Expert: Scott Talbot - 5/25/2007

Question
QUESTION: I really don't get the story of the Shrewd Manager.  After the story, the bible reads that man cannot server two masters.  Does that mean the the Shrewd Manager's master was not God, hence he thought the actions of the shrewd manager were good?  I cannot think that God would have commended such acts since they were deceitful.

ANSWER: Hi, Ann,

I can understand your confusion about this parable. It might help to understand that this parable, like all others, are intended to convey one primary truth. We must be careful not to read to much into it, or to look for meaning in every detail.

The primary truth this parable is intended to convey is found in verses 9-13. It has to do with the way in which we USE worldly wealth and material things.

I think the point Jesus is trying to make is this. We live in a material world surrounded by material resources. While these things are temporal and have limited value, they can be used in a way that produces eternal value.

We should first recognize that God is the owner of all, and we are therefore His stewards. He has entrusted His resources to us, not only to provide for our needs and for those of our dependents, but also to allow us the opportunity to invest in eternal things.

We should be carefully looking for ways in which we can use temporal, material things to invest in eternity. (This is done by considering ways in which we can impact people--eternal souls--for Christ.)

I hope this helps.

Scott

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I'm still confused.  So which master commended the manager for the deceitful acts. I noticed that the master was in lower case.  So I'm thinking that's not God the Master, that master is money.

You say verses 9-13 (below).. has to do with the way in which we USE worldly wealth and material things... they can be used in a way that produces eternal value.

How is that?  Certainly he's not saying to use worldly wealth dishonestly like the shrewd manager.

I don't want to be welcomed into the eternal home of dishonest wealth.  I want to be welcomed into God's home, the children of the light.  

Luke:8And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.c
 10 "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth,d who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."e
ANSWER: Ann,

The reason you're still confused is that you're trying to read too much into the parable. You're trying to make every little detail mean something, when that is not the intent of the parable. The parable is meant to convey one general truth.

The master in the parable does not represent God or money. It's just a story about a man who had a boss. The fact that there was a man or a boss isn't the point. It's what he did with the money that's the point. He was wise in the use of his money--he used it to benefit both his boss and the people in debt.

Jesus pointed out that the manager was shrewd (wise). While the worldly manager used his wisdom in a deceitful way, we are encouraged to use our wisdom in a godly way. It wasn't the deceit that he was commending, but rather the wisdom and resourcefulness. (In other words, if even worldly, deceiftul sinners have enough wisdom to be so resourceful, certainly you, my disciples, can learn a lesson and be resourceful and wise, as well.)

Does this help?

Scott

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sorry to be so argumentative.  THis just one of those things I need to better understand. You said that the manager helped the people and the boss.  Prior to your statement, I had interpreted this to me he cheated/stole the boss money.  So I looked into in more and found out where you are coming from.  I found an article that in those days it was customary for the manager to inflate the bill in order to get around the judaic prohibition against usury.  So the manager didn't cheat the boss he just gave up his inflated portion.  (So he didn't steal from the boss by reducing the others debts like I thought he did)  So like you said "he used it to benefit both his boss and the poeple in debt."

Then I found this "Here is our naivety.  It is our unwillingness to invest in making friends for eternity.  Like the shrewd manager we have been served notice to quit.  We are dead men walking.  We are, as Bertrand Russell once said bound together by “the tie of a common doom”.  Soon we will be “seized by the silent orders of omnipotent Death”.  We too will hear the verdict “you cannot be… any longer”."  So use our resources to bring others into the kingdom.

THank you for your help.  

Answer
Exactly!

It's easy for us as Christians to look at money and material possessions as negative things. There is great potential to make idols of them, to worship them, to act with greed and selfishness, and to get attached to these material things.

But God does not say that money is the root of all evil. He tells us that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Adopting the wrong attitude towards it is what's dangerous.

While money and possessions are temporal and will not last forever, we need to understand that we can and should use them in order to make a difference in the lives of others--people, who are eternal. By doing this, we take something temporary and use it for eternal good. We lay up treasures in heaven.

Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it." Every dollar that He has placed into our hands is His. He also told us in Deuteronomy 8:18, "Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth."

So it's all His. This makes us, not owners, but stewards. And we're told in I Corinthians 4:2, "It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful." This gives us the responsibility to use God's resources for eternal purposes. I think this is the point Jesus is trying to make in the parable.

Scott