He told a parable about a steward who was going to lose his job because of dishonesty, and in that parable Jesus told his audience that the rich could enter the kingdom of God, and he told them how they could.
What is a Steward?
The steward was like the CFO of a small company who was in charge of the finances, only businesses in the ancient Jerusalem may have been more like a family business than a corporation of today. So this steward was very much like a leader in a good sized family business.
A steward may also be the head servant in a wealthy family, whose job it was to make sure his owner's finances were always in order.
The Steward in the Parable
Taking advantage of the opportunities he had, the steward in Jesus' parable took money from his owner for his own benefit. When the steward's boss found out what was going on with the books, the steward was told to get his books in order because he was going to be fired. So the steward took quick action to secure for himself another job once he was let go. He called those who owed money to his company/house owner, and made deals with them, cutting down on the amount they owed. He hoped that by doing this, he would be able to win a wealthy friend or two who in turn would hire him when he was jobless.
Three Lessons from the Parable
Through this one story Jesus gave uss 3 lessons:
1. 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? (Luke 16:10-12)?
The first lesson tells us that, like the steward, anyone who attempts to secure a job in the way he did, will probably discover that the plan will backfire.
If you cheat your boss to give me a break, I appreciate what you have done (assuming I am also dishonest), but I will not hire you to work with my money. Why not? By giving me a financial break, you showed me that you didn't care about your boss's money. I saw that you used his money for your own benefit, so why would I want you to be over my money? A proverb says "the leapord cannot change his spots." I don't expect that you will change your self centered ways if I hire you, so although your attempt was creative, it won't work out for the best for you. But that being said, I like what you did for me.
Through this lesson, Jesus told his audience that how one uses money matters for eternity. If one is faithful with the mammon of this world, he/she can be trusted with true treasures. But if one is not faithful, one cannot be trusted with the true riches.
2. No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Luke 16:13).
This verse follows and adds to what was just stated about money and honesty. It is rather straightforward - you cannot serve both mammon (the god of money) and God. It can only be one or the other. "Hoard or give" is pretty much the choice anyone is given. Although as Christians, we have become experts in trying to walk the fine line of doing both, Jesus would not have it. For Jesus, it was either / or, all or nothing. If you want to serve God, you have to let go of your attempt to hoard money.
The very next passage tells us that the Pharisees derided Jesus because they, like most of us, loved money. If someone told you today that the way to heaven was through selling everything you have and giving the money to the poor, how would you react? What would you say about that person? Would you laugh at what they say? Would you make fun of that person, thinking how ridiculous they sound? Would you tell yourself that you are already pretty generous?
Maybe we aren't so different than the Pharisees after all.
3. ...the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light (Luke 16:8).
The most interesting lesson from this story is one that seemingly contradicts all the lessons Jesus gave so far. Although the steward was dishonest and ruined his chances to get a new position, Jesus used this dishonest steward's story to tell us to be like him by accepting the reality of and preparing for a coming crisis.
He may have been dishonest, selfish and unable to get himself out of his dilemma, but the steward did see the oncoming crisis and he did something about it.
The steward acted quickly and shrewdly in order to prepare for the crisis. Jesus saw that his generation was clueless about their oncoming crisis, and because they were clueless, no one was preparing for it. And this is the crisis they were facint: God was acting in history, bringing the kingdom of God into the human realm. This kingdom brought judgment - a judgment that was ignored and unseen by people everywhere. God's kingdom was open to and welcomed by the poor (remember Luke 6, where Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, because the kingdom of God belongs to you?") but closed to and rejected by the rich (once again Luke 6 said, "Woe to you who are rich, for you have your reward").
Through his kingdom, God was turning the world upside down. He was giving his kingdom to the outcasts and poor of this world refusing to allow the rich and powerful to enter, thus creating a crisis for them - a crisis for which they were not ready, for which they were not preparing.
I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).
This sentance holds the key to unlock the impossible door. In this, Jesus explains how the camel can go through the eye of a needle, how God can do the impossible. In this verse, Jesus explains how the rich can enter into the kingdom of heaven and be ready for the coming crisis.
If the poor are the ones who are going to receive the new world, then use your money to make friends with them. That way as they enter into the kingdom that God is giving them, they will do all they can to bring you in with them.
Jesus told the rich to sell what they had and build treasures for the kingdom by giving to those who need and making friends with them.
