Stewardship According to Jesus
Luke 16:1-13
January 5, 2020
This morning we return to Luke’s gospel,
Having finished the famous story on the prodigal
And now entering a new section and new sermon from our Lord.
It is also January, and the time when we focus especially on MISSIONS and our mandate to proclaim the gospel of Christ around the world.
And, fortunately for us, the sermon Jesus is about to preach to us fits extremely well with one of our roles regarding how we fulfill this mission.
This morning we return to the conversation regarding money.
You should know by now that Jesus talked a lot about money.
Some have said that 1/3 of His preaching recorded in the gospels
Deals with the concept of money.
We’ve certainly already seen Him address it several times in Luke’s gospel.
Luke 6:20-26 “And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. “Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. “Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.”
Jesus came right out of the gate reminding us that
Those who focus only on making this life more comfortable
Will ultimately find themselves in a very sad state of affairs.
It is very foolish to forsake eternity in order that you may gain this world.
And yet, there are many who do.
Even in His famous parable of the soils Jesus told us about that weedy soil who allowed his love of the world to choke out the seed of the gospel.
Luke 8:14 “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
What a tragedy to reject Christ because you are too preoccupied
With the “worries and riches and pleasures of this life”
And yet, during the ministry of Jesus it became clear that
People were definitely preoccupied with money.
One man even interrupted Jesus during His sermon in Luke 14 to discuss money issues.
Luke 12:13-15 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
• If you’ll remember Jesus went from there directly into that parable about the
man who tore down his barns so that he could build larger ones and live
in security.
• He was prepared for anything this life could throw at him, but he was not
prepared for eternity, and in a moment his earthly wealth was gone and
profited him no longer.
This reality would lead Jesus to give His disciples clear instruction regarding money.
Luke 12:33-34 “Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
The point was clear.
Don’t consider money to be your treasure,
Instead use your money to obtain the true treasure in heaven.
Give your money to the poor and thus transfer your wealth
From here to heaven where the true treasures exist.
It was good counsel regarding how to handle money.
But we have also learned that Jesus is not just a financial advisor.
He is not just here to promote wise investment principles.
The fact is that the way we view and handle money
Is very telling regarding the sincerity of our faith.
In fact Jesus made the very direct statement at the end of chapter 14:
Luke 14:33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
Jesus reminded us that the issue of money is not a secondary issue.
The issue of money is one that gets to the very heart of salvation.
And so we have learned that money matters to Jesus
Because money is such a heart issue for humanity.
He actually said, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
It’s a real issue regarding salvation.
It is a very telling issue regarding self examination.
Perhaps that explains why Jesus continually returns to it.
In fact, when get to chapter 16,
We pay special attention to THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS SERMON.
(16:1) “Now He was saying to the disciples…”
Certainly we learn down in verse 14 that the Pharisees where also listening,
But the sermon was not primarily intended for them.
This sermon was for “the disciples”
• That is, it was for those who were currently following Jesus.
• It was for those who had identified Jesus as the Messiah.
Well, if they were already following…
If they were already disciples…
Then why is Jesus talking to them about money?
Because He is always intent on making sure His disciples are real.
He knew that not everyone who followed Him was really saved.
He knew that not everyone who identified with Him was really saved.
Some only followed Him because in Him they saw the opportunity for more comfort and earthly gain.
• He could multiply food from 5 loaves and 2 fish.
• He could heal any disease that plagued humanity.
• He could tell demons to leave.
• He could even raise the dead.
For many Jesus was the means to a better life here on earth.
But that is not what Jesus came to offer.
He came to save me from their sin, not gratify their sinful impulses.
And so time and time again Jesus would turn and confront
Those who followed Him and sort of throw down the gauntlet
Regarding what a true follower of His must be.
Here in Luke 16 He does so regarding their stewardship.
And He begins this sermon with yet another somewhat shocking parable.
