Priorities, priorities
Opening Prayer
God of love, thank You for Your lavish grace and kindness revealed through Your Son, Jesus.
Read Luke 16:1–18
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[1] 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 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 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. [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. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do we learn from the money manager?Let’s be honest, this is a really difficult set of verses. It raises a number of questions which we don’t have time to go into, but at the heart is a question of priorities. What are we really aiming at in life? In the story about the manager, Jesus is pointing out the need to use money wisely; he is not commending dishonesty. This is highlighted in verses 10–13. To let money be our master is to make a massive mistake; and it’s one that many people make. If money controls our lives we find that we cannot serve God. God knows what our inner attitudes really are (15). It’s very hard to work out the detailed meaning of verses 16 and 17, and there are several theories, but the general thrust is clear. In Jesus something new—the kingdom, or rule, of God—has come, but this doesn’t mean that God’s standards have changed. He still expects us to live in distinctive ways. If anything, Jesus calls us to higher standards than the Old Testament Law. Verse 18 is also difficult, but for other reasons. Much has been written by Christians who take different views on divorce and remarriage, bearing in mind that in Matthew 5:32 Jesus puts it slightly differently. Faithfulness is supremely important, but sensitivity, forgiveness, restoration and hope for those whose relationships have broken down also matter.
Apply
Examine your priorities. Are pleasing God and living by his values at the top of that list?
Closing prayer
Father, teach me to use the things of this world in the service of that which lasts forever. Thank You.
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