Luke 16:1-13 - The Parable of the Unjust Steward
1 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.’
3 “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.’
5 “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.’
8 “So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. 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.
10 “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?
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.”
Main Topics/Questions
Please consider the following topics/questions as you listen to the sermon:1. How does the topic and target audience of this parable differ from the previous parables in Luke?
2. Why is the topic about money? Why do we need to know what Jesus says about money?
3. In what ways have our assumptions made this parable difficult to understand? How have some Bible study notes or commentaries about this parable been a bit misleading or confusing? How does this parable reflect the world's method of handling money.
4. How should we approach the parable to find meaning only where Christ intends for us to find meaning? What is some background information about indentured service - the kind of slavery most often described in the Bible?
5. What crimes today are comparable to what the steward did while managing the rich man's financial affairs? What benefit did the setward anticipate from further defrauding his master by changing the record of debts? Why would the debtors now be beholden to the steward?
6. Why did the rich man respond the way he did? To what does this example of shrewdness compare? Is it always evil to be shrewed or calculating?
Can one make careful calculations for the good as well?
7. What is mammon? What did the ancients believe about the false god Mammon?
8. What does Jesus mean by "make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon"? Since the fall, people have had a tendency to worship money, wealth, or possessions. What should we do instead?
9. What are the true riches?
Conclusion:
In Luke 16:13 Jesus brings all of this to a dramatic conclusion when He says, “No servant can serve two masters.” You could also translate this as, “No slave can serve two Lords.” Jesus is saying that in the end this is a battle of gods. And we’ve seen this before at the end of Exodus 12:12 where we read, “against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” Later in 1 Kings 18 we see another battle of gods as Elijah represents the LORD against the 450 prophets of Baal. But this time Jesus says the battle of gods is in your own heart. Who will you voluntarily enslave yourself to? Because everyone will pick something. Will you serve Jesus or mammon? Will you trust in Christ or will you trust in money, wealth, or possessions? Jesus says in the end you will love one and hate the other or you will be loyal to one and despise the other. So who are you going to trust in? Who are you going to be faithful to? Who will be your god? Everybody picks at least one. I hope and pray that you pick the right one: Jesus Christ.
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Do you feel an emptiness in your life? Are you seeking answers but don't know where to look? Have you ever wondered if you are good enough? Please read the summary of the gospel message, "Four Things You Need to Know About God"
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