#1 THE PARABLE
Luke 16:1-8
We begin the story finding out that we have “a rich man”
And this man was rich enough that he required “a manager”
The picture is of a man so wealthy that he could not keep track of all of his assets and so he employed another man to take care of it for him.
But then we learn there is a problem.
“and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.”
The fact that news had to be “reported” indicates that the rich man probably did not live in the same area.
• We’ll see in a moment that the man owned olive groves and wheat fields, likely among other things, but was likely not present to manage everything.
• He had turned control of his operations over to this manager who was to manage his land and run the full operation.
But the manager was dishonest.
• Instead of operating the farm in manner that benefited the rich man, he instead
was “squandering his possessions.”
It is the same word that Jesus used for that younger son who left home and “squandered his estate with loose living” (15:13)
The man was just burning through money.
He treated everything that rich man owned as though it was his own,
And he spent it however he liked until he had actually spent it all.
It would be sort of like you turning your retirement care over to an investment broker only to find out that he was spending all your money on his own selfish desires and all your money was gone.
That was the report that this rich man received about his manager.
He is a dishonest thief.
(2) “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’”
Based on the accusations, the rich man decided to do 2 things.
1) Fire the manager “you can no longer be manager”
2) Get his books/records “give an accounting of your management”
It is clear that the manager is in trouble.
Not only has he lost his job, but when those books are brought to light,
He’s likely to be in even more trouble.
HIS SIN HAS MOST CERTAINLY CAUGHT UP WITH HIM.
And so we see that this manager has a sort of PANIC ATTACK.
(3) “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; I am ashamed to beg.”
Honestly, the story doesn’t get any better regarding this dishonest thief.
• We already learned he was dishonest.
• We already learned he was a thief.
• Now we learn that he is also lazy and proud.
“not strong enough to dig” is just another way of saying, “I don’t want to dig”
“ashamed to beg” gives us insight into his pride and arrogance. He didn’t mind swindling, but he doesn’t want to beg.
This is not a good man.
And so Jesus, the master story-teller, has done it again.
We have before us a story with a very real scoundrel.
And if that is not bad enough, the MAN GOES EVEN FURTHER.
In his panic he has sort of an EPIPHANY.
(4) “I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.”
HE HAS A PLAN.
And in order to gain Jesus’ point in the parable
It is important that you here identify his goal.
What is this man’s goal?
That after his current means of income is gone,
That he will be welcomed into the homes of other people.
In short, he is not looking to save his current job.
He is looking to secure a place to stay after he loses this job.
File that away, it is important.
And here is what he does.
(5-7) “And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ “Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’”
If you’re paying attention, the guy is still being terribly dishonest.
YOU MAY REMEMBER back in chapter 14
• When Jesus rebuked the Pharisee for only inviting his friends and the
rich to his meal instead of the poor.
Luke 14:12 “And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.”
And we talked about how in Israel
The “You-owe-me” concept was well in effect.
Favors were expected to be paid back.
“If I do good for you, it’s understood that you will have to do good to me.”
That is what this man is counting on.
The plan is to take those who are in debt to his master
And cut a deal that will now make them indebted to him.
So he calls everyone who owes money to his master.
• And finds out what they owe.
• Two are mentioned though there were doubtless more.
The first is a man who owed “a hundred measures of oil”
• By the way, this is about 875 gallons of olive oil.
• The price would have been valued at about 1,000 denarii (days wages)
• This is about 4 years wages.
• For the equivalent, a person merely making minimum wage in America will
earn about $17K a year making this bill the relative equivalent of about
$68,000.
And this manager tells him
“Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.”
Do you see what just happened?
• He cut the debtor a great deal!
• And at the same time he cheated his master out of half of what he was owed.
• His master is losing even more money, but this guy just made a great
friend.
He does the same again with a man who owes “a hundred measures of wheat”, and the manager tells him to “write eighty”
HE’S OUT THERE SLASHING DEBTS AND MAKING FRIENDS.
He’s cheating the master,
But he’s certainly securing a future for himself in the arena of favors.
