Use worldly wealth to gain your friends (Luke 16a)*

Use worldly wealth to gain friends

Luke 16:1-18

Key verse - Luke 16:9

Introduction

We have looked at three parables about God’s shepherd-heart for lost sinners. In today’s passage, the subject changes from God’s love to what man needs to do out of love for others. What a man can do for others depends heavily on how one handles the riches that he has. On this subject, Jesus gave two parables. Today, we will study an example of using one’s riches positively, and next week, we will study an example of one’s failure to use their riches properly.

Riches are in all of our hearts, either as a hope within our reach or purely as a dream. One works or studies hard so as to obtain the riches of this world. Others are greatly frustrated because having any riches is only a remote dream. Whether we have riches or not, our minds are so engrossed with it that how we pursue it will either help us gain God’s blessing or greatly hinder us from entering the kingdom of God. Jesus was heading to Jerusalem to establish God’s kingdom; it was important for his disciples to have a proper view of money, if they were to continue to establish the kingdom successfully after his death.

A.   Use riches to reduce the debts of others

Jesus told his disciples a parable about a rich man and his manager.

“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’” (Luke 16:1-2).

There was a rich man who had a manager who who had been working for him for a long time. One day, someone told him that this manager was wasting his money. So he told his manager that he was going to be fired. This was a serious matter for him, because this job had supported him for so long and he had no money saved up. However, this went through his mind:

“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.’ (Luke 16:3-4).

In his sober assessment of his situation, this manager came to realize that he had no ability to earn a living by himself. It would be very serious unless he found some other means to support himself. After much thought, he came to recognize that the only way for him to survive was to depend on others’ favors; he planned to earn the hearts of those who worked for the rich man, so that, when he was fired, he might be welcomed by those people. He carried out his plan in this way:

“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.’ (Luke 16:5-7).

He met with each of his master’s debtors and drastically cut down their debts, 900 gallons of oil to 450, 1,000 bushels of wheat to 800, and so on. He did this at his sole discretion, without his master’s approval. In this way, he earned favor in many hearts. Without a doubt, he incurred a great loss for his master, but strangely, his master’s response was very different from his expectation:

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly.” (Luke 16:8a).

The master knew that his manager was dishonest, and yet he commended him for his shrewd actions. Jesus explained what this means:

“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.” (Luke 16:8b).

Surely, this manager was shrewd in one thing - dealing with his master’s debtors. These were those who had accused him of wasting his master’s money[BJ1] ; now much of their debts were reduced and they became happy with the manager and with the master. When the manager ran out of his own money, he would be welcomed by these people. Jesus applied this to his disciples:

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9).

Here, the wealth is called ‘worldly’ because it belongs to the world, not to heaven. This kind of wealth is characterized by corruptibility. So, the worldly wealth connotes not just  material possessions that we have, but also whatever we have in our earthly lives, including all our human assets, such as our earthly bodies[BJ2] . No matter how good looking and attractive the world’s riches may be to our eyes, they can never lead us to the true riches of the kingdom of God.

Nevertheless, Jesus told his disciples to use worldly wealth to gain friends for themselves. So he was saying that they were to use worldly wealth to make others their believer-friends. For the people of the world, worldly wealth is their purpose or goal, but the disciples were told to use their wealth to gain friends. The worldly wealth should not be the goal of their life, but should be a means to earn the hearts of people to the Lord. This is a positive biblical view of the riches of this world; though by themselves, they do not have any merit for the kingdom of God, when used to gain friends, they will yield a great outcome, both for the disciples and for their friends.

Since the disciples were to use the riches of the world, eventually they would all be used up. So “when it is gone”, i.e. when all the worldly wealth is used up or exhausted, denotes not the time when the disciples would run out of money, but when one’s life is used up, that is the time of one’s death[BJ3] . This would be the time when they would be welcomed into eternal dwellings, not only by God but also by those whom they gained through using the riches of the world. This is the greatest and most positive use of worldly wealth.

But this is not easy. We are so busy making enough for our own living, and our minds are preoccupied with our wellbeing and comforts, so much so that we have little room for others. Then, how can we use all the riches that we have to earn the hearts of others? Jesus addressed three weaknesses in such positive handling of worldly wealth.

First, one thinks that it is too little, trivial, or meaningless.

“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.” (Luke 16:10).

If one does not see much value in their life and all that one has, he will live carelessly. He will likely dispose of many things that he has, like a piece of tissue that is thrown away after blowing one’s nose. It is true that all that we have on earth has much, much less value than what we will have in the kingdom of God. Many among Christians as well as non-Christians eventually begin to sense the meaninglessness of life on earth and all its riches. A hermitic or reclusive lifestyle is one example of this mentality. This can be good, in the sense that one values what is truly good, the life they will gain in the kingdom of God, but when God gives us what we have on earth, no matter how small or insignificant it might look, it is very valuable, not because it has intrinsic value, but because God has a clear purpose and meaning for it. So there is nothing that is too little, too trivial, or has too little value. What God has given to us on earth is and always will be the precursor for what we will have in glory. Likewise, the true value of all that we have resides not in what we give but in what God imparts with His purpose. No matter how little money one might have, if he accepts even that  small amount as God’s and handles it with the fear of the Lord, then he will be trusted with much.

