Luke 16:1-9

Luke 16:1-9 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?’ “‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’ “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.

Out of fear for his own security, the dishonest manager displayed grace and mercy to others, using his own wealth to get out of trouble with the rich man. He allowed the debtors who owed the master to pay less than they owed. He, the wasteful manager, made up for the rest. Of course, this pretentious goodness was for his own benefit, for his own security. Because he gave these debtors a break, he felt they probably would reciprocate by providing him a home if he lost his job and residency. The dishonest manager was looking out for number one, himself.

Jesus relates this story to reveal that the people of the world are many times more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of light. The sinners use their wealth to gain friends and reciprocation. The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. The dishonest manager knew when his wealth was gone, if he did not have any friends who owed him, he was doomed. He would not have a home, he would have no means of survival, for he was not strong enough to dig, and he was ashamed to beg. We know, however, that none of what this dishonest manager did would lead to eternal dwellings, so Jesus was really telling his followers how they should live their lives. When their lives are gone, when they have used up their wealth, their ability to survive, what will happen to them if their lives have been lived for themselves, in a profligate manner with no plan for the future?

The first aspect of this story is that this man was a profligate. The rich man put him in charge of his possessions, but instead of being respectful of this responsibility, the man cavalierly managed the rich man's property. As humans, we have been put in charge of God's creation, the earth. The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Are we doing likewise, wasting what God has given us? The rich man asked the man to give an account of his management. Are we respectful of what God has given us? Are we respectful of the earth and its bounty? Are we respectful of the bodies He has given us? Are we taking care of the earth and our bodies? Are we taking care of our surroundings, our health, our lives? We can be disrespectful, we can be profligates.

Secondly, in this story, Jesus highlights grace and mercy. This dishonest manager gave grace and mercy for his own benefit. He did not ask the debtors to pay their full debt, writing some off for his own purposes. In this account Jesus asks us to do likewise, to give grace and mercy rather than judgment and harsh treatment to people who transgress against us. Giving grace and mercy to others leads to eternal life. The Bible says we will be judged as we judge others. If we fail to give grace and mercy, God will not give us grace and mercy. If we truly desire eternal life, an eternal dwelling, we need to treat others as we would want to be treated. We need to forgive others, for none of us can stand before a righteous God with sin in our lives, with hatred permeating our souls.

Jesus asks us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hurt us, to go the extra mile with our oppressors. He asks us to settle quickly with the sinner who opposes us. This of course is for our good, not for the oppressors of our souls. Actually, by doing this, by forgiving them, the Bible says we are heaping coals of judgment on those who would do us harm. “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20) Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. In the above passage, Jesus tells his disciples to be at least as wise as the world. They make friends for their own purposes, but we should give grace and mercy for eternal purposes. Jesus gave his love, grace, and mercy to us when we were yet sinners; we should give the same to the world. We should expend our wealth, our strength, our lives, revealing God to the world. This is our reasonable sacrifice and service. We will then be known as good stewards, deserving of an eternal dwelling place with our Lord because we followed Christ's example.