Day 32: Luke 16.1-18

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 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.’

“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— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘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.’

“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.’

“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. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

“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. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Jesus was not praising the dishonest manager for his mishandling of his master’s possessions; rather, he used the manager’s shrewdness as an example to the disciples of how they should act wisely with the resources God had entrusted to them.  Jesus encouraged the disciples to invest the resources he gave to them in the kingdom work of sharing the gospel with people. 

We are all managers of the resources God has given to us - our financial treasures as well as our time and talent. Reflecting on your own resources, how would you describe your management of that which has been entrusted to you? What is one thing you can do today to be more faithful in how you use your time, talent, or treasure?

The Scripture continues…

“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.”

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 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.

“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. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

The Pharisees’ love of money was idolatry; it stole the devotion that was due to God alone. They were also lovers of the law, until it was inconvenient, as when they wanted to divorce. Rather than acknowledge their sin, they justified their thoughts and actions before men. Jesus condemned them because he knew the state of their hearts. God’s kingdom demands ethical integrity in how we deal with our resources and our relationships.

Where do you struggle to act with integrity with your resources or relationships? 

In what ways do you justify your thoughts or actions?

What does this reveal about your heart?

Take this to God and ask him to help you to honor him in all areas of your life.