When I was about 16, I thought like this manager who got a pink slip from his master. As I looked at my situation, I realized that I did not have much to go on - no talent, no knowledge, no physical strength, no eloquence, and certainly no money, nothing to compete with those who at least had one great talent or asset and much money. I had two choices; either I could  give up and use whatever I had carelessly or manage my possessions well, even the little things, such as life, energy, zeal, hope, and most importantly, my trust in the Lord. So I poured out all my energy and efforts to use what I had wisely; God considered me worthy and gave me many opportunities to experience His blessings. If I had given up at that time, I would have wasted even the little that I had and would be roaming in the street like a man without any hope at all. No matter how small, insignificant, or worldly they may look, we must manage our possessions well because they are God-given and entrusted to us to manage.

The second problem is our untrustworthiness before the Lord.

“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11).

God gives us whatever we have and is patient with us to see if we will trust Him or not. So the worldly wealth is a test of our faith and trust to the Lord. Do we recognize God as our Lord and the owner of all of our assets? Do we trust that when all of the world’s riches are used up, God will provide a place for us in heaven? When one fails to trust, they will not or cannot use the riches of the world to win the hearts of others to the Lord.

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Thirdly, worldly wealth belongs to someone else.

 “And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:12).

This one involves the problem of having genuine ownership or stewardship of what one has. God entrusted everything to our discretion and we are to manage them with a true sense of ownership or stewardship. When one does not have a true sense of ownership, he handles what he has with carelessness. He cannot use his life and worldly riches for a godly purpose and will be reluctant to use any of his possessions to gain friends. Our lives are ours only and no one else’s; we cannot blame others for what we have or do not have. Only we, ourselves, are responsible; though our parents and other family members may contribute some to the outcome of our lives, it is we as individuals that are responsible to take care of what we have been given before the eyes of God. Out of this sober decision, comes the will to use our worldly wealth to win the hearts of others. If one does so, God will give him property of his own.

We all have hopes to have our own property. Not long ago, I moved to a new place; it is good and more spacious than the old one. For a moment, I had  a good feeling, possessing a house as my own, but, actually, this is not mine forever. I am only the manager of this house for a while, and eventually, I have to give it up. When we have used up all of the riches that God has given us, He will give us more wealth that will never run out or be used up. These will be ours for good. What is the property of our own that we will receive?

As you know I moved to a new house and it is much better than the old one. It is good that I have a better place of my own, but realistically, it is only temporary. I cannot own this forever. Actually, all the possessions we have shall never be ours for good! They are all God’s and will be returned to God. However, God has promised us real property where we can live forever. It is not a temporary housing at all. We will have a permanent property of our own! But whether we will have a good property or not, depends on how we manage the riches that we have now on the earth. This is the hope for all. Eternal dwelling places are the dream for all men. God called Abraham with this promise:

God told Abraham:

“The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God." (Genesis 17:8 NIV).

Jesus also promised his disciples a permanent place:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3).

B.   Only one master, the Lord

So far, we have talked about three qualities that are needed to be a good manager:

a. fully appreciate the true value of what God has given, no matter how small or insignificant they might be,

b. be trustworthy to God’s purpose,

c. have a clear sense of ownership and take charge of what we have.

All three of these qualities hang on one thing, whom do we serve as our master?

“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).

Money competes for the mastership of man’s heart. Why? If you have money, there is almost nothing that you cannot do. Everything is provided at your command and everything is at your fingertips. You can go anywhere you want to go and possess anything that you want. Money seems to provide a heaven on earth. This is a great attraction as well as a delusion for many. Even the most influential and renowned spiritual leaders have fallen into this trap. “Embezzlement” has brought down many ministries and pastors. We should not underestimate its temptations; the moment we choose to work on the idea that money can be a solution for the problems that we face, we are entertaining the premise that we can serve two masters - God and money. This does look very unreasonable and may raise this question: why would someone think that he could serve two masters? In the Roman Empire, one slave could be co-owned by two masters. This meant that that slave was to serve two masters. On Monday, he would serve Bob, the first owner, and on Tuesday, he would serve Bill, the second owner. Likewise, many walk around serving two or more masters, either knowingly or unknowingly.

But God is a jealous god. He wants to have us as His own; He will not share His ownership with anyone else. We are His, 100%, and no one else’s. What was and what is the most common second master? It is money. Money drives people to work hard. For the sake of money, many do what he or she ordinarily wouldn’t do. But we cannot have two masters; God is our master, and money must have no place in our heart. If money is the master, then God has no place in our heart.

Yet many think otherwise. Nevertheless, we must not be confused; money can never buy even a single hour of life. It never gets us a piece of the kingdom of God. The moment we choose money as our master, our plan and hope is utterly in this world and we surely forfeit our hope for the eternal possessions in the kingdom of God. Also, when money becomes our master, we cannot serve as God’s managers.

