STUDY NOTES on previous study
Busted! (Luke
16:1-18)
Luke 16
is one of the most highly debated chapters in this gospel. What is Jesus teaching when He tells the
story of the dishonest manager? Is there
a reason this follows the story of the prodigal son? Is Jesus really teaching us to be dishonest
at worst or shrewd at best in order to achieve gain in this world that will
have eternal benefit? As always, these
studies need to be subjected to careful consideration and discernment. In this lesson, I am going to side with a
minority of Bible students and present an understanding with which you may not
agree. But let this serve us as an
excellent example of what to do with difficult passages.
What I
first want to do is consider the “bottom line.”
In other words, is there a basic understanding of this parable with
which everyone can agree? I believe
there is. Ultimately, no matter how you
understand the parable, Jesus is saying that money has no value unless it
somehow helps or assists that which is eternal.
So, no matter what, we can agree on that. Also, Jesus is calling us to integrity,
pointing out the importance of being honest with what we have. And, we cannot serve two masters. We either pursue God or pursue money. Again, no matter what else we take from this
passage, these truths are basic and clear.
I believe
the story of the dishonest manager is a classic example of what I call a
“gotcha” story (thus the title, “Busted”).
It is an extremely effective method of teaching if done correctly. It clearly stands as a comparative story to
that of the prodigal son. That wonderful
parable tells us of the true heart of God, longing for the lost to come
home. The story of the dishonest manager
shows how the Pharisees saw God, and it is a startling contrast!
The
dishonest manager has no redeeming qualities (though some have tried to
“rehabilitate” the man). He is
dishonest, has no integrity, and is lazy.
He is caught cheating – skimming off the top – of his master’s
goods. At this point, the prodigal son
and the dishonest manager have a somewhat common story. But the dishonest manager does not
repent. He just does all he can to use
his shrewdness to benefit himself. He
not only steals in the present, he sets up a system where his stealing benefits
and secures his future. Now watch the
reaction of the master/father in this story.
He commends the man’s shrewdness!!
Are we to believe God is to be understood as commending dishonesty? Surely not!
But that’s how the Pharisees effectively saw God. They had taken all of God’s gifts and made
them their own. They honored one another
for their shrewdness! Jesus here is
telling a story that conforms to their foolish view of the nature of God who
would commend them for their scheming.
Do you think Jesus would teach us to use our wealth to secure eternal
benefit through scheming? I believe the
NRSV has it right when it translates the word for wealth as “dishonest
wealth.” There is a negative context
which justifies the wealth discussed here as wrongfully obtained.
In verses
10-13 Jesus offers corrective teaching which is not lost on the Pharisees. That is why in verse 14 they ridicule
Jesus. He clearly “got ‘em” in their
hearts. After His sarcastic story of the
master being impressed by His fired manager’s dishonesty, Jesus says, “whoever
is faithful in a little is faithful also in much.” This is exactly opposite of what the manager
did. He should have repented and thrown
himself at the mercy of his master as did the prodigal son. But instead, the manager was even more
dishonest – so should he expect even more from his master? Not hardly!
If we cannot be faithful with the little we have in this world, how
shall we be entrusted to reign with Him for eternity? THIS IS A BIG QUESTION! We must see ourselves in a context bigger
than just our own lives in this world!
It does matter whether we are honest with that which we have been
given. We each have our own little
kingdoms here on this earth over which we exercise control. If we are not honest with that which we have,
how can we expect to reign with God over all He controls? We are either in training to honor God or we
are being dishonest with what we have.
We cannot serve both God and wealth.
We cannot praise God with our lips, but use our lives to amass dishonest
wealth.
The
interpretive key is in verse 15, I believe.
Those things which the rebellious human heart sees as something to be
prized (shrewdness, dishonesty, pursuit of wealth) by humankind is an
abomination in the sight of God. There
is no room in the kingdom for a self-advancing ethic at the expense of others. We must repent!
Now the
next verses fit and make sense. The law
was in effect until the
This is a
big question. All of us are in
training. What are we training to
be? What is our view of the purpose and
scope of our lives? Are we bending all
the rules, dismissing the teachings of God about such sacred things as
marriage, living as if life were about our happiness and comfort? Do we think, like the dishonest manager, that
we can take the wealth of our master and misuse it to our advantage? And, if we get caught, we can wriggle our way
out of responsibility – maybe even using our earthly wealth (dishonestly
gained?) to our eternal advantage?
The call
of Jesus rings out again. If we are
misusing the inheritance granted by God, let us not imitate the dishonest
manager. We know the heart of God. We know He is longing for us to repent and
come home! Full sonship awaits the
repentant heart. God’s judgement awaits
the shrewd, unrepentant “mismanager.”
May those
who have ears, hear.
A Wasted Life (Luke 16:19-17:10)
After having read the study notes,
answer the following questions:
1.
What are some of the things that man prizes which God considers an
abomination?
2.
Why can’t we serve both God and wealth?
3.
What can we learn from the parable of the dishonest manager?
Read Luke 16:19-24
1.
How is the rich man’s life described?
2.
How does Lazarus’ life compare to the rich man’s?
3.
What physically separated the two in life?
4.
How does the rich man address Abraham?
What does this tell us?
Read 16:25-31
1.
Do you think there is any significance in Abraham’s calling the rich man
“child”?
2.
What separated Lazarus and the rich man in death?
3.
What does the rich man’s concern for others reveal about his heart? (in other words, about whom is he concerned?)
4.
Who would be in our “circle of concern” if we found ourselves in the
circumstances of the rich man? What does
this say about us?
:
Read 17:1-4
1.
Who are the “little ones” in this passage? (hint: consider the context)
2.
What is Jesus teaching about sin and repentance?
3.
How many times are we to forgive?
4.
How willing are you to forgive the repentant sinner?
Read 17:5-10
1.
Why do you think the apostles asked for Jesus to increase their faith?
2.
How does Jesus describe the power of faith? What does this mean?
3.
What do you think Jesus is saying with His comments about the slave and
his work?
4.
Do you find verses 9 and 10 to be harsh and perhaps overstated? Why or why not?