Worldly Wealth and True Riches

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Abstract

he endears himself to his master’s debtors by offering to settle their debt for less than they owe. When his master finds out what he has done, he commends him for his shrewdness. Not quite the usual story of good morals triumphing over dodgy deals.I think Jesus explains the crux of this parable in verse 11: “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (‘Unrighteous wealth’ refers to earthly wealth.)It’s reminiscent of His teaching to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19–21, Luke 12:33–34). The way we handle our earthly resources reflects our heavenly rewards. We should be good stewards, who are generous with our earthly possessions. But we should also recognise that earthly wealth will eventually fail us. Wealth

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is fickle and it does not provide the ultimate satisfaction our souls long for.When Jesus says “you cannot serve God and money,” (Luke 16:13) it’s a statement, not a command. It is not possible to serve two masters.So like the dishonest manager we should be prepared for the future. We should be generous with our money, using it to bless others. In this way, they serve as witneses to our management of earthly wealth, and “receive [us] into the eternal dwellings.”By proving ourselves faithful with worldly wealth, we prove ourselves worthy of true riches. We do not prove this faithfulness by selfishness or greed, but by serving God in all things, including how we manage our money. We do this, not in our own strength, but by the work of the Holy Spirit.</article></body>

Worldly Wealth and True Riches

The parable of the shrewd manager

In Luke 16:1–13, Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd (in some translations ‘dishonest’) manager. I have struggled to understand the meaning of it. Neither the manager nor his master are examples of good moral character.

The manager finds out that his master will be dismissing him. In order to ensure he is taken care of when he no longer has a job, he endears himself to his master’s debtors by offering to settle their debt for less than they owe. When his master finds out what he has done, he commends him for his shrewdness. Not quite the usual story of good morals triumphing over dodgy deals.

I think Jesus explains the crux of this parable in verse 11: “If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?” (‘Unrighteous wealth’ refers to earthly wealth.)

It’s reminiscent of His teaching to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19–21, Luke 12:33–34). The way we handle our earthly resources reflects our heavenly rewards. We should be good stewards, who are generous with our earthly possessions. But we should also recognise that earthly wealth will eventually fail us. Wealth is fickle and it does not provide the ultimate satisfaction our souls long for.

When Jesus says “you cannot serve God and money,” (Luke 16:13) it’s a statement, not a command. It is not possible to serve two masters.

So like the dishonest manager we should be prepared for the future. We should be generous with our money, using it to bless others. In this way, they serve as witneses to our management of earthly wealth, and “receive [us] into the eternal dwellings.”

By proving ourselves faithful with worldly wealth, we prove ourselves worthy of true riches. We do not prove this faithfulness by selfishness or greed, but by serving God in all things, including how we manage our money. We do this, not in our own strength, but by the work of the Holy Spirit.