Allow me to read a poignant poem about the allure of monetary wealth. This was written by the Scottish-Australian poet Angus Young:
Tailored suits, chauffered cars
Fine hotels and big cigars
Up for grabs, up for a price
Where the red hot girls keep on dancing through the night
The claims on you
The sights are on me
So what do you do
That’s guaranteed
Hey little girl, you want it all
The furs, the diamonds, the painting on the wall.
A French maid, foreign chef
A big house with king size bed
You’ve had enough, you ship them out
The dollar’s up-down, you’d better buy the pound
The claim is on you
The sights are on me
So what do you do
That’s guaranteed
Hey little girl, you broke the laws
You hustle, you deal, you steal from us all
Come on come on, love me for the money
Come on, come on, listen to the money talk
Indeed, money talks! If you don’t believe me, just ask former NBA Basketball star Latrell Sprewell who demanded a bigger contract from the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2004. He told the media that he was disgusted with his one-year, $14.6 million contract. When a reporter asked him why he didn’t try to help his team win an NBA championship first and then worry about getting a better contract, Mr. Sprewell said, “Why would I want to help them win a title? They’re not doing anything for me. I’m at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed.” Sprewell, who was 34 years old at the time, described the team’s latest offer, reported to be worth between $27 million and $30 million over three years, as ”insulting.” (Ryken 168)
Whatever you do, please don’t judge Mr. Sprewell for snubbing his nose toward a measly $14.6 million contract! After all, he was at the top of his game and he just wanted to keep food on his family table. He just wanted to assure his family’s financial security and you certainly can’t blame a man for that!
I wonder just how much it costs to feed a family these days? Furthermore, I wonder how much money a person needs to feel financially secure? Do you ever think about financial security? Most Americans do! As a matter of fact, many people obsess over it!
Money is a topic that is at the heart of discipleship! And Jesus made his final journey toward Jerusalem, where he would eventually meet his fate on the cross, he took his disciples aside and gave them a little talk about money: a money-talk! In Luke 15, Jesus dealt with wrong attitudes toward people; chapter 16 is about wrong attitudes toward money and material possessions.
A Shrewd Manager (1-8)
Jesus begins his teaching on monetary stewardship b telling a parable about a shrewd manager. This parable is probably the most misunderstood of all of Jesus’ parables. It is difficult to interpret. At first glance it seems like Jesus is advocating selfishness and unethical business practices, but upon closer examination I believe that we will discover what Jesus really meant.
The story starts with a rich man who hired a manager to run his businesses. After a period of time, the manager faced accusations of mismanaging the business. We don’t know if he was guilty of misappropriation of funds, embezzlement, or mishandling the employees, but we do know that somehow he was “wasting” his master’s possessions.
When the master brought the manager into his office and confronted him about the accusations, the manager admitted his guilt. He didn’t even try to deny wrongdoing; he openly confessed to cooking the books. The master glared across his desk and, in Donald Trump style, declared, “Your fired!”
Needless to say, someone who was out of a job in those days wasn’t about to get any absurd severance package or even collect unemployment benefits. There certainly wasn’t going to be any Wall Street “golden parachute” for this immoral executive, and this posed a serious problem for him. He was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place because he was a white collar guy now trying to live in a blue collar world. He wasn’t strong enough to dig and he was too proud to beg. So, what did he do? He came up with an idea for how he could land on his financial feet.
One by one, he went to all of his master’s debtors and unilaterally reduced their debts. (Four-hundred gallons of olive oil and two-hundred bushels of wheat represented more than a year’s wages for the average earner.) He was hoping to win their gratitude so that they would provide room and board for him when he needed it. His scheme was definitely dishonest, but it sure was shrewd.
The manager’s deception makes the master’s response all the more surprising: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness” (Luke 16:8). We would expect the master to be furious, and he probably was, but he admired how resourceful the manager had been in planning for his unemployment. Though he could hardly commend the man for his lack of integrity, when it came to shrewdness, he had to give the man his due. (Ryken 171)
Jesus used this unorthodox parable to teach three principles of monetary stewardship: first, use your temporal/material wealth for eternal/spiritual purposes, second, be faithful with little so you can receive something better, and third, do not let your money be your master.
