Luke 16:1-18

Here is the lesson from ABF this past Sunday, which was the last ABF before the new year! I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far :) God bless!

The Parables of Jesus

December 16, 2012

Rolling Stones

Parable of the Shrewd Manager – Luke 16:1-18

·         Vs. 8 – the master “commended” the dishonest manager because he had acted “Shrewdly.”

o   Shrewd – good at judging people or situations: showing or possessing intelligence, insight, and sound judgment, especially in business or politics; clever and accurate, crafty, tricky, disposed to artful and cunning practices, Characterized by keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and often a sense of the practical.

o   It is obvious why the dishonest manager’s actions in this parable would gain the favor of the debtors, but why the master?  In Christ’s day, it would have been forbidden in the Law to loan out money at interest, so many people got around this by overcharging for goods and services.  It is likely that this dishonest manager had dealt unfairly with the master’s debtors, and thus earned his favor when he corrected this injustice.

·         Vs. 9 – Use “worldly wealth” to gain “friends” for yourselves, so that when it is “gone”, you will be welcomed into “eternal” dwellings.

o   Verse 8 stated that nonbelievers are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than believers are.  In other words, they know how to use their position, authority, and resources to gain influence and favor from others.  If nonbelievers do this in a worldly context, we should be doing this to gain eternal treasure.  Do not confuse this by thinking you must use your worldly position, authority, and influence to gain favor or salvation from God, as this is a free gift of grace received through faith in Christ.  We should, however, use the things we have been entrusted with (time, resources, money, possessions) to gain rewards and treasures in heaven. 

§  I love that Christ uses the image of a master and a manager in this parable.  God is the master in this story; He is above all and in all, and everything that has been made has been made by Him, through Him, and for Him.  We are simply the managers of that which he has entrusted to us.  We are to deal shrewdly with the things given to us in this world, and use them to gain reward in heaven.

o   “He is no fool who gives that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”  - Jim Elliott

·         Vs. 10 -11 – Be faithful with little things, and you can be trusted with larger things.  We ought to be people that are marked with integrity in everything, both large and small.  What areas of your life may be lacking integrity? 

o   The cause of compromise often exists in financial gain.

·         Vs. 13 – You cannot serve both God and Money.

o   This is straight out of the commentary in my Life Application Bible.  I thought it was very good: “Money can easily take God’s place in your life.  It can become your master.  How can you tell if you are a slave to money?  Ask yourself: Do I think and worry about it frequently?  Do I give up doing what I should do or would like to do in order to make more money?  Do I spend a great deal of time caring for my possessions?  Is it hard for me to give money away?  Am I in debt?”

·         Vs. 14 – 15 – What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

o   “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

o   The Pharisees did things with their money in order to be seen by others and praised for it.  They did not do the things they did out of a heart to honor and glorify God.  Understand that everything you have has been given by God and to be used for his purposes and His glory.

Parable of the Rich Man and the Beggar

·         The Pharisees believed, like many in our culture today, that material wealth was a sign of God’s approval or favor.  This is the prosperity gospel.   This parable would have been a shock to them as the man who was rich was cursed and the man who was a beggar was rewarded.  

·         Notice that it had nothing to do with the fact that the rich man was rich, but everything to do with the way he used his wealth.  The passage says that the man lived in luxury everyday while a man stood at his gate and waited for scraps from the rich man’s table.  The rich man acted selfishly and hardheartedly, and did not repent or care for the poor as Jesus commanded. 

·         I think it’s ironic that the man’s name in this parable was Lazarus.  This is not the same Lazarus that was raised from the dead by Christ, but the story of the parable involves him appearing to the rich man’s brothers after he died.

What I think is profound about these parables is that they are not really about the money itself, but the attitude of the heart toward the money and possessions that these men were entrusted with.  I think this should be a big eye opener for all of us.  As Americans, we are some of the most blessed and wealthy people in the world.  We need to take seriously God’s Word, and submit to the commands He has given us in the Scriptures.  Do not allow God’s blessing to terminate on yourself, but be good stewards of what He has entrusted you with, and deal selflessly with those around you, caring for the poor, the orphans, and the widows.  In closing, I’d like to read Philippians 3:7-14.

Discussion:

1.       Is it bad to have a lot of money or to have nice things?  Read 1 Timothy 5:8 and 1 John 2:15-17.  What is the balance in making sure we are providing well for our families and having a love for the things of this world? 

2.       What are some sources of accountability we can implement to make sure we do not get caught up in money, possessions, or the desires of this world?