Luke 16- Andy's thoughts

Kingdom Values- thinking long-term
The story of the shrewd manager has been a rather difficult one for me to apply. I follow the content of what is happening yet it seems so incredible or unlikely that I should try to apply it directly. The problem is that it appears that Jesus is telling us that cheating is ok. Upon a more careful reading, I think I understand the lesson better.

The key to understanding this story is found in verse nine. The purpose of the story is not to condone the manager’s corrupt bargaining but rather to commend his recognition of priorities. There are numerous stories that Jesus tells where he uses a classical form of reasoning called the argument from the lesser to the greater.

The lesser to the greater argument is one in which something common is used to illustrate the nature of something uncommon. For example, when Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount- which of you parents- if your children ask for a loaf of bread, will you give them a stone instead?... so if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:9-11). Jesus uses the example of the compassion of earthly fathers to highlight the even greater compassion of our heavenly Father.

Jesus uses the same type of argument in Luke 13 when he heals the crippled woman. He asks his adversaries, “Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman… has been held in bondage by Satan for 18 years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?” (13:15-16). Jesus wasn’t trying to make a big point about oxen and donkeys. He was using a mundane practice to illustrate divine values.

I believe that in this story of the shrewd manager, we are directed not to the details of the manager’s sneakiness nor even much about the manager himself. We are directed to think long-term and reassess what we are valuing. Jesus is teaching us something again about Kingdom Values. Those who wish to follow Christ are called to value eternal things more than temporary things. All of our material possessions- cars, houses, clothes, games, stuff- will one day burn. Let us lay up for ourselves that which will never burn.

And just in case people did want to use this parable as an excuse to be corrupt, Jesus goes on to say that we shouldn’t be corrupt. In verse 11 he tells us not to be untrustworthy with worldly wealth. He directs his discourse to the Pharisees who loved their money. I think it is still a good word for us today. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money.

In our ridiculously materialistic culture, it is painfully hard to not try to serve money. The insidious allure of wealth and its empty promises are all around us. What does money promise? Security, prestige, influence, and comfort. We have been sold on the idea that having money will give us a secure future. Our pensions and stock options are supposed to take care of us in our later years. Having money is supposed to give us prominence and influence in our society so that other people will have to do what we want. Having money is supposed to bring us material comfort and ease our suffering and add to our pleasure.

It is this mistaken belief system that Jesus dismantles in his parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Jesus tells the story of 2 men who were at the opposite ends of the financial spectrum. If you polled the crowd at the time which man was going to experience security, influence, and comfort, most of the crowd would have thought the rich man. I’m sure the Pharisees were hoping it was the rich man. Yet Jesus again defies convention and tells them it is Lazarus. Poor Lazarus.

Without explaining anything about why Lazarus gets to experience paradise, Jesus directs our attention to the fate of the rich man. The man that we would have thought would have security and comfort gets none. He has no influence over Abraham or his family. For all of his money, the rich man was left with a lot of empty promises and sadness and anguish.

Application:
• What goals have we been working toward achieving?
• What do these goals reflect about what we value?
• If we were to die today, is there a message that we would want to leave behind?