18th
PENTECOST Sunday
Rev. Norman F. Seeger
Luke 16:1-13
Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose
manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 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.’
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— 4 I 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 ”‘Eight hundred
gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The
manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
7 “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.’
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. 9 I 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. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy
in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy
with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
13 “No servant can
serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will
be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.”
Luke 16:1-13
"FAITHFUL MONEY MANAGERS SHREWDLY…”
1. Gain Eternal Friends for Ourselves
2. Serve Our Savior with Our Worldly Wealth
Dear children of God,
Money
matters. Deny it if we will, the fact
is, money makes a difference in our earthly relationships. Did my husband or wife marry me for my
money? Do people tolerate my presence
because I pick up the check at a restaurant?
Without doubt, finances affect our relationships, but I pray we never
let our wealth or another person’s wealth erase any of our relationships. Understand “We brought nothing into this
world & we can take nothing out of it.” Realize we will all be financial equals with a
net worth of “nothing” the day we die. Do
not avoid interacting with people who make thousands owning their own business. Do not separate yourself from workers bringing
home hundreds in their paycheck. Do not
shun penniless people relying on the generosity of friends or strangers for
their life’s support.
It must not rule
my life, but money matters. Finances
affect our every relationship in some way – not only my relationship with other
people, but also my relationship with God.
Hear Jesus warning, “We cannot serve both God & money!” Listen as Paul echoes Jesus, warning, “The
love of money is a root of all kinds of evil… leading some people to wander
from the faith & pierce themselves with many griefs!”[1 TM 6] Understand without a doubt, dollars
& cents dare not replace God as my life’s first focus. For if I worship money – if finances ever become
my top priority -- I will not really or rightly worship God. Unfortunately, money which so easily complicates
earthly relationships can absolutely destroy that all-important, eternal
relationship God established with us when Jesus sacrificed his own innocent
life to redeem our sins – when the Holy Spirit used God’s Word to make us
believe in Jesus as our Savior – when God
adopted us as his children who will ultimately inherit heaven – for if money becomes
my life, I then lose the eternal life God gives us in Christ.
Money absolutely matters,
so Jesus talks to us disciples about our use of money today. People might prefer a pastor never preaching about
our finances, but we cannot, in fact, rightly read or listen to God’s Word
without learning our Lord’s will for all the money he asks us to use but not
abuse in this world. Properly using God’s
money today – money God places into our possession for only a little while, allowing
us to manage whataever resources he knows we need & lovingly supplies for
our earthly life – Jesus instructs & encourages us to be faithful,
God-pleasing money managers who will shrewdly use financial resources to gain
eternal friends for ourselves. Jesus
instructs & encourages us to be faithful, God-pleasing money managers who
will glorify God by using worldly wealth to serve our eternal Savior.
Dishonesty is obviously
not the trait Jesus encourages as he pictures a money manager basically
stealing from his boss. Shrewdness – a
focus on his future & a willingness to do whatever it takes to help himself
– is the trait his employer praises & Jesus encourages us to adopt. “Acused of wasting his rich employer’s
possessions,” this manager is asked to “give an account of your
management, because you cannot be manager any longer.” Apparently, the decision to fire him was
already made. Accusations are obviously
accurate, for he neither protests nor proclaims his innocence. Admitting his guilt, repenting, asking his
master for mercy never seem to be considered.
His one question is, “What shall I do now?” How can I provide income for myself in the
future? Working as a laborer is not
desirable – “I am not strong enough to dig.
I am ashamed to beg” – depending
upon other people is an admission of weakness he will not make. No, he can care for himself.
Trying to make
people feel they own him a favor -- using authority he will have until the
accounting of his work is complete – this manager rewrites the bills of his
master’s debtors. He lowers eight
hundred gallons of olive oil to four hundred, reduces a thousand bushels of
wheat to eight hundred. He essentially gives
away the rich man’s money hoping people will feel obligated to welcome him into
their homes after he loses his job. The
dishonest manager is basically stealing, but his master who will still remove
him from his position “commends this dishonest manager because he
acted shrewdly.”