[The next passage is inserted in between the two parables (Luke 16:1-15 and Luke 16:19-31). Both of these are about how one should handle the riches or wealth of this world. Today’s passage (Luke 16:1-15) is a positive affirmation of the godly use of the riches we have on the earth. The next one (Luke 16:19-31) is an example of how one did not use their material possessions in a godly manner. So the understanding of Luke 16:16-18 is closely related to the topic of these two parables.]

C.   How can a Pharisee get out of such failure?

“The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.” (Luke 16:14).

At the end of Jesus’ parabolic teaching, he nailed down this ultimate truth - no one can serve two masters; this word made a sharp jab into the Pharisees’ self-righteous mind, because they obviously loved money So the moment when they would accept this truth, they must admit that they were living ungodly lives. This was hard to do since they were viewed as the most righteous of the entire nation, far more righteous than Sadducees or any other religious parties or groups. So they sneered at Jesus, signaling that this teaching was wrong or not true at all.

Then Jesus explained how they had missed the truth;

“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.” (Luke 16:15).

By sneering at Jesus’ word of truth, they felt that they could justify themselves in their own reason and principle. All saw them and their denial of Jesus’ charge against their ungodliness because of their love of money. Nevertheless, they could not hide the truth from God. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight. This was a crisis for them, because they could not escape God’s judgment, according to the last words Jesus spoke. They could not say a word against what Jesus said here. In this deadlock situation, Jesus said this to the Pharisees:

“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.” (Luke 16:16).

The Law and the Prophets were the only truth that they knew and accepted as being from God. When John the Baptist came, he preached repentance, based on the Law and the Prophets. John’s life marked the end of the Law’s time. Soon after his death, Jesus preached the good news of the kingdom of God, offering a new message of salvation. It was good news because it was far better, far easier, and far more effective and powerful than the Law and the Prophets. So Jesus’ message had little to do with the ending of one teaching and the beginning of another; instead, it was about what the mainstay of God’s message of salvation was. Before the message of the good news of the kingdom of God, all were under the Law and Prophets. They are  under God’s judgment because they are unable to keep up with His laws. The best example of this is the Pharisees as Jesus charged against them. Who was accepting the message of the good news of the kingdom of God?

“everyone is forcing their way into it.” (Luke 16:16b).

The response to the good news was so great. ‘Everyone’ was forced or compelled to consider it seriously. Here, the word ‘forcing’ is better interpreted as “one forcing himself to recognize and acquire the good news of the kingdom of God.” In speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus was implicitly suggesting that they should consider the good news and, in it, find the true righteousness that they were seeking so eagerly. In order to force them to consider the good news of God’s kingdom, Jesus told them this:

“It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.” (Luke 16:17).

There was no way to escape the judgement of the Law, except for them to accept the good news!

People held onto the Law and the Prophets as the way of salvation and justification. Over the course of each of their lives, it became apparent that they could not justify themselves by these means! (Jesus taught them the Law in its original sense in Luke 6:17-45) Everyone who followed the Law sincerely faced a wall that they could not overcome. As long as there were requirements that they had to meet in order to be justified,  the chance is slim or none! In this ‘hopeless or deadlock situation’, Jesus offered good news.

The Pharisees’ greatest mistake or failure was in thinking that the Law could be manipulated to meet one’s best interests. As long as God was the same God that their ancestors met on Mount Horeb, then that was impossible.

Since the God of Horeb is the same God as today, the law shall stand forever! It cannot be compromised, altered, or modulated to excuse the weaknesses of men. Every stroke of the law will be upheld forever, as long as God lives. To the Pharisees, Jesus was saying that, as long as you hold on to the Law and the Prophets and reject the good news of the kingdom of God, there is no chance for you to enter the kingdom of God!

In order to enlighten their understanding of this truth, Jesus gave them an example of how they had failed to keep the Law and the Prophets.

“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” (Luke 16:18).

According to Jesus’ words, if anyone does not want to commit adultery, there are only two choices: stay in the marriage with their wife for life, or divorce her and stay single for the rest of their life. Both of these are extremely difficult to follow. It was likely that many of the Pharisees were divorced and remarried. Almost all those who were divorced intended to remarry another woman. This meant that most of them had violated the Law of Moses and there was no room for the Pharisees to escape the judgment of the law. By saying this, Jesus wanted them to face the true reality of their condition under God’s judgment, clearly reinforcing what he had said in the previous verses. They sneered at his word; they were not willing to accept the judgment of God’s law on themselves. Jesus pointed out their failures by addressing two outstanding violations of the Law of Moses that they had made, serving money instead of God, and adultery. The only way out for them was the good news of the kingdom of God.

Even with such an encouraging and gracious offer, if one fails to accept the good news of Jesus, what would happen? This is answered in the next parable (Luke 16:19-31).

Salvation hangs greatly on how one succeeds in managing the riches of this world. The best way is to use it to win many hearts to the Lord. Men’s efforts, according to the Law, will surely fail. Jesus brought good news; he gave everything, even his life, to earn the hearts of sinners like us. When we believe in the life of Jesus, the true good news, we will all surely be able to use all of our riches in this world to win many hearts to the Lord. This is the best way to handle the riches that we have on earth. I pray that we may have courage and faith to use them up in winning many hearts.