The Truth About Money-False Riches or True Wealth?
“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(unrighteous)wealth to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your wealth fails, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke 16:1-9
Jesus uses a surprising example in this parable. The manager was dishonest. How he got that way is part of the truth Jesus would have us understand. See the word unrighteous before wealth? That’s how Jesus described money.
Why was the manager fired? The desire for money causes us to take advantage of others. Pursuit of money can cause us to become selfish…we become tempted to self-gratification. There’s one more: the pursuit of money often leads us to unrighteousness. In the end, the pursuit of money failed the manager. He had done all of these.
See the word “fails” in verse 9? Jesus makes this point clear: earthly wealth will fail. It is unwise to put trust and hope in wealth.
Every parable of Jesus taught a lesson. What is the lesson of the parable of the dishonest manager?
We are to use our earthly wealth to benefit others. In doing so we store treasure in heaven. Wealth in heaven cannot be destroyed or taken from us. Jesus said it this way:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-20
Got money? It is false wealth when used for self. But we can make it true wealth…
Use it to benefit others…that’s putting your treasure in heaven.