“The
people of this world,” Jesus notes, “are more shrewd in dealing with
their own kind than are the people of the light.” If bribery will bring in more
business, Christians face a distinct disadvantage. Will anyone deny what Jesus sees in our
world? Believers who assume other
individuals tell the truth are more easily swindled than selfish souls who
assume everyone is a crook. More
shrewdness might be expected from people who worship money, people who spend all
their time & energy trying to amass enough financial resources to secure
their future -- a future we know will lead us to physical death -- to a day we will
face Jesus as our eternal Judge -- a day when all the money in this world will
seem meaningless because homes in heaven cannot be bought with dollars &
cents nor acquired with silver or gold.
A place in
Listen to our
Lord’s instruction again: “Use
worldly wealth to gain eternal friends.”
As we use whatever wealth God places into our possession in this
world, our Lord keeps me looking into eternity, focusing my eyes on a home in
heaven I cannot purchase but will inherit because Jesus righteously lived &
innocently died as our God-given Substitute.
Warning, “Do not store up for youseleves treasures on earth, where moth &
rust destroy; where thieves break in & steal,” Jesus orders, “Store
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth & rust do not destroy;
where thieves do not break in & steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”[MT 6]
Teaching us to rightly
use our wealth in this world, Jesus tells us, “When you give a banquet, invite
the poor, crippled, lame, the blind & you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” On the other hand, “When you invite your friends,
brothers, relatives or rich neighbors, they may invite you back & so you
will be repaid.”[LK 14] Using worldly wealth to benefit other
indivuals, not to amass money for myself, I hear Jesus preview his final
judgment -- a day he will ultimately hand over heavenly life to everybody who believes
in the Lord Jesus as our Savior – a day he will point out the faith receiving
God’s gift of salvation by noting, “I was hungry; you gave me something to
eat…I needed clothes; you clothed me.” As
our eternal Judge explains, “Whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers of mine, you did for me,”[MT 25] I might hear Solomon’s Proverb ringing in my ears: “He
who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord & the Lord will reward him for
what he has done.”[PROV 19]
Please understand, shrewdly
using money to gain eternal friends will not ever be able to buy salvation, but
my offerings may support people preaching & teaching other souls about
Jesus’ free forgiveness for all sins. As
the Holy Spirit uses God’s gospel truth to give people faith in our Savior – as
the Spirit leads listeners to rely upon Jesus’ perfect life becoming their own
holiness & to count on Jesus’ innocent death absorbing & eliminating
their sin’s guilt – individuals we might not ever see in this world could become
believers who will joyfully welcome us as Jesus returns to ultimately take us
home to heaven.
Anticipating eternity – looking
ahead to see ourselves exit earth with the very same ‘nothing’ we brought into
this world – money must obviously not be most important. Eternal life or death rises or falls only on
our relationship with the Lord Jesus who chose us & called us to be his
disciples. I may not simply dismiss
money, however, as if I were free to do what I want with my dollars for using
money to serve our Savior reveals a faith God keeps growing in my heart. Money may be a relatively minor matter, yet
Jesus notes, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much;
whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
“If
you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you
with true riches?” Jesus asks, indicating our use of God’s life-giving
gospel is more critical than, but will be similar to our faithful use of
financial resources God also gives us. “If
you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property,” Jesus
announces – if I do not faithfully manage money God gives me to use in this
world; if I foolishly refuse to use God’s money to serve our Savior rather
trying to serve & essentially save myself with ‘my’ money – “who
will give you property of your own?”
With Jesus warning
us once more, “No servant can serve two masters … You cannot serve both God &
money,” I pray the Lord will lead us to apply Scripture’s inspired
advice for our finances so we always serve our Savior with our worldly wealth
-- so we gain eternal friends for ourselves -- as we faithfully & shrewdly
manage all the money God places into our possession.
Amen.