Luke 16:1-13
The Parable
“He also said to His disciples: ‘There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.”
“’Then the steward said within himself, “What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.”
“’So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, “How much do you owe my master?” And he said, “A hundred measures of oil.” So he said to him, “Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.” Then he said to another, “And how much do you owe?” So he said, “A hundred measures of wheat.” And he said to him, “Take your bill, and write eighty.” So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.
“’And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
“’No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.’”
Lesson
This parable illustrates two points, that we are to be faithful to the Lord in unrighteous mammon, and that the men of the world are wiser in their ways than the children of God are in theirs.
Unrighteous mammon has no further meaning than the wealth, the money, of the world. A love of money and a godly walk that is pleasing to God are at odds with one another; they cannot both be accomplished at the same time. A man who loves and serves wealth cannot serve God, and a man who serves God cannot serve wealth.
We have been given whatever measure of wealth we have been given during our time here; but it isn’t ours, per se, for, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine,” Job 41:11. The earth and it’s fulness belongs to God, hence He says in the explanation, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” We have been given the use of these things while we are here; the counsel of the Lord is that we use them in a godly way.
But as Christians we are not as wise in our use of these worldly things as the worldly are in their pursuit of their goals with these things. They are more diligent in their earthly pursuits than Christians are in pursuit of the kingdom.