Jesus tells a most peculiar parable in His day, the Story of a Dishonest Man. It’s is widely considered one of the most difficult parables – if not the most difficult – to understand. And it’s not hard to see why. Jesus’ story got me thinking about a pastor I read about who misled a church out in California. Joshua Sims was the pastor of Double Rock Baptist Church in Compton, California. Joshua was California born and raised and at the time of our story was 47 to 48 years old. He actually grew up in the very church he pastored for ten years. Yet, this pastor was arrested after an investigation into the church’s finances. News articles reported that he owned hundreds of tailored, Italian suits in addition to 60 pair of alligator skin and sports shoes. All the while he drove a $100,000 plus Mercedes-Benz to his home that had an indoor, cedar-paneled pool. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see where this is going. At the time of his arraignment, the former pastor pleaded no-contest to the charges of embezzling $800,000.
Or take Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff… who’s sitting in jail serving a 150-year prison term at the age of 76. The disgraced finance expert’s two sons are now dead. The oldest son, Mark, hanged himself on the second anniversary (2010) of his father’s arrest. While the younger son, Andrew, died because of a cancer relapse (September 3, 2014) that he stated was due to the stress and shame of the scandal. Madoff first confessed to his two sons that everything was “one big lie” and lost $65 billion dollars of other people’s money.
Terrible tragedies… both of these stories – one inside a church and the other just within feet of Wall Street.
Yet, when I read you today’s biblical story, you’re going to think Jesus pulled this story off the newswire and promptly told His followers, “I want you to act like this guy.” Jesus is giving us a positive lesson from a negative example. Even sinners have something to teach us.
Let’s dig in… Page 1113 in the black books, the pew Bibles, in front of you.
He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:1-9)
Parables were Jesus’ favorite method to teach. Over the course of these four weeks, I’m inviting you to examine with me four parables of Jesus inside the gospel of Luke. Each of these represents a small story with a big truth. Now, Jesus taught in parables to disarm his listeners, and by doing so He was able to penetrate any hardness of heart or resistance to what He is saying. A good story has strong characters and Jesus’ story has a despicable character for us today – a dishonest man.
The one, big lesson Jesus wants to teach you today is found at the end of verse 2: “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” (Luke 16:2b) The first part applies to everyone of us and the second part will apply to each one of us before long. Jesus tells us a story of a dishonest employee where He puts His arms around this dishonest man and tells us to act like him.
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A Story with a Twist
Three Life Lessons
1. A Story with a Twist
Out of all of the parables Jesus told, people find this one the most puzzling. The story has three scenes. The first scene is the interaction between the rich man and his manager (verses 1-2). The second scene is between the manager and the people who are in debt to the rich man (verses 3-7). And the last scene is the rich man’s surprising reaction (verse 8). But let’s walk through the story because I want you to feel just how surprising the twist at the end really is. A rich man has someone watching over his estate – a common practice in Jesus’ day. Soon reports come to the rich man’s ears and they’re not good. It seems that the manager, the steward, is wasting his money. We’re not sure how this happens – is he in Vegas gambling? Or is the manager simply failing to work diligently to find the best price thinking the rich man has an endless supply of money? Either way, the manager is wasting someone else’s money.
Notice this sentence: “And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’” (Luke 16:2) The rich man fires the manager, but he doesn’t do so immediately. The manager gets some time (weeks? days?) before his time at his job ends.
Have You Ever Been Fired? Don’t raise your hand, but have you ever been fired from a job? Did you know it was coming, that feeling in your stomach? You think, “They’re gonna come in and tell me to pack up my stuff and leave.” Some of you may have said, “I’ve been playing computer Solitaire on the company’s time. I deserve it.” …while others were wrongfully terminated. Either way, on the way out the door, the panic sets in. “What am I going to do. My next employers is going to call my former employers for a reference. What have I done? How will I feed my family?” This manager is seized with panic when he thinks, “I’m going to have to go get a real job! I don’t want to dig ditches and I’m too proud to beg.” Soon a thought forms into a plan of action where he immediately goes and cheats his master out of more money. While the manager still has the accounting books, he runs off to several people who owe his boss significant money and appears at their doorstep. Not one of these debtors wants to see the manager. There’s only one reason the manager would come around to their place – to collect their debts. They’d welcome him like you’d welcome the man who serves you an eviction notice. The men and women who owe the rich man would pay if they could but they have their bills too. But instead of demanding full payment, this soon-to-be-unemployed manager gives them a sweetheart deal. “Instead of paying $10,000, I have a beautiful offer for you today and today only… you pay me $8,000 cash and I’ll mark your debts paid in full.” This manager is clever. In the hours remaining at his job, he calls the next debtor, and it’s you. You answer the phone. Maybe you have a massive school debt or credit card debt. You get this call from the lender and he says, “We were thinking about it and we’ve decided today is your lucky day. We’re going to give you a discount.” “Really?” He says, “Yes, really. How about 50 cents on the dollar? We cancel half your debt, you send a check today.” You would say, “That’s fantastic. And to whom am I speaking?” “Oh, you’re speaking to Tim. And by the way, I’m looking for a job.” In the days he has remaining on his job, he offers 20% and 50% discounts on their bills.
Now place yourself in the rich man’s shoes for a minute. This is the individual who oversees your retirement or your college fund for your kids. His job is to make sure you’re getting the most out of your money. And all of a sudden, you hear that you money manager isn’t doing a good job. Jesus doesn’t give us any indication that the manager’s been stealing. He simply hasn’t been doing a good job. He’s not been saving his boss money. Here’s the kicker: when the rich man finds out about his loss, he praises the man! If that isn’t surprising enough - Jesus tells His disciples that they should be like the shrewd manager.
