#DailyDevotion It’s Difficult Because You’re A Spiritual Commie

Luke 16 Then Jesus said to His disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of squandering the man’s property. ²He called the manager. “What’s this I hear about you?’ he asked him.’ Give an account of your management, because you can’t manage my property any longer. ³’What will I do?’ the manager said to himself. “My master is taking my job a away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I’ll do so that when I’ve lost my job people will welcome me into their homes.’ ⁵So he called everyone who owed his master anything. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first. ⁶“ ‘Eight hundred gallons of oil,’ he answered. “ Take your note,’ he said, “sit down quickly and write “four hundred.” ⁷“Then he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’ « ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he answered. “ ‘Take your note,’ he told him, “and write “eight hundred.”  ⁸“And the master praised the dishonest manager for acting so shrewdly. “In dealing with their own kind of people, the men of this world are shrewder than those who are in the light. ⁹“And I tell you, with the money that’s often used in wrong ways win friends for yourselves so that when it’s gone, you’ll be welcomed into the everlasting homes.

So why is this parable so difficult for some people? It may be they may be too heavenly to do any earthly good. Maybe like the Pharisees they think they are good but really are lovers of money. People in recovery may say such people are religious but not spiritual. Basically religious or godly Christians are offended because Jesus or Jesus through the master praises the unrighteous steward for being shrewd, wise or prudent. If you are offended, well you are too spiritual to be of any earthly use. Well maybe you are more worldly i.e. your true spirituality is tied up in worldly wealth.

So what is the meaning of this parable? Well it’s fairly simple. Two points, a. worldly people know how to use money better than so called children of light b. use your money to buy friends so they welcome you into the eternal tents.

So to a., the steward knowing he’s about to be tossed out on his kiester and will have no place to stay for lack of skills and humility. He devises a plan to cut the amount people owe his master significantly so that they will welcome him into their homes and take care of him. Well Jesus and/or the Master praise him for his shrewdness or wisdom. Now a lot of people will make all sorts of excuses as to why the steward was really doing the master a favor by doing this or make the master some merciful fellow, but none of that is in the text and it really doesn’t make sense culturally either. The point is the steward is using someone else’s wealth to take care of himself.

Now Jesus is calling us to be more wise or shrewd than this unrighteous steward. He tells us to do something our mothers have told us all our growing days is not possible, “Buy friends with money.” Maybe it’s the insult directed at our mothers that get us all up in arms at this. But, the fact of the matter is, if you actually believed what Jesus had said earlier in chapter twelve this would not be a problem. Your problem, my problem is we don’t believe what Jesus said and we are all spiritually communist.

Well what did Jesus teach earlier?  Luk 12:33-34 “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail… (34)  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” You see you won’t sell your possessions and give to the poor. You love and trust your possessions. You think, like a spiritual commie, everyone is getting the same experience in the world to come. You’re lazy and are just happy to get into heaven. Jesus says use your (his) wealth to buy friends of the poor, widow, orphan, foreigner and pastors so when it is of no use (you’re dead) they’ll welcome you into the everlasting homes, the mansions, Jesus has promised elsewhere. So do you believe Jesus or what?

Heavenly Father grant us such faith in Jesus’ promises that we use our earthly wealth in providing for the needy, your image among us, that we may be considered faithful. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.