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Tonight we’re going to look at one of the most difficult parables Jesus ever told. We’ll be in Luke 16:1-13. Most Bible texts will have at the head of this section, “The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward”. We read in verse:

(Luke 16:8 KJV) And the lord commended the UNJUST STEWARD, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Word Study: Jesus called the man the “UNJUST STEWARD”, the Greek

adikia oikonomos, which means “a manager or overseer who does evil or wickedness”. Jesus uses the word adikia four times in the Book of Luke. The first time is in:

(Luke 13:27 KJV) But {The Master of the House} shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all [ye] workers of INIQUITY (adikia).

Here He refers to those who were told to enter into the narrow gate, but refused to come for whatever reason. They made other things more important than coming when Jesus called to salvation because they did other things and made other things more important than salvation. Their works were not necessarily evil (like robbery, murder, rape, etc), but they made what they wanted more important than answering the call of the Master of the House (Jesus). You see, sin is not just a violation of the Ten Commandments, or doing something evil. Sin is to NOT DO WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO as well.

I would call this parable “The Parable of the CHEATING Overseer”. He knew what his job entailed, but he snuck around and cheated the customer in order to increase his gain. And he got reported!

Let’s get into our parable:

(Luke 16:1-2 KJV) And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain RICH MAN, which had a STEWARD; and the same was ACCUSED unto him that he had WASTED HIS GOODS. [2] And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

In Jesus’ parable there is a RICH MAN who owns a large company. We don’t know all of the items that this rich man’s business sold, but we do know he invested in oil and wheat. He hired a STEWARD, a man who was to oversee the buying and selling of both oil and wheat. The steward owned nothing, but was responsible to properly manage what had been entrusted to him so the Owner of the company could see the company grow.

Word Study: But there was a problem. Someone contacted the rich man and told him “Your steward is WASTING (diaskorpizō) your goods. The Greek diaskorpizō means “to scatter, as if sowing, to throw into the air”. The purpose of the Business Manager is to MAKE MONEY for the owner of the company. Whatever this man is doing is not making money, but throwing money to the wind. Customers are leaving the company. Sales are dropping. What is this man doing?

We’ll find out in a minute this man was selling oil at a 100% markup, and selling wheat at a 20% markup. He was taking the product, inflating the cost, and pocketing the difference. When people went to buy oil or wheat, they were not buying it from this company because the other companies sold it at a better or lower price. When the owner looked into it, he called the man in and told him “give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward”.

So what does this cheating business manager do? We read:

(Luke 16:3-4 KJV) Then the steward said WITHIN HIMSELF, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. [4] I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

This man doesn’t go to God, but he is a shrewd man. So he starts to think. In the ancient world, an unskilled laborer could do something like dig ditches, or could beg for alms. When word gets around that this business manager has been dishonest at his company, no one’s going to want to hire him. The one thing he knows is sales. So he takes what he has, and acts so that once his stewardship is gone perhaps “they may receive me into their houses”.

(Luke 16:5-7 KJV) So he called every one of his lord’s debtors [unto him], and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? [6] And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. [7] Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

Now what the steward is doing is not robbing the rich man. Instead he goes back to those who bought OIL and has them reduce their bill by 50% – the same amount that he inflated the bill by when he sold that oil. And to those he sold WHEAT he has them reduce their bill by 20%. Again, this was the same amount that he inflated the bill by. How did the rich man react to this? We read:

(Luke 16:8 KJV) And the lord COMMENDED {epaineō} the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Word Study: The owner of the business PRAISED and APPROVED of what this man did. This man did not steal from the owner. He reimbursed the customers what he had taken before. Jesus was not saying the rich man approved theft, for theft is a sin. The business manager is returning his illegally gotten commission back to those he stole it from. Jesus says “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light”. There’s something we can learn from this cheating business manager.

Use Your Money Wisely, For It Is A Stewardship You Will Be Held Accountable For

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the MAMMON OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into EVERLASTING HABITATIONS.

The “CHILDREN OF LIGHT” (a title for a Christian – see John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) often fail to understand a principle of salvation. The principle is this.

We are saved by faith in Christ. We are saved by surrendering our lives to Him. Once saved, we become the POSSESSIONS of God. And everything we own, we really don’t own it. We are STEWARDS of all that we have.

(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 KJV) What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN? [20] For ye are BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, WHICH ARE GOD’S.

(1 Peter 2:9 LSB) But you are A CHOSEN FAMILY, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR [God’s] OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

(2 Timothy 2:19 KJV) Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The LORD KNOWETH THEM THAT ARE HIS. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The Christian is the property and Child of God. We are not the owners of anything. God owns our bodies, and our souls. God owns the stuff we think we own. Everything we have is a STEWARDSHIP. It belongs to God, and God has entrusted it to us to use to grow His Kingdom.

Now God doesn’t care that we have nice things. God is not against us as Christians having money. Abraham was rich, and got richer as he followed God. Job was rich, and got richer as he followed the Lord. But when Job lost his riches, he said:

Job 1:21 (ESV) Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Job realized he was just a steward of all that God gave him. Job’s greatest possession was God Himself, not money or things. It was God. “The LORD MAKES POOR and MAKES RICH; He brings low, and He exalts” (1 Samuel 2:7, ESV). Everything we have belongs to God. And one day we will have to report to God on how we used our stewardship.

