Money, Possessions, and Eternity Lesson #5: Lessons from the Stewardship Parables And so it is that when a man walks along a road, the lighter he travels, the happier he is; equally, on this journey of life, a man is more blessed if he does not pant beneath a burden of riches. Tertullian If a man have Christ in his heart, heaven before his eyes, and only as much of temporal blessing as is just needful to carry him safely through life, then pain and sorrow will have little to shoot at. William Burns I. What is Stewardship? A. Basic Ideas of Stewardship 1. Everything I own, anything I could call mine, was given me by God 2. God is thus the true owner of it all 3. He s going to demand it back WITH INTEREST! 4. The vulnerability of the earthly treasury is obvious: moth and rust destroy, thieves break in and steal: your treasure may be ruined, or it may be stolen Q: Many Christians tend to think of stewardship only in terms of money. How can we broaden our understanding of it to make it more comprehensive? Q: How would we live differently if we did consider ourselves as merely stewards of all we possess? Q: How would a healthy view of stewardship free us from anxiety? How would it free us from unhealthy ambitions? B. A Steward s Primary Goal: Being Found Faithful to the Master 1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. C. Best Teaching on Stewardship in the Bible: Jesus Parables D. Alcorn s Overall Summary of Jesus Parables and Their Focus on Money
2 1. 11 out of 39 parables deal with money directly!! 2. Jesus referred to investment in jewels and treasures to illustrate the importance of investing in the Kingdom of God (the parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the valuable pearl: Matthew 13:44-45) 3. He referred to saving new treasures as well as old treasures to illustrate the importance of storing up both new and old truths (the parable of the owner of a house and his treasures, new and old: Matthew 13:52) 4. He used indebtedness to illustrate the importance of forgiveness (the parable of the unmerciful servant: Matthew 18:23-25) 5. He referred to hiring procedures and wage structures to illustrate God s sovereignty and generosity in treating all with equality, forgiving sins, and rewarding people with eternal life (the parable of the workers in the vineyard: Matthew 20:1-16) 6. He told a story of a fruit farmer who leased his property to illustrate the way the chief priests and Pharisees were rejecting the Son of God (the parable of the tenants: Matthew 21:33-46) 7. He discussed capital, investments, banking, and interest to emphasize our human responsibility to utilize God s gifts in a prudent and responsible way (the parable of the talents: Matthew 25:14-30; the parable of the ten minas, Luke 19:11-27) 8. He referred to money lenders, interest, and debt cancellation to illustrate the importance of love and appreciation to God for cancelling our debt of sin (Luke 7:41-43) 9. He spoke of building barns to store grain for the future, while neglecting to store up spiritual treasures as a very foolish decision (the parable of the rich fool: Luke 12:16-21) 10. He used architectural planning, building construction, and cost analysis to illustrate the importance of future planning and counting the cost before we make decisions in building our spiritual lives (Luke 14:28-30) 11. He used the human joy that comes from finding lost money to illustrate the joy in the presence of angels when a lost soul believes in Christ (Luke 15:8-10) 12. He used wealth, dividing up the estate, irresponsible spending, and a change of heart to illustrate repentance and forgiveness (the parable of the prodigal son: Luke 15:11-32) 13. He used bad financial management and dishonest debt reduction to illustrate that sometimes, people are wiser in their worldly realm than honest followers
3 of Christ are in the spiritual realm (the parable of the shrewd manager: Luke 16:1-12) 14. He contrasted a rich man who died and went to hell with a poor beggar who died and went to heaven to illustrate how wealth and what it can provide may harden our hearts against spiritual truth (the parable of the rich man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31) 15. He contrasted the proud Pharisee who fasted and tithed regularly with the humble tax collector who acknowledged the sin of dishonesty and greed to illustrate that God acknowledges humility and rejects self-exaltation (the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector: Luke 18:9-14) 16. He used a grain-ripened field and harvesters to illustrate spiritually ripened hearts in Samaria and the part the apostles would have in harvesting people s souls (John 4:34-38) Q: What is the significance of the fact that Jesus so often used financial images to make spiritual points? II. The Parable of the Shrewd Steward Luke 16:1-14 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." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.
4 A. A Difficult Parable to Interpret B. Three Possibilities of Why His Master Commended this Dishonest Steward 1. The steward reduced long outstanding debts so that at least his master received some payments rather than none. 2. Because stewards were sometimes paid from the interest charged on loans, what the steward deducted from the debts might have been what was due him, but which he needed to receive now if he was ever to receive it. 3. The steward had grossly overcharged the debtors in the first place, planning to pocket the excess, and now lets them pay for their goods at the true, uninflated price. C. Key Insight: The Narrow Window of Opportunity 1. Just like us, the steward was soon to lose his position; he had the ability to use these worldly goods to affect his future situation, but he had only a narrow window of opportunity 2. He used that window to build relationships for the future 3. In like manner, we have only a brief time in this world; what we own, we can t take with us; we are merely stewards of someone else s property; therefore, we must make the most of the brief time we have to make a difference with this stuff for the Kingdom of Heaven Q: How does this narrow window of opportunity in both the parable and our lives help us to live wisely in light of eternity? D. Eternal Friends and Houses 1. Christ uses the Parable to teach Christians to Luke 16:9 use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 2. Key issue: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR US? Q: What do you think Jesus means by this command? How do we live it out? Q: What kinds of friends does Jesus have in mind? Q: What does it mean to be welcomed into eternal dwellings? Q: How does Jesus teach us that our present use of worldly wealth will actually influence our future experience in heaven?
5 Q: How does this parable teach us to use money in conjunction with ministry? E. Trustworthy with Little, Entrusted with a Lot Luke 16:10 "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. Q: What does this teaching mean? Q: How can we develop the faithfulness Jesus intends for us to develop? F. Handling True Riches Luke 16:11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? Q: What does this verse teach about Jesus view of worldly wealth? Q: What do you think He considered true riches? Q: What is the basic lesson this verse teaches on the connection between trustworthiness in money and being entrusted with true riches? G. Your Own Property Earned by Being a Good Steward?? Luke 16:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? Q: What do you think Jesus means by property of your own? What are the implications for our understanding of heavenly treasure and our lives in the New Heavens and New Earth? III. Two Other Stewardship Parables Matthew 25:14-30 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "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. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the
6 two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "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. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Luke 19:12-27 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' 14 "But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.' 15 "He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 "The first one came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' 17 "'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' 18 "The second came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' 19 "His master answered, 'You take charge of five cities.' 20 "Then another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.' 22 "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn't you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?' 24 "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.' 25 "'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' 26 "He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them-- bring them here and kill them in front of me.'" A. Lessons Concerning the Master B. Lessons Concerning the Servant C. Overall Lessons from the Stewardship Parables