”Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money. So the employer called him in and said, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Get your report in order, because you are going to be fired.’ “The manager thought to himself, ‘Now what? My boss has fired me. I don’t have the strength to dig ditches, and I’m too proud to beg. Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired.’ “So he invited each person who owed money to his employer to come and discuss the situation. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe him?’ The man replied, ‘I owe him 800 gallons of olive oil.’ So the manager told him, ‘Take the bill and quickly change it to 400 gallons.’ “‘And how much do you owe my employer?’ he asked the next man. ‘I owe him 1,000 bushels of wheat,’ was the reply. ‘Here,’ the manager said, ‘take the bill and change it to 800 bushels. ’ “The rich man had to admire the dishonest rascal for being so shrewd. And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.” The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him. Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God. “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned. “For example, a man who divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery. And anyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”“
Luke 16:1-18 NLT
Money has a good purpose, but when we use it outside of that purpose, it is a danger to our souls. In this parable, Jesus was not teaching that being dishonest was good. But He praised the shrewd manager for understanding one of the purposes of money: to help others. Christ made it clear (v.9): use money to help others, and they will be there to help you if your money is ever gone. This story also highlights that our money does not ultimately “belong” to us; we are managers of what God gives us (even if we work for it). Money is a great servant but a terrible master.
We all make choices every day—including with money—that reflect the values of Christ or the world. There is no middle ground. Christ’s way is harder, but brings true joy and changes the world. Only the way of Christ gives contentment and peace. The values of the world promote selfishness, excess, and using money to gain more and more even if others have less and less. This way has been shown time and again to leave an empty soul. The purpose of money is to enable a person to more fully serve Christ. Use money for His mission; experience His joy.
What is the purpose of money? Do you view your money and possessions as belonging to you or God? What difference does that make?
