OCTOBER 5 9, 2015
MONDAY Luke 16:1-3 Which job best fits your personality? Owner of a store, construction worker, librarian, gourmet chef, pastor, engineer, teacher, broker, public servant, musician, manager, or none of the above? Which job have you most enjoyed? Which one have you least enjoyed? No matter what your job is, for whom do you work? Even if you are self-employed or own your business, are you accountable to anyone? That is the question of this week. We will be studying a difficult passage, Luke 16:1-17, looking at a few verses each day, learning why Jesus taught His disciples and us this parable. Opponents of Christianity try using this Scripture to deny Jesus integrity of character. Why? The story is about a set of rascals. In Greek verse 1 begins: And he also said to his disciples. Compare that to your translation. The word and implies continuation. Luke links this parable to those in Chapter 15. Take a minute to read 15:11-32. To understand the foundation of this parable, it is important to bring the parables together. A certain manager (steward) did what the younger son had done with the possessions entrusted to him. The younger son wasted his own
inheritance, while the steward wasted the rich man s possessions. In Jesus day there were many absentee landlords. It is likely the manager had been entrusted with the whole business. (Read Genesis 39:1-6) Note the contrast between Joseph and the manager in this parable. We revisit the comparison of the two stewards later this week. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer s money. So the employer called him in and said: What is this I hear about you? Get your report in order because you are going to be fired. Have you ever been fired? If so, was it for just or unjust reasons? How did you react? Did you panic or remain calm? Did you have savings set aside for such a possibility? Did you experience God s provision during that time of unemployment? Verse 3 tells of the manager s thought process. What was it? Tomorrow we will learn what he did. QUESTION From these verses, why do you think Jesus taught this parable? Does it in any way touch your life? To whom are you accountable? For whom are you a steward? How are you managing those possessions? PRAYER Thank God, who always moves with clarity, for helping you live and work with certainty in an uncertain world. Ask God to guide you in wisely using the resources entrusted to you.
TUESDAY Luke 16:4-7 When the manager (steward) was fired for wasting the owner s possessions/money, he thought, Now what? Ah, I know how to ensure that I ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home. What did the steward do? He had lived a spoiled life of plenty and ease, and wasn t about to give that up to accept a strenuous or humiliating way of making a living. He had enough cunning and adroitness (cleverness and nimbleness) to devise a plan to look after his own interests. He invited each person who was in the owner s debt to come and discuss his situation. The former steward was a rascal, but so were the debtors. It may be that they were sharecroppers, paying their rent through an amount of their harvest. In falsifying the books, the debtors would not have to pay the full amount agreed upon. One bill was changed from 800 gallons of olive oil to 400 gallons. The other who owed 1,000 bushels of wheat had his bill changed to 800 bushels. What is your reaction to the way the steward looked out for himself? If you learned that an employee had been embezzling funds, what would do? Fire and/or prosecute that person? What if later you learned that that employee had fixed the books so that your debtors bills had been cut in half, what would do? Tomorrow, we will learn what the owner said about the manager he had fired.
The dishonest employee realized that the debtors would be grateful to him. Have you ever borrowed money from a friend or asked a favor of a neighbor? If so, how did you react when you saw that person? Human nature is to avoid contact with that person, especially if is time for repayment. By involving the debtors in his own misdemeanors, if worst came to worst, he was in a strong position to exercise a little judicial blackmail. (William Barclay) Money has a great deal of power. We are called to use it wisely. It can be used for good or evil. Our money belongs to God and we are only managers, stewards. QUESTION If you are a steward of God s resources, how are you using them for others and to further God s Kingdom? How are you furthering faith and obedience to Jesus teachings? PRAYER Pray that God will light your path so that you will not stumble or fall. Pray that God s way will be clear so that you will never wander from God s chosen way or misuse the resources entrusted to you.
WEDNESDAY Luke 16:8-9 How did you react to yesterday s description of the unjust steward? How about the way he called those in debt to his former employer and told them to cut their obligation to the landlord by 50% and 20% respectively? In today s Scripture, what did you think when the master praised the crooked manager? For what was the dishonest rascal complimented? For being a shrewd manager. What a surprise! Why does the rich man admire his former employee? Because he shrewdly knew how to take care of himself. He had met with each debtor privately. There were no witnesses. Since the owner entrusted his whole business to the manager, he had no idea who the renters were, let alone how much they owed him. There was no way of prosecuting his former steward. Now listen to Jesus comments: For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light (v. 8). Eugene Peterson in the The Message writes: Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. In contrast with the shrewdness of such people, those of the light often act unwisely. Instead of behaving in a manner that would bind others to themselves, they act so that people are unnecessarily repulsed by their attitude of exclusion rather than
being inviting and welcoming. Jesus does not commend fraud or dishonesty. The steward is called unjust. He was not recommending using dishonest methods. Thus those trying to use the parable as an example of Jesus poor ethical standards are incorrect (see Monday s devotional). Jesus summarizes this parable in verse 9: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. We are to make wise use of the financial opportunities we have not to earn heaven but to help others find Christ. Our earthly investments will bring an eternal benefit. Money belongs to God. We are only stewards. Let us use our resources wisely. QUESTION How does Jesus summarize this parable? How does investing in others bring eternal rewards? PRAYER Put yourself before God to receive instructions for the course of your day. Ask for strength according to your burdens so that you will grow in obedience and reflect the light of the Good News.
