Thursday, April 13

THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2017

 

 

In today’s reading that includes the Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Jesus imparts crucial truth on the intersection between the “secular” and the “sacred.”  In our modern world, we often wish to separate our spiritual life from other parts of our daily existence.  Jesus indicates that we would benefit from a holistic approach with a central focus on glorifying God and making Him known.

 

In the Parable, a master intends to fire his unfit manager, who had been wasting the master’s possessions.  The manager takes advantage of his non-imminent departure to create favorable terms for his master’s debtors.  This effort improved the lots of both the shrewd manager and the debtors, at the expense of the master.  We may surmise that the master may have overcharged his customers, providing some “fat” from which the shrewd manager might operate.

 

Both men don’t appear particularly honorable, making this parable unique in its subject-matter.  Due to its non-standard types, Jesus begs us to look beyond the specific behavior of the shrewd manager to a larger principle:  that, as Christ-followers, we may the joy and privilege of serving as righteous stewards.  While the shrewd manager took from his master’s riches to enrich himself, God has graciously shared some of His riches with us so that we may apply them for His glory and others’ benefit.  We hold God’s riches in trust for His good and the good of His people.

 

The applications that Jesus offers in vv. 8–13 underscore these truths:

 

1. He explains that we should “use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”  By this, Jesus indicates that we should take advantage of any blessings that we have received to put them toward eternal purposes.  By “gaining friends,” I believe that Jesus has in mind a relational means of making disciples:  looking for ways to bless others and to introduce them to the true Giver.

 

2. Jesus highlights that the quality of our stewardship with worldly wealth (“very little”) will translate to our care in overseeing the “true riches” of the Gospel.  A principle in building a great work team is to look for excellence among those who will take even the smallest project seriously.  Similarly, great stewardship begins with the small and proceeds to the great.

 

3. “You cannot serve both God and money.”  This statement strikes at the heart of idolatry:  placing other things before our relationship with God.  Commonly, we tend to use people, including God Himself, and love things.  Instead, God calls us to love Him, to love others, and to make disciples.  How we treat money – whether it becomes an end unto itself or simply a tool to be directed under God’s sovereign control – points to how we think about God.  If we place Him first in our hearts, we will have a positive interaction with money and find great joy in leveraging this tool for serving God and blessing others.

 

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for these timeless truths from this Parable.  Strengthen us as Your stewards.  Give us wisdom so that we might have right attitudes towards worldly wealth.  Make us men and women who are worthy of handling true riches and of partnering with You in the advance of Your Kingdom.  We love You and worship You.  In Your Name, amen.

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