Manage God's Provisions Wisely

Luke 16:1-15 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg--I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' " 'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' " 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. 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. "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. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God's sight.

Keywords: rich man, manager, debtors, olive oil, and wheat.

Rich man: an individual that has obtained much.

Manager: The rich man would have an advisor to care for his wealth. The individual can be described as a financial advisor.[1]

Debtors: individuals that have purchased services for future payment.

Olives: Olives grew on trees that thrived in shallow, rocky soils. The trees were used for furniture. Olives were used for anointing, medicine, lamp oil, food, and soap.[2]

Wheat: Wheat is a staple grain.[3]

In the parable, Jesus references aspects of the lives of the hearers. The manager calls the debtors that owe the rich man staple items. Martin makes note of three important lessons to be learned from the parable. First, money should not control the individual. It is a resource to bring others into the family of God. Second, the wise use of money will gain favor and bring about more for your wise use. Third, loving and serving God is best. Money is an instrument.[4]

The parable is being spoken to the disciples. The manager attempted to gain favor with the two debtors to secure his future. Jesus uses the manager to encourage seeking favor with God and man to secure our Heavenly future. God is the rich man. He owns everything. We are the managers of the possession that God entrusts in our care. We are to practice being good managers of wealth. As good managers, our accounts should demonstrate faith in God for our provisions.

Look to God for the correct manner to order your blessings.

Bibliography

Dodd, R. Adam. “Olive Press.” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1189-1190. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, 199-265. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1984.

“Wheat.” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1651-1652. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] John A. Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. (Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook, 1984), 246. [2] R. Adam Dodd “Olive Press,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1189-1190. [3] “Wheat,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1651-1652.

[4]Martin, “Luke,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, 246.