A Story with a Twist
2. Three Life Lessons
Again, the one, big lesson Jesus wants to teach us today is found at the end of verse 2: “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” (Luke 16:2b) The first part applies to everyone of us and the second part will apply to each one of us before long. What’s Jesus doing here: He’s giving a positive lesson from a negative example. Even sinners have something to teach us. Jesus puts a dishonest man in front of us in order that we learn how to manage our money: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness” (Luke 16:8a)
Webster defines “shrewd” as, “showing the ability to understand things and to make good judgments: mentally sharp or clever.” This manager is praised because he looked into the future with foresight – he made friends with the right people because he would in need very soon.
Three life lessons.
2.1 Your Future Matters
This manager was dishonest but he also looked ahead: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:8-9)
ELI
There’s a man named Eli in the pages of the Old Testament. Eli was a prophet and is no doubt with God in heaven above. Though he was a prophet to Israel, his family life was terrible. The Bible describes his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, as “worthless men” who “did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). In one day his two wicked sons died and the Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle (1 Samuel 4). Just as the rich man told his manager, God spoke to the prophet, Eli: “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” (Luke 16:2b) Eli was saved but God found him to be a terrible manager of his family.
David
Or take the famous King David… he also was a manager. He soul is with God above because of His faith in God but when it came to his family, he was also a terrible manager. When he saw the woman bathing nearby, he took her when she was another man’s wife. His family’s life was never the same and the nation of Israel was never the same. One sister was actually raped by her brother (2 Samuel 13)! Both David and Eli were managers – terrible managers – of their families. Both men were saved but both men had to “Turn in the account of your management” (Luke 16:2b).
Jesus wants you to see the shrewdness of this dishonest manager – to really look at it. Just as this man dealt with the rich man’s money in light of his future, you are to deal with your money with your eternal future in mind. You are to be motivated by the world to come: “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ (Luke 16:2b) Money can be used as a tool for Christ and His kingdom. And after you are terminated, you can no longer work for your Master. The dishonest man used his final days to win friends for his future. Jesus wants you to use your final days and your money to win friends for your future.
Keep your future in front of you! God sees and God rewards His disciples who are generous with their money. The Bible speaks of a Christian’s future as living in “eternal dwelling places.” The Bible describes heaven as a “city” in Revelation 21:16. Jesus speaks of a believer’s future as living in one of “many rooms” in heaven where Jesus Himself prepare are places for us (John 14:2).
The way we use God’s money and the time He’s lent us, is the building materials He’s building our homes with. The Carpenter from Galilee is constructing your home in heaven. Just as Eli and David were saved by faith alone, they also mismanaged their families. Some of you are building studio apartments while others are building ranch sized homes.
2.2 Faithfulness Matters
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:10-12)
When Scott Parker wanted his six children to know more about the value of money, he decided to do something that many parents would consider radical: show them exactly what he earned. One day, he stopped by his local Wells Fargo branch in where he lived in California, and asked to withdraw his entire monthly salary in cash. In singles. It took 24 hours for the tellers to round up that many bills, so he returned the next day and took away the $100 stacks in a canvas bag. His oldest son, Daniel, who was 15 at the time, remembers the moment his father walked into the house and dumped the $10,000 or so on a table. An entire month’s salary. “It looked like he had robbed a bank,” his son said. After a pause to let it all sink in, Mr. Parker began peeling off bills. He told them about taxes, set aside money for a tithe to their church and made a big pile for the house payment. The singles piled up for soccer and scouting and hamburger night. By the end, there wasn’t much left over. “I was trying to make as big of an impact as I could, and I definitely had their attention,” he said.
Some of you are still learning the value of a dollar. So many of us think, “If only if made more money, then I would help the poor.” “If only if made more money, then I would give to the church.” You don’t start gardening with 1,000 acres. You don’t start running by completing a marathon. And you don’t start managing God’s resources with millions, you start with what you have.
Better Together
We are one week away from our next big offering day on February 22 – this will close out year two of a three-year campaign. Just a few weeks ago, I shared with you how we under spent our budget and all those monies were applied to the balance of our note. We are more than half way to our goal! I’m asking two things from you in the next seven days. I’m asking each person to ask the Lord, “What would you have me to give?” And each house to have a conversation where you find an amount you agree on. Scott, be strong and call on everyone to sacrificially give to make this goal a reality. Every single house inside our church family – one week from today. What you do with little thing is what you’ll do with larger things.
2.3 Your God Matters
“No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.” (Luke 16:13)
Here at the end, Jesus takes the dollar from your wallet and makes it stand up like a person, like a god. Jesus stands next to the god “money” and asks you, “Which one will you serve?” You see, there is long-term significance to your choices and behavior today. Money will fail you one day. Like the recession of 2007/2008, wealth will fail. Money is a great tool but a terrible master. It’s not a matter of it, but a matter of when. All of this is get you to talk to yourself.
Three questions to ask yourself…
1) What kind of building materials are you sending to heaven ahead of you?
2) What needy person have you sacrificed yourself for?
3) Who’s going to heaven because of your witness and your generosity?
There is one, big lesson Jesus wants to teach you today: “Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” (Luke 16:2b) The first part applies to everyone of us and the second part will apply to each one of us before long.