THURSDAY Luke 16:10-12 If you re honest in small things, you ll be honest in big things. If you re a crook in small things, you ll be a crook in big things. If you re not honest in small jobs, who will put you in charge of the store? (The Message) Jesus elaborates in His summary of the parable (see yesterday s devotional). Read Genesis 39:7-10. Joseph was the steward of Potiphar s household, leaving everything he had with Joseph in charge. When Potiphar s wife tried seducing Joseph, he responded, With me in charge, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care (v. 8). Since Joseph refused her invitation, she accused him of trying to seduce her. Potiphar placed Joseph in prison (Genesis 39:19-20). Genesis 40 tells what happened while he was in prison. Genesis 41 relates a remarkable story of how Joseph went from being steward of one household to being steward of Egypt. After interpreting Pharaoh s dream, Joseph was placed in charge of supervising the gathering of grain and when the drought came, the distribution of the grain. Because Joseph had been honest and trustworthy as steward of one household he was made steward of an entire nation. Jesus expands His explanation of the parable:
If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? If you are not faithful with other people s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? (vv. 11-12) Our integrity is often put on the line in money matters. Heaven s riches are more valuable than earthly wealth. If we are not trustworthy with our own money here, we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God s kingdom. We can t take our earthly possessions with us when we die. We are only stewards of them. In heaven we will receive what is eternally essential. Jesus says, What we receive will be dependent on how we handled earthly goods as God s stewards. Let us focus on using wisely as shrewd stewards what God has given us, demonstrating God s transformational love. QUESTION How do you view money? It s mine or it s God s. I am just a manager. How do you or could you use it for the sake of God s Kingdom? PRAYER Almighty God, help me in the midst of unbelief to work as a person for whom nothing is impossible because God is with me. Pray in the name of Jesus who still performs miracles.
FRIDAY Luke 16:13-17 No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (v. 13). Money can easily become our sole security taking the place of God. It can become our master. Do we constantly worry about money? Do we spend a great deal of time caring for our possessions? Is it difficult to use our money to help others? Are we in debt? Would we be willing to work with someone who would fraudulently reduce our debt? Money can be a hard and deceptive master. It promises power and control but often it cannot deliver. How much better is it to let God be our master? Acknowledging that what we have comes from God and that we have been made stewards of those resources can result in peace of mind and security now and forever. Today, we can have multiple jobs at the same time. Sometimes there is a conflict between the two over time and energy. In Jesus day, slaves had no such freedom of choice. Jesus says that if you re a slave to money, you can t be a servant of God. Those are difficult words. In verse 17 the religious leaders/pharisees scoffed at Jesus. Jesus is teaching that serving God is not a part-time job. Once we choose to serve God, every moment of God s time and every atom of energy belong to
God. We either belong to God totally and altogether or not. Do we see ourselves as stewards of God s resources or masters of our possessions? Are there people giving thanks to God because we shared the Good News with them and were generous with our possessions? (Luke 16:9) Addressing the Pharisees, Jesus says, God sees behind appearances. We live in an age where people focus on outer appearance and value as measured in how much money they have. Do we take Jesus statements seriously? Can we be shrewd managers of God s resources, using them for others rather than just for ourselves and for our family? QUESTION Are you a slave of money? If so, how do you know? Do you think and worry about money frequently? Do you see yourself as a steward of God s resources? If so, how are you using them? How does Psalm 62:10 apply to this week s devotionals? What is the problem of serving two masters? PRAYER Thank our Sovereign God and Master of all creation for His invitation to serve in His Kingdom work. Ask Him to equip you to use the resources entrusted to you wisely and well as His shrewd manager. Ask God to open your eyes, time and possessions to someone in need of the Good News.
Sources for this week s devo: William Barclay. The Gospel of Luke: The Daily Study Bible. (St. Andrew Press, 1956, p. 214-21). Chronological Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation. (Tyndale House, 2012, p. 1411-1412). Norval Geldenhuys. Commentary on the Gospel of Luke. (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1968, p. 414-419). Eugene Peterson. The Message. (NavPress, 2002, p. 1891-1893). Serendipity Bible, New International Version. (Zondervan, 1989, p. 1368-1369). 1700 Palopinto Ave. Glendora, CA 91741 626.914.4833 info@gkinfo.org www.glenkirkchurch.org