September 13, 2010
OH Mercy, mercy me
Luke 16:1-18
Alicia Dean
Central Truth
Excuses for falling short of God's standard will be irrelevant on Judgment Day.
Key Verse | Luke 16:15
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God." (Luke 16:15)
Luke 16:1-18
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
1 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. 2 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.’ 3 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. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures 1 16:6 About 875 gallons or 3,200 liters of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures 2 16:7 Between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels or 37,000 to 45,000 liters of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world 3 16:8 Greek age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, 4 16:9 Greek mammon, a Semitic word for money or possessions; also verse 11; rendered money in verse 13 so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 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. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will 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 he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Law and the Kingdom of God
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it. 5 16:16 Or everyone is forcefully urged into it 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Divorce and Remarriage
18 Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Dive Deeper | Luke 16:1-18
In Luke 16 Jesus tells the Pharisees (“lovers of money”) a parable about a financial manager who deceives his boss and is terminated. Without approval, the unemployed manager quickly rushes to the boss’s biggest clients and restructures their outstanding debt. The community praises the boss for his generosity, and the manager pleads his savvy to the boss in hopes of getting back his old job. He has no choice but to rely solely on the boss’s mercy to secure his future.
This story parallels our relationship with our strict-but-generous “employer,” God. God has given us all a promising “career” and a sizable “paycheck” in heaven. God demands certain performance from His employees and is not impressed by excuses in our annual review.
Jesus says that we can ultimately go two ways in life: a life of righteousness, which is in Christ Jesus, or the world’s mixed bag of good and bad. We cannot serve two masters. Too often, we rely on God’s mercy as an excuse to do what we want. We allow the world to tell us how to live, rather than allowing our hearts to be transformed from the inside out.
God is seeking faithful stewardship, not nominal works. Before our life’s “annual review,” let’s prove our devotion to the Lord through obedience to His Word and diligent prayer. Let’s uplift and encourage one another, holding each other accountable. Let’s rave to our children of the fulfilling work that lies in the “family business.” Let’s repent, give praise for our boss’s mercy, and thank Him that He sent Jesus Christ to secure our future.
Discussion Questions
1. Jesus calls the Pharisees "lovers of money;" could He say the same thing about you?
2. All too often, I do what I want now and worry about apologizing later. Do you also struggle with taking advantage of God's mercy?
3. Until I studied this chapter, I never thought of God as my employer. If this were true, I have come in late, left early, and taken three-hour lunches all in one day! How would He rank you in your "annual review?"
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What are you responsible for? (examples: house chores, homework, your pet, etc...)
2. What does it mean to be faithful in those responsibilities? What does Jesus say your faithfulness in those responsibilities will show others? (verse 10)
3. How can you be more faithful this week in your responsibilities?