -His resources - that you have been entrusted with? I love you guys. Stay faithful. Stay the course. ENDURE!