luke 16 – Bible About Money

Luke 16 Parable of the Shrewd Manager!

Luke 16 New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, **who will entrust to you the true riches?**”

16 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ²So 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— ⁴I 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. ⁹I 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. ¹¹So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹²And 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.”
Luke 16:13

¹⁴The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. ¹⁵He 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.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”
Luke 16

References & reflections

[1] https://bibleaboutmoneyfinance.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/e0211-2016-11-13parables239-shrewdmanagerluke16_1-172811.13.201629.pdf
[2] https://1fear.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/52514-modern-parables-3-the-shrewd-manager/
[3] https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/2220/prominent-theologians-answer-to-what-is-the-parable-of-the-shrewd-manager-ab
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Unjust_Steward

Cross Reference. The Parable of the Talents His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ — **Matthew 25:23**

Management as a service. We are to be servant-leaders just as Jesus was the Good Shepherd [John 10:11]

Be Ready for Service

35 Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning.
36 Then you will be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them
Luke 12:35-37

Maranatha

We are entrusted with the wealth of God, His Word, wisdom and teachings, psalms, parables, proverbs, promises and prophecy, as His property managers and temporary stewards, the shepherds of His holy flock, until the day Christ finally returns. Maranatha.

⁴¹Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
⁴²The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?
⁴³It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.
Luke 12:41-43

Lord, let us be mindful, watchful and faithful for the things that the world considers the littlest and least, the lost and last

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?”
Luke 16

The Sheep and the Goats