Do you see that?
Now, in the story, we expect the hammer to fall.
That rich man is gonna kill that manager.
• Not only did he mismanage his wealth, but when he got caught, he
mismanaged it even more in order to secure for himself his own future.
If the story ended here without explanation
We would call this a story about the worst steward ever. Agreed?
If you’re Charles Schwab or Merril Lynch agent did that,
You’d be fit to be tied.
But leave it to Jesus to bring about A SHOCKING ENDING to the story.
(8) “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly;”
What!?!
“praised”?
That doesn’t seem right.
Jesus told this story with this shocking ending
Because He was using to GET YOUR ATTENTION
And then to MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT POINT.
Jesus says in verse 8 “for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.”
Wow.
Let’s look at that statement a second.
• Jesus speaks of “the sons of this age” that would clearly be LOST PEOPLE.
• And He speaks of “the sons of light” who are clearly SAVED PEOPLE.
And Jesus here says that lost people
“are more shrewd in relation to their own kind” than saved people.
What does He mean?
“shrewd” there is the word PHRONIMOS
You’ve seen this word before.
Jesus has already used it once.
Jesus was talking about the second coming and the danger of judgment and the necessity of being ready for His coming.
Luke 12:41-43 “Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.”
Jesus there spoke of the “faithful and sensible (PHRONIMOS) steward”
PHRONIMOS means “mindful of one’s interests.”
It is someone who is paying attention, sees what is coming,
And makes wise moves in order to prepare for what is coming.
In Luke 12 it spoke of a person who realized that the Lord will return to judge and so he takes care of business and does what is right.
But here in Luke 16 Jesus applies that word to this “unrighteous manager”.
Jesus said what this man did, though it was unrighteous, was “shrewd”,
It was sensible.
This man used wealth he could not keep
To secure for himself a better future.
And now LISTEN TO JESUS, who in effect says:
I WISH MY FOLLOWERS WOULD DO THE SAME.
• Does He mean He wants them to be immoral? No, of course not.
• Does He mean He wants them to lie and cheat? No, of course not.
What does He mean?
He wishes that His followers would also use wealth they cannot keep
In order to obtain for themselves a better future.
In some ways He is lamenting that
Even worldly people know wealth should be used for the future,
But His people don’t seem to be that sensible.
Instead of wisely using wealth for a better future,
His followers are mishandling their wealth.
They aren’t as sensible even as the lost.
That is the parable, and the immediate application of it.
#2 THE POINT
Luke 16:9
Here is the sermon.
And if you’ll notice you can see 3 distinct points here.
1) THE COMMAND
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves”
The clear understanding of what the Lord teaches is that
The believer should be actively seeking to build relationships with others.
That is clear isn’t it?
• The Lord never intended for His followers to be hermits.
• We are supposed to be making friends.
• There is an outreach concept that he speaks of here.
2) THE MEANS
“by the mans of the wealth of unrighteousness”
That may seem shocking to you.
Jesus actually said that you should use money to make friends.
Incidentally “wealth” there is the word MAMONAS in the Greek.
• It is not just money, but money as a personification of worldly confidence.
• The word can even take on a deified definition.
• It speaks of that which the world worships, idolizes, and trusts in for security.
That is why it is called “the wealth of unrighteousness”
And Jesus actually says that His followers
Should use that wealthy to make friends.
3) THE OBJECTIVE
“so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
He is speaking of believers using money to secure a better future.
First we recognize that it is going to fail.
Jesus says “so that when it fails”
All money ultimately fails.
• When you die, it is no longer of any use for you.
• It cannot secure you or comfort you after death.
• It will fail you in the grave.
So money should be used before it fails you.
And here He speaks of using it to make friends
Who will one day welcome you into heaven.
“dwellings” is the word for tabernacle.
• It is the word used to describe the tent of meeting that Moses built, where God dwelled.
Jesus says that you should use money to make friends
That will welcome you and greet you when you enter heaven.
NOW STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.
