Luke 16:8 “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.”
There are some moments in life that require a certain level of finesse. Diplomacy and timing are important in these moments. They must be handled with the greatest of care, because to mismanage that moment could bring very negative consequences.
Sometimes the solutions in these delicate moments have to be creative. And sometimes they seem to bend the rules of right and wrong. It is almost as if there is a different set of rules that must be employed to successfully navigate them.
Our text is part of a parable, a story told to bring a spiritual lesson. The story goes something like this. The Estate Manager of a billionaire got creative with the finances and was found out. He had been embezzling funds, or at least spent in an unauthorized manner. His day of reckoning had come.
So he takes action and is commended by the billionaire for his actions. But why commend him? What did he do that deserved commendation? That is not completely clear.
The Manager went to all those with whom he had done business in the name of the billionaire and gave them discounts on their debt. Presumably, the people would have assumed the generosity came from the billionaire. But in the process, the Manager secured care for himself after he had lost his job. He developed his parachute. He did networking. He also would have avoided debtor’s prison.
Perhaps the manager told debtors that the billionaire had decided to be generous. If that is true, then the billionaire couldn’t turn around and demand full payment, now that they had such a high opinion of him. His word had been given. His duly authorized representative had spoken on his behalf. It was his word that had been given. He couldn’t go back on his word.
So the billionaire commends this man for his shrewdness. He raised the opinion of the billionaire in such a way that there was no backing down. The Manager couldn’t be jailed without the people understanding that it wasn’t the billionaire’s kindness at all that brought about their relief from their debt. The billionaire was stuck.
One of the lessons from this parable is that money is a tool, not an end in itself. “Gain friends for yourselves,” Jesus said, and eternity will welcome you. Money is only a tool. Make the ends in the use of the tool eternal. Spend with eternity in mind.
This manager used his master’s money to gain friends for the master. The debtors had already had the banners printed making him, the “Best Rich Man of the Year.” The story of his generosity had already been spread among all the community vendors. This change of heart would be coming to them all. What a day of celebration this was.
Now, I know I have speculated in the details of this retelling. We don’t know the exact sequence of events. But we do know the conclusions that Jesus wants us to draw from this story. Wealth is a divider. You can’t serve wealth and serve God at the same time. Wealth becomes your god if you serve it. Make wealth serve you and your eternal future.
The religious leaders understand what Jesus is saying with the parable. They sneered at Him after hearing this. They loved money!
How are you using your money?
The Arnold Journey 