February 14, 2020
Will We Prove Faithful?
Luke 16:1–18
Shannon Taliaferro
Central Truth
All believers will give an account before the Lord for their stewardship and will be rewarded accordingly.
Key Verse | Luke 16:10-11
"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?"
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
As a teacher, I provide my students with good examples to follow, but in all my years of teaching, I have never held up a poor example and told my students to imitate it. Yet, this appears to be what Jesus does with His parable about the dishonest manager. I don't know how you responded when you read the passage, but in Luke 16:8 when the master praises his former employee for being shrewd, I echoed a favorite response of my seventh-grade students: "Wait. What?" Why does Jesus hold up this dishonest man as an example for His disciples to follow?
What Jesus wants His followers to understand is that, while the manager was dishonest, he had a moment when he thought about his future (Luke 16:3) and then acted in a way that would benefit him down the road. Similarly, Jesus wants His disciples to think about the future. And though we can certainly experience blessings during our time on earth, there is also great opportunity for rewards in heaven. Just as the manager in the parable was called to give an account for his stewardship, we will one day give an account to the Lord for what He entrusted us with during our time on earth. And He will reward each person based on his stewardship (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). The Lord is seeking faithful stewards, because those who are faithful in small things can be entrusted with much, much more (Luke 16:10). How we use the time, talents, energy, and other resources and gifts He has given us now demonstrates our faithfulness.
This idea of proving my trustworthiness is a powerful shift in thinking. It is easy for me to get caught up in whether I trust God. But the truth is, He has proven His trustworthiness over and over, both in the Bible and in my own life. The better question is: Can He trust me? Will I use what He has given me for the praise of His glory? Lord, let it be so! Let me not squander resources or miss opportunities!
Discussion Questions
1. What has God given you to steward? (Consider your time, possessions, abilities, etc.) In what ways are you using them for ministry?
2. How does thinking about your eternal future cause you to reevaluate how you live now?
3. How can you encourage others to be faithful stewards?