What are we talking about?
If they are people who will greet you and welcome you in heaven
Then clearly they are people are saved;
Clearly they are people who have been redeemed.
And so now we understand a little better what Jesus means when tells us to “make friends”.
He is wanting us to use money
To make the kind of friends that will be in heaven.
Are you understanding Him?
There can only be one application.
USE MONEY TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL.
Since the gospel is the power that leads men to salvation.
• Then clearly the idea here is to use money to spread the gospel so that men will hear it, be saved, and be in heaven.
• And one day when you enter heaven, after this wealth “fails” you will have someone there to welcome and greet you.
THAT IS THE APPLICATION.
Jesus says, “I wish My followers would use their wealth to make friends for heaven instead of to just use it here on earth.”
So do you understand what He is saying about money?
HE INTENDS IT TO BE SPENT!
And spent for His Kingdom.
THAT TIES IN EVEN NOW WITH OUR MISSIONS MONTH.
Every year in January we take up our Lottie Moon offering.
• This is just for foreign missions in general.
• When you give to that, you are giving to spread the gospel.
• When you support Malawi you are opening doors for us to share the gospel.
• When you give to Lottie Moon you are supporting missionaries who share the
gospel.
• When you support couples like Chris and Meagan Weaver you are sending
the gospel to New Guinea
THAT IS HOW MONEY IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED.
THAT IS HOW JESUS SAID TO USE IT.
• Don’t store it.
• Don’t hoard it.
• Don’t see it as some sense of security or confidence.
• Use it! Spend it! Use it to send the gospel out!
THAT IS THE POINT.
Someday all your earthly wealth will fail.
Someday you’ll have no use of it at all.
What a joy it will be on that day
• To see that because you used money and didn’t store it,
• There are people waiting in heaven to welcome you and greet you and thank you for giving
• So that they were able to hear the gospel and be saved.
Can you think of any better investment than that?
When a believer learns that their money can actually be used to save lost people, every believer in the world should say in their heart, “I don’t need to hear anymore, I know what I’m using my money for.”
That is what Jesus wants.
Give your worldly wealth that is destined to fail
For the spreading of the gospel, the growth of the kingdom,
And the salvation of the lost.
The Parable, The Point
#3 THE PRINCIPLES
Luke 16:10-13
This is where you again have to love Jesus.
Because He knows us so well.
He knows that when He starts talking about us giving our money in order to secure heavenly friends, that inevitable human arguments will arise.
And He even knows what the primary, number one excuse is:
I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO GIVE
Jesus addresses that very issue.
• And for Him giving is not about having an abundance.
• Giving is not about having extra.
For Jesus giving comes down to 2 issues:
FAITHFULNESS & LOYALTY
It’s not about if you are rich.
It’s not about if you have extra.
It’s about if you are faithful and if you are loyal.
Those are the only two issues.
(10)“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”
It’s clear isn’t it?
Giving is not a matter of surplus, it is a matter of faithfulness.
With God it has never been about the amount.
• He doesn’t need the money.
• He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
• He is the One who supplies seed to the sower.
But what He is watching is to see
How faithful you are with what He has given you.
Are you using the money He entrusted to you
The way He wants it used?
Now I’m NOT IMPLYING that God has no concept of you feeding your family or meeting your needs.
• We understand money is used in that way.
But all of it?
• Do you spend all your money on yourself?
• Do you spend all your funds on what you want?
• Is any of it given for the growth of the kingdom?
It’s not a matter of how much you have,
It’s a matter of how faithful you are with what you have.
And Jesus even goes on to reveal that OUR FAITHFULNESS
IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO OUR FUTURE OPPORTUNITY.
(11-12) “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?”
FIRST Jesus speaks of “unrighteous wealth” which is clearly money.
THEN He speaks of “the true riches” which refer to God’s more certain gifts.
