A Study of the Book of Luke
Sermon # 42
“Parable of the Shrewd Steward”
Luke 16:1-15
A middle-aged man is in trouble with his boss. He has helped himself to his employer funds one time too many and now he is facing the music. In fact, he has been told to clean out his desk. He is given a few days to clear up his accounts, but he knows that after that he is finished. The man is humiliated. He knew that at his age in life it would not be easy to find another job – particularly at the pay scale of his old job. He probably could keep going for a while on unemployment benefits, but what about after they ran out? He was facing financial disaster.
Then he hit upon an ingenious plan. He was in charge of collecting debts owed to his employer, he decided that he would call each of them in and offer them a deal. He told them that he would be leaving his present position to search out new opportunities. And in order to keep their good will he was offering them a deal that they just would not be able to refuse. If they paid their bills immediately, they could settle for 60 cents on the dollar. Of course he assured them with his fingers crossed that he had been authorized by his employer to make them this offer, and he hoped they would remember this act of good will when he came to their company to submit his resume. He used his bosses money to by the good will of his possible future employers. This the parable of the shrewd steward in a modern setting.
Now did this man do wrong? This question brings us to problem of this morning’s text. Why did Jesus pick this man to be an example? The most common features of our Lord’s parables is their shock value. They surprise and startle and this parable certainly does that. Lets look together at -
THE PARABLE OF THE SHREWD STEWARD (vv. 1-8b)
”He also said to His disciples: "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. (2) So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.”
The main character in this story was a “steward” which means he is an employee; he is responsible for using his master’s business and assets. He of course is to use that which has been entrusted to him to further his master’s interest and not his own. It would seem though that the temptation was too great for him and he begin to divert funds to his own purposes and pleasures. Not surprisingly it is not too long until his master finds out about what he is doing. His master summons him and asked for an inventory of his goods and an audit of his books. In modern terms he was told, “Give me all your records and clean out your desk. Your fired!”
Does it come as a shock to you that you are a steward and as a steward you don’t own anything. You may possess may things but you do not own them. God does!!
In what respects are Christian’s “stewards” ?
Obviously as suggested by today’s text
We are stewards of our material possessions.
We are stewards of our time. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
We are stewards of our gifts and abilities (1 Peter 4:10) “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
We are stewards of the Gospel. (1 Thess. 2:4)
“But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.
The man in the parable was in trouble because “he forgotten that stewardship involves not only responsibility and privilege but it also involves accountability….. Christians have a tendency to forget that one day an account will be given to the Lord.” [Warren Wiersbe. Windows on the Parables. (Wheaton,Ill.: Victor Books, 1979) p. 83]
The Apostle Paul warns all believers in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Facing a future without his position, the soon to be ex-manager contemplates his options. In verse three we are told, "Then the steward said within himself, "What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. (4) I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.”
What is an out of work manager to do? As he contemplated his options, he came to the conclusion, that He is not physically able to do manual labor, and that he was to proud to beg. So he develops a plan to put himself on good terms with those who owe money to his master; to provide himself with friends who could help him out when he was unemployed. Verse five reveals that, "So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, "How much do you owe my master?’ (6) And he said, "A hundred measures of oil.’ So 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?’ So he said, "A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, "Take your bill, and write eighty.’
“What the steward is probably doing is discounting the face value of notes by suspending the interest charges. Since these charges are not legal within Jewish law, his master has no ground of action against him. … the debtors… would accept the offer gladly. He has therefore tied his master’s hands effectively, stayed within the bounds of legality, and ingratiated himself with people he wants to remember him kindly.”
[Gary Inrig. The Parables: Understanding What Jesus Meant. (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1991) p. 112]
In the first part of verse eight Jesus gives the conclusion of the parable. The disciples were probably waiting to hear how the crooked steward got what was coming to him. I think they were very surprised by when Jesus said, “ So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly….” I think there may have been some good-natured laughter at having been caught so off guard.
Notice that it is the master not Jesus who commends this man for his shrewdness. The master in this story does not say that he is pleased by his steward’s actions but is none-the -less, impressed.
It is obvious that Jesus is not commending this man for being underhanded or dishonest. But the shrewd manager is an example to us in that he saw clearly what the issues were, he cared about the outcome and he did something about it.
THE PRINCIPLES OF SHREWD DISCIPLESHIP (vv. 8c-13)
In the second half of verse eight Jesus now applies the principles of found in this parable.
1. We Are Called To Use Opportunities Wisely (vv. 8c-9)
“… For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. (9) "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail they may receive you into an everlasting home.”
