Read Luke 16:1-13. In this section, Jesus gives a parable concerning the use of one’s wealth. Mammon means wealth, possessions or money. A steward was a person who was put in charge over someone else’s property. The steward, in this case, was a servant who was placed in charge of his master’s finances. After telling the parable in verses 1 through 8, Jesus makes several applications of it to life in verses 9 through 13.
1. Of what was this steward guilty?
Embezzling his master’s money
2. What did the master tell this steward to do?
Prepare an account of the finances.
3. What was the steward’s response when he realized the account of his activities was going to cause him to lose his position?
He made friends of his master’s debtors by charging them less than they owed to settle their accounts. (He used his master’s wealth to make friends.)
4. What was the response of this master to these actions of his steward?
He praised him.
5. In application, what is Jesus telling his disciples to do with their wealth in verse 9?
Use the wealth you have (You are only a steward, it is not really yours) to make friends. Don’t covet it to get more; give it away.
6. What is Jesus telling his disciples in verses 10 through 12?
Your faithfulness in the use of the little God has given you now determines your responsibility later in the true riches.
7. What is Jesus telling his disciples in verse 13?
There can only be one motivation controlling a person; you can either live to love and serve God or to love and acquire possessions and things.
Read Luke 16: 14-17:10. These are two discourses. This first (16:14-31) is directed to the Pharisees, the other (17:1-10) to our Lord’s disciples.
8. How are the Pharisees described in this passage in verse 14?
They are described as lovers of money and as scoffing at Jesus.
9. What was the difference between the opinion and response of the people and the opinion and response of God to these religious leaders?
They justified themselves in the sight of men. They were highly esteemed among men, but God knew their hearts and detested their lives.
10. Summarize the parable Jesus told about the Rich man and a poor man named Lazarus.
The rich man lived in luxury all his life and ignored Lazarus and his needs. Lazarus lived in need and in poor health until both he and the rich man died. The rich man went to a place of torment, Lazarus to a place of rest. The rich man requested help from Lazarus, but that was not allowed. He then requested Lazarus return from the dead to warn the rich man’s relatives, but he was told they would not believe even if someone rose from the dead.
11. What do you think the application of this parable might be?
There is so much more than just this life we now live, and we ought to live with eternity in view, not just the present. Those who chose not to believe the message God had already given them would not be convinced by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Summarize in your own words what you think Jesus is telling His disciples in the following verses:
17:1-2
People will mislead and cause others to fall, but woe (special judgment) for those who mislead and cause children to turn from God.
17:3-4
Be willing to forgive your brother no matter how often he offends you.
17:5-6
Have faith - only a very little is required for God to answer.
17:7-10
When you do all that God requires, don’t become proud. You’ve only done what was required, nothing more.
\
The Applications:
What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.
1. When I first really began to study the parable of the steward who had embezzled his master’s money in Luke 16:1-13, the question that immediately came to my mind was; is this Scripture commending this man for his self-serving settling of his master’s accounts? That did seem a bit out of character. But on further study, I realized that this is not the point of the parable at all. Indeed, the master in the parable probably benefited from the steward’s actions. He did collect on the debts owed. Even in our economy today, it is considered wise to collect on debts at a discount rather than to not collect at all or wait for a longer period for them to be paid. The steward, in trying to benefit himself, actually was doing his master’s business, and it benefited the master. But that is not actually the main point of the parable. The main point is this steward used his master’s wealth to make friends, and that is what we should be doing with our Master’s wealth He has entrusted to us.
There are several principles that arise out of this passage, principles that are vital for the spiritual life of every believer:
a. The money, wealth or possessions that we have are not really ours. They are a trust given us by our Father in heaven. We are only stewards of whatever it is we have (from parable).
b. There will be an accounting. The books will be audited; the accounts examined. As stewards, we must give an account of how we have invested the Father’s wealth (From parable verse 2).
c. We are to use what has been entrusted to us to make friends, that is, bring people to faith in Jesus Christ for then and only then will they truly be friends (verse 9).
d. What we do now with that which is given us determines what we shall be given to use for Him in the coming kingdom and eternity (verses 10-12).
e. You will either love and serve the Master who has given you what you have, or you will love and serve that which is given to you. You cannot serve both (verse 13).
We live in a very materialistic society here in the west. It has so infused our lives that we have come to believe that it is part of our faith or at the very least a complement to our faith. Do we, as believers, subscribe to the American dream? Do we believe God has blessed our nation materially because we are a Christian nation with some Christian values? Do we believe everyone has a God-given right to a certain standard of living? Do we believe it is the right (and the goal?) of every individual to try to make as much money as he or she is able to do so? Do we believe that it is the right of every individual to do with his wealth that which he wishes because it belongs to him?
Sadly most of us have forgotten that we are only stewards and have come to act as if what we have is actually ours. We have come to enjoy the benefits given us as our own benefit and for our ease than in trying to win others to the faith, which we espouse. And in this, we are embezzling our Father’s wealth!
2. In relating the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, our Lord was trying to communicate to these wealthy religious leaders that they were living on the basis of this world’s standards and in accordance with its philosophy. They scoffed at our Lord when He was teaching His disciples to use their wealth now for the kingdom’s sake, and they would be rewarded later. The point of the parable is that there is a judgment coming, a judgment based upon one’s choices in this life. What you choose now determines where you will be later. One’s choices are important because they not only determine one’s future in this lifetime but for all eternity.
This life is a training and testing ground for service later in the kingdom and following. What we do here determines what we shall do in the ages to come. There are some, perhaps many, who think once we die and “go to heaven,” all we will do is stand around praising God or sitting on clouds playing harps. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are being trained now to serve in the kingdom that is coming. After celebrating our Lord’s coronation in heaven, which takes place while the earth undergoes the Tribulation, we will return with Him to set up the kingdom on the earth. We shall reign and rule with Him. In what capacity is being determined by our faithfulness now. Our Lord states, “Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?” How faithful have we been?
3. In speaking to His disciples, after He addresses the Pharisees, our Lord says, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.” As I understand this passage, the stumbling blocks are those that teach and propound false teachings such as the Pharisees were doing. There will always be those who do this. There were in our Lord’s day and in every time period since then. These teachers cause many to stumble by the things they teach. Little ones such as children are impressionable, and once taught, it is hard to undo the damage done to the truth.