The unjust steward

Theunjuststeward by lcl

Here is another take on the story of the unjust steward. Don’t be taken in by the master’s recognizing the steward’s shrewdness in verse 8. This is a Jesus story about who gets to Heaven. The master represents God.

Luk 16:1 And He also said to His disciples, There was a certain rich man who had a steward. And he was accused to him, that he had wasted his goods.

Luk 16:2 And he called him and said to him, What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you may no longer be steward.

Luk 16:3 And the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.

Luk 16:4 I know what I will do, so that when I am put out of the stewardship they may receive me into their houses.

Luk 16:5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors and said; to the first, How much do you owe my lord?

Luk 16:6 And he said, A hundred baths of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill and sit down quickly and write fifty.

Luk 16:7 And he said to another, And how much do you owe? And he said, A hundred cors of wheat. And he said to him, Take your bill and write eighty. Luk 16:8 And the unjust steward’s lord commended him because he had done wisely. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Luk 16:9 And I say to you, Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves, so that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. Luk 16:10 He who is faithful in the least is also faithful in much. And he who is unjust in the least is also unjust in much.

Luk 16:11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you?

Luk 16:12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

Luk 16:13 No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Luk 16:14 And being money-lovers, all the Pharisees also heard all these things. And they derided Him.

Luk 16:15 And He said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

Luk 16:16 The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone is pressing into it.

Luk 16:17 And it is easier for the heaven and earth to pass than for one tittle of the Law to fail.

Recognize that:

1. The servant was fired in verse 2 and was never re-hired. The steward had been wasting the master’s goods for his own benefit and likely falsified his records.

When the steward was found out he decided to further reduce the master’s income in order to gain friends for himself that might take care of him on earth.

1. The master recognized that the steward was crafty in the ways of the world. But, this is not what God is interested in. He wants loyalty and good caretakers of what he has entrusted to men. Remember, in Genesis, when God entrusted the earth to mankind, he expected good caretakers not those who would plunder the planet and the inhabitants for their own gain. Therefore, when the master chided the servant who used earthly reason and the masters wealth to gain the respect of men, the master knew that he would fail to gain the real riches (of Heaven). Notice that the steward was not counted with the children of light (those going to heaven) in verse eight. The steward’s friends might help him on earth, but they had no power to help him enter Heaven. The steward had been unfaithful to the master and had used the master’s goods to, in effect, buy goodwill for himself. Verses 10-12 clarifies that since he had been unfaithful in the small things, he would not be entrusted with the wealth of Heaven. Verse 13 shows that we as stewards cannot serve both ourselves and our master.

1. All this story was for the benefit of the pharisees who thought their riches might make them acceptable for Heaven, affluent and respected on earth. Jesus corrects their derision of him explaining, in verse 15, that God is not interested in a persons wealth for the wealth is an abomination to God. Remember that God considers wealth so common that He uses gold for paving in heaven. What God is interested in is obedience to Christ’s words, respect for Christ and a relationship with him while on earth.

Christ knew that mankind was doomed to fail in following all of the old testament commandments and that failure in any part was unacceptable to a Holy perfect God. That is why Jesus had to suffer the cross to cover mankind’s mistakes and erase the mistakes completley. That is also why all must submit themselves to Jesus completely. Christians are not in the business of self-serving interests, but only serving God’s will. When God’s will is being served, God is responsible for the outcome and the steward’s are held blameless. Ain’t it a grand plan!

1. As an aside, why would God feel money was an abomination in verse 15? The answer lies in verse 13. For some, wealth can become a tool of Satan to separate them from God. It is said that we love what we spend the most time on. At times, some place money as an idol that is more important than God and his will. This was the case of the unjust steward. He stole for personal gain and likely lied to the master to cover his wickedness. His actions had the result of separating him from the master and real future wealth. Focusing only on money can lead to greed and a host of evil that is against God’s will. Wealth, in itself, need not be bad when kept in perspective, honestly earned, used to do good and when God is honored above it. But, like most tools in our hands, they can be used for good or bad purposes. Our responsibility is not to allow wealth to become an idol that is in competition against God or His desires.

Wealth can also be a faith killer. The more the wealth, the easier it is to think that the wealth, which is seen, will be sufficient to protect against troubles brought by the devil. This also results in thinking that less dependence on God is needed. Less attention to God’s leading can result in a greater separation from God. Always be on guard to know that only God is dependable and honor must always be given to God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Only God can change circumstances in a moment. Only God can provide assurance of an eternal life of joy with Christ.