Eternal Relationships (8b-9)
Jesus concludes the parable with the lesson: “For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” He recognizes the fact that Christians tend to be less shrewd when it comes to worldly matters; but he wants them to be shrewd with worldly resources for spiritual gain. Specifically, Jesus wants his disciples to use their money to build relationships with people that will last through eternity. This is what we might call “money-for ministry” or “gospel-centered giving!
So, what does this look like in practical terms? The possibilities are endless! A Christian’s faithful financial giving of their local church is a good place to start. The weekly “tithes and offerings” is what supports the gospel ministry in a particular community. Also, faithful giving to other local missions and foreign missionaries builds relationships with non-believers and extends the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. Other possibilities include giving our money toward disaster relief, feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and helping the poor. It can also be as simple as using our money to buy lunch for a friend who is going through difficult time. As I said, the possibilities are endless!
Are you using your worldly resources in such a manner that there will be persons in eternity who will be glad to receive you when we get there? Or will you meet people in heaven who you could have helped on earth but didn’t? Are you using your money to establish eternal relationships?
Faithful with Little (10-12)
Sometimes Christians say they would give more to the poor and spread the gospel if they only had more to give. “I don’t have that much right now,” people say, “but if I had a million dollars, I would give so much to the church and to my favorite ministry.” Such talk can be cheap, but there is an easy way to find out if it is true. The way to see what you would do if you had more money is to look at what you do with what you already have!
In verse 10, Jesus says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” This is where we find the second principle of monetary stewardship: be faithful with what you have so that you can receive something better.
This principle applies to all of our resources: time, talent, and treasure! If we are not faithful with what God has already given us, why would he trust us with more. Or if we are not faithful with worldly resources, why would God trust us with spiritual resources.
I am always amazed by the people who are constantly asking God for more. They are often the same people who have squandered what God has already given them. Likewise, I am amazed by the person who feels entitled to a raise or a promotion when they are notoriously late and lazy at work. On the flip side, faithfulness in the little things leads toward greater responsibility and rewards.
I remember learning this principle back in high school and college. My football coach, Mr. Dettorre always preached the proverb: If you do the little things well, the big things will take care of themselves!” He was right! When a team practices well, they play much better in the game!
I employed this principle in my college job at the Solhiem Center, the athletic facility where all of the visiting NBA teams practiced before they played the Chicago Bulls. I was blessed to get that job and I worked my tail off. Even when my regular work was finished, I tried to find little things to do to improve the facility. My boss noticed this, and promoted me to a head supervisor during my freshmen year. Some upper classmen were angry that I got promoted over them and I remember my boss telling them, “If I can’t trust you in the little things, how can I trust you in a leadership role!
How about you? Are you faithful in the little things? Are you faithful with the resources God has given you? Are you being faithful with your time, talent, and treasure?
Mastering Money (13)
Well, Jesus builds his third monetary principle to a crescendo with the dramatic declaration: “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” By this, Jesus means that people either master their money or their money masters them. It is impossible to serve God and be a follower of Jesus Christ and still worship money and material possessions.
Do you know anyone who has spent their life chasing the so-called “almighty dollar?” Do you know people who have allowed money to dominate their hearts and material possessions to enslave their souls? The pursuit of wealth has caused many people to ignore God, undervalue family, walk over people, act unethically, and engage in a host of other destructive behaviors! This is why Jesus says a person must know who he or she will serve, for when a choice has to be made, a person cannot serve both. Everything here calls on us to choose God! (Bock 421) Who do you worship? God or money?
The essence of Jesus’ money-talk is this: If you don’t master your money, it will master you! If we don’t master our money by using it for the glory of God, then it will master us, and we will end up bankrupt for eternity! (Ryken 169)
Yes, it’s true, money talks! What is your money saying?