Matthew Henry put it like this:
“Let us be convinced of this that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich towards God, rich in Christ, the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof. If other things be added to us, by using them well we may take the faster hold of the true riches, and may be qualified to receive yet more grace from God. To a man that is faithful in the unrighteous mammon, he gives the true riches. The riches of this world are another man’s. They are not our own for they are God’s. They are another man’s; we have them from others; we use them for others; and we must shortly leave them to others. But the spiritual and eternal riches are our own inseparably; they are a good part that will never be taken away from us. If we make Christ our own, and the promises our own, and heaven our own, we have that which we may truly call our own. But how can we expect God should enrich us with these if we do not serve him with our worldly possessions, of which we are but stewards?”
(Henry, Matthew [Matthew Henry’s Commentary; In One Volume; Zondervan Publishing; Grand Rapids, MI, 1960] pg. 1474)
Henry’s point is spot on.
There are “true riches” that God has for His children.
Riches of grace and mercy and peace and Christ and Heaven.
But does God give those riches to those who will not be faithful with lesser, temporary, and earthly riches?
And the implied answer here is “No”.
It harkens back to Jesus saying:
Luke 14:33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”
Or
Matthew 16:24-27 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
In this way, what we do with money
Becomes an indicator of the state of our heart.
The man who will not forsake this world
Cannot obtain the kingdom of heaven.
It is not that we purchase heaven through giving money,
But a man who will not give his money indicates that
He does not truly value the true riches of heaven.
For a man who understands the value of the true riches of Christ,
Would gladly give all that he has to gain that treasure,
Or all that he has to gain that pearl.
And that is what Jesus says here.
If you can’t be faithful to God with worldly wealth do you really expect to obtain the true riches?
Do you entrust a person with your car who wrecks your lawnmower?
Furthermore Jesus says, “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s who will give you that which is your own?”
It is another way of saying the same thing.
• Will you expect to receive your own eternal inheritance in heaven when you have been so unwilling to part with this borrowed wealth on earth?
SEE, THE ISSUE IS FAITHFULNESS.
Jesus is confronting all those who would claim to be His disciples
To instruct them that His true disciples are those who understand
That the wealth of this world is but a tool for the kingdom.
• His true disciples do not hoard wealth.
• His true disciples do not trust wealth.
• His true disciples do not crave wealth.
• His true disciples use the wealth of this world in order to obtain that which is
the truest treasure.
It’s not about how much you have, it’s about how you use what you have.
It is not about surplus, it is about faithfulness.
It is also about LOYALTY
(13) “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Jesus is still confronting His “would be” disciples.
• Is He really Lord?
• Is He really Master?
• Have you really surrendered all to Him?
Does that evidence itself in your wallet?
Because you cannot serve the wealth of this world and Jesus at the same time.
• If your primary concern is wealth then it cannot be Jesus.
• If your primary concern is Jesus then it cannot be wealth.
The true servant of Christ has submitted all that is and all that He has
To glory of Christ and the growth of His kingdom.
This verse becomes a great litmus test for the validity of our faith.
• Am I faithful with my money?
• Am I loyal with my money?
• Who or what am I serving?
This is the message Jesus confronted His followers with,
And it confronts our heart as well.
Jesus actually instructed that one of the ways we can know
If we are truly His disciples is by how we handle our money.
• Are you faithful with it?
• Are you eager to use it for eternal purposes?
• Or do you hate it when someone asks for your money for ministry purposes?
• Are you loyal to God with your wealth?
• Can God have it anytime He wants it?
• Or are you really loyal to your wealth instead of God?
This is the test.
Jesus has made His command clear.
He wants you to use your wealth for the spreading of the gospel, to make eternal friends and to gain eternal treasure.
• That is what a wise man would do.
• That is what a sensible man would do.
• That is what a shrewd man would do.
• Money is not to be hoarded, it is meant to be spent on the kingdom.
• Money is not to be loved, it is to be used for the kingdom.
• Money is not to be trusted, it is to be given for the kingdom.
That is STEWARDSHIP ACCORDING TO JESUS
