A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, speak to me through the Scriptures today. Use the Word to focus my attention on my Savior and refine my heart as I follow him.
Read LUKE 16:1–18
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
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 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels[b] 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.
10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Additional Teachings
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.
18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
In our society driven by desire for wealth and prestige, this lesser-known parable of Jesus gives us a down-to-earth and interesting angle on being in the world, but not of the world (see 1 John 2:16). Who are we ‘serving’ (v. 13)?Jesus directed this teaching to his disciples (v. 1). However, he also had a subtle message for the hostile Pharisees (vv. 14, 15). The political tension was building, and they were looking for an opportunity to arrest him. So far, Jesus had skillfully avoided each trap as it was set. The time was not yet right for God’s plan of salvation to be fulfilled.
The parable itself is in verses 1–8, with the application from verses 9–18. In this unusual story, Jesus commended foresight and prudence and encourages us to be shrewd in our dealings with others, without being dishonest ourselves. The key to this is in verse 13. Our focus needs to be on following Jesus, so that we can deal with worldly distractions with integrity. Not surprisingly, the Pharisees’ response in verse 14 brought a hard-hitting rebuke from Jesus (v. 15). However, this also challenges us to examine our attitudes, motives, and lifestyle honestly. Are all the resources we have at our disposal available for God to use as he wishes?
Apply
God’s words to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7 are a salutary reminder to be beyond reproach in the way we live. How can they be applied in your own life?
Closing prayer
O God, strengthen me as I follow you. Thank you for your forgiveness when I fall short and fail.
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