The idea that followers of Christ are to be shrewd is a little unsettling. What does it mean to be “shrewd.” When we think of shrewd individuals we may think of the lawyer who knows all the loopholes and is careful to stay just within the realm of what is legal; not at all concerned about moral principle or true justice. Or we may think of the businessman who knows how to exploit his competitor’s weaknesses or a customer’s ignorance.
Good businessmen, either then or now, see the possibilities and seize the opportunities in the world around them. They are even willing to sacrifice present comforts for the prospects of future rewards on their investments.
William Barclay sums it up pretty well when he said, “If only the Christian was as eager and ingenious in his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempt to attain money and comfort, he would be a much better man.”
[William Barclay. The Gospel of Luke. The Daily Bible Study Series. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975) p. 208]
Don’t miss the significance of the last part of verse nine, “that when you fail they may receive you into an everlasting home.” What he is referring to here is death not debt. Paul reminds us in 1 Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we will take nothing out.” Shrewdness about money, will force us to realize that although money can be powerful it is limited, temporary and temporal.
The only wealth that will endure is that which has been invested in others for the sake of Christ and his gospel.
Dr. James Dobson tells a story that I think illustrates my point. He says, “When my daughter Danae, was a teenager, she came home one day and said, ‘Hey Dad!’ There’s this great new game out. I think you’ll like it. Its called MONOPOLY.’ I just smiled.
We gathered the family together and set up the board. It didn’t take long to figure out that Dad had played this game before. I soon owned all the best properties, including Boardwalk and Park Place. My kids were squirming, and I was loving every minute of it.
About midnight I foreclosed on the last property and did a little victory dance. My family wasn’t impressed. They went to bed and made me put the game away. As I began putting all my money back in the box, an empty feeling came over me. Everything that I had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And then it occurred to me, Hey, this isn’t just the game of monopoly that has caught my attention; this is the game of life. You struggle to get ahead, but then one day the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world with nothing, just as you came into it…..” [Dr. James Dobson’s Bullentin. “The Game of Life” December 2002. (vol 15. no.11) Carol Stream, IL. :Tyndale House)
Not Only Are We Called to Use Opportunities Wisely ……
2. We Are Called To Use Material Possessions Faithfully. (vv. 10-12)
In the bible there seems to be two under-laying principles concerning stewardship. The first is the requirement stated in 1 Corinthians 4:2,
“Moreover, it is required in stewards that they be found faithful.” The second is an explanation of the reward; found here in verse ten, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. (11) Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (12) And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
“Mammon” which is sometimes translated money, refers not just to money but to all our possessions.
To quote Barclay again, “ … what you get in heaven depends on how you use the things of earth. What you will be given as your very own will depend on how you use the things of which you are only a steward.” [Barclay. p. 209]
We Are Called To Use Material Possessions Faithfully…
3. We Are To Serve God Wholly (v. 13)
"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
The point is that we have to keep our priorities straight. Wealth is to be used, not served. The truth about money is that we can either be stewards of it or we can be servants of it. The follower of Christ is called to yield himself totally to the service of God. There is no such thing as a part-time Christianity.
Jesus has been speaking to the disciples but the Pharisees have been listening and their response is anything but spiritual for we read in verse fourteen, “Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. (15) And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
They sneered at him (the Greek word means to “turn up one’s nose”). These supposed men of God were greedy lovers of money and to make matters worse they justified their hypocrisy with Scripture. Not unlike some Television Prosperity Preachers of our day. They bent God’s word to support their lifestyles, adding their own interpretation to what God had said.
Conclusion
“The story is told of man shipwrecked on a lonely unknown island. To his surprise, he found that he was not alone; a large tribe of people shared his island. To his pleasure, he discovered that they treated him very well. In fact, they place him on a throne and cater to his every desire. He was delight but perplexed. Why such royal treatment? As his ability to communicate increased, he discovered that the tribal custom was to choose a king for a year. Then, when his term was finished, he would be transported to a particular island and abandoned.
Delight was now replaced by distress. Then he hit on a shrewd plan. Over the next months he sent members of the tribe to clear and till the other island. He had them build a beautiful house, furnish it, and plant crops. He sent some chosen friends to live there and wait for him. Then, when his time of exile came, he was put in a place carefully prepared and full of friends delighted to receive him.” [Inrig. p. 119]
We are not headed to a desert island, but to the Father’s house. Yet the preparations we make here follow us there.
Conclusion
How Are You Doing With Your Stewardship?
In the Area of Material Possessions?
In the Area of Time?
In the Area of Gifts and Abilities?
In the Area of the Gospel?