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the MAMMON OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; that, WHEN YOU FAIL, they may receive you into EVERLASTING HABITATIONS.

What did Jesus mean by “MAMMON OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS”? Pastor R.C. Spoul wrote:

“When Jesus said, “Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon,” He was not saying to go out and steal money. “Unrighteous mammon” was an idiom used in that day simply to describe worldly goods. Jesus was saying, “Be careful about how you use your worldly goods,” because every one of us has worldly goods and is a steward of those worldly goods. Everything that you and I have comes from God. We do not own it; He does. We are stewards in the kingdom of God. God requires from us not unjust stewardship but just stewardship.”

How we use our money and resources should benefit and not take away from the Kingdom of God.

“WHEN YOU FAIL” – and we will all “FAIL” or leave this life one day, if you were a good steward of what God gave you there will be others in Heaven (everlasting habitations, aiōnios skēnē, the world without beginning or end). How you use your resources should look toward eternity. Think about it. You come into Heaven one day, and someone comes up to you and says “Thank you for leading me to Jesus. I owe my eternity to you!” And you look at that person and say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you”. And that person smiles, and says “Maybe not, but your gift led me to Jesus. Your investment in missions, your contribution to the Gideons, your giving to the poor, where you gave willingly of your substance, God used it to reach me with the Gospel”.

The Cheating Business Manager Learned That Money Is Not That Important. We Need To Learn The Same.

Luke 16:10-12 He that is faithful in that which is LEAST is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11 IF THEREFORE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FAITHFUL IN THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAMMON, WHO WILL COMMIT TO YOUR TRUST TRUE RICHES? 12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

The place where many people stumble is with money. Money is just a tool. Money is what Jesus considered the LEAST. Money comes and goes. Jesus warned us:

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But LAY UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURE IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO.

A believer should never place too much emphasis on money. The cheating Business Manager realized once he misused his stewardship, that it would be better to have NO BANK ACCOUNT but a PLACE TO GO ONCE HE LEFT HIS CURRENT LIFE. Jesus said “IF THEREFORE YOU HAVE NOT BEEN FAITHFUL IN THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAMMON, WHO WILL COMMIT TO YOUR TRUST TRUE RICHES”. If you do not handle your money in a way that honors the Kingdom of God, then why would you expect reward in Heaven when you stand before Jesus. The Bible tells us that:

(2 Corinthians 5:8-10 KJV) We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be ABSENT FROM THE BODY, and to be PRESENT WITH THE LORD. [9] Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, WE MAY BE ACCEPTED OF HIM. [10] For WE MUST ALL APPEAR BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST; that every one may RECEIVE THE THINGS DONE IN HIS BODY, according to that he hath done, WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR BAD.

We will stand before the Owner of this Company, the Kingdom of God, one day in glory. We will have to give an account of how we used our stewardship. Those who stored up treasure in Heaven, who did not worship money but used it for the glory of God, will be rewarded.

We will rule and reign with Christ if we were faithful in that which is least, in the unrighteous mammon.

Money is to be your tool, your stewardship, something you manage for the glory of God and the promotion of His Kingdom. Money is NOT to be your master.

Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON.

The Christian is to serve the Lord Jesus, not money. Money is a stewardship, a tool, but it is not our God. Under the Law of Moses, the believer was to TITHE. Jesus told the Pharisees:

(Matthew 23:23 NKJV) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you PAY TITHE of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier [matters] of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, WITHOUT LEAVING THE OTHERS UNDONE.

Under the Law, the MINIMUM given to God was 10% of your increase, also called a TITHE. But under GRACE, hear me Christian, EVERYTHING YOU OWN BELONGS TO GOD. Not just 10%. ALL OF IT. The Bible says:

(2 Corinthians 9:7-11 NKJV) [So let] each one GIVE AS HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, not GRUDGINGLY or OF NECESSITY; for GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. [8] And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, may HAVE AN ABUNDANCE FOR EVERY GOOD WORK. [9] As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” [10] Now may HE WHO SUPPLIES SEED TO THE SOWER, and BREAD FOR FOOD, supply and multiply the seed you have [sown] and increase the fruits of your righteousness, [11] while [you are] ENRICHED IN EVERYTHING FOR ALL LIBERALITY, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

We do not owe God 10%. We are God’s possession. God owns us. We owe God EVERYTHING. His Kingdom is the business we manage. If we do well, we will be abundantly rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ. God told those under the Law of Moses:

(Malachi 3:10-12 NKJV) Bring ALL THE TITHES into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And TRY ME NOW IN THIS,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not OPEN FOR YOU THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN And POUR OUT FOR YOU SUCH BLESSING That [there will] not [be room] enough [to receive it]. [11] “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.

If God was faithful to those under the Law, will He not be faithful to those under Grace? Yes He will. Let us not, as the lost world does, worship money. Let us worship God, and use all we have as good stewards to promote His Kingdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.