Luke 16,1-17
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The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.
2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’
3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters, for 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 God and money.”
The Law and the Kingdom of God
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him.
15 And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it.
17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.”
Hello everyone, I am Kiki. The Chinese name of our second phase of the program is “读经大讲堂”. The English name is “Bible Study.”
We will adopt a relaxed and enjoyable learning mode to take you into a new world of learning. Each time, I will make a personal summary and analysis from the perspective of a learner, and then Sister Ingrid will help me conduct in-depth learning and discussions about the questions with everybody.
I hope that such an interesting and interactive process can bring a new learning experience to all of you. The following is my interview with Sister Ingrid on related issues. Today is the 45th lecture on the Gospel of Luke.
Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment section for discussion!
2. My Summary of the 45th Study of Luke
Well, everybody! First of all, here is my personal study summary for today.
A rich man fired his manager for wasting money. The manager then lowered the debts of people who owed his boss money. He did this to make friends, so they would help him after he lost his job. Surprisingly, the rich man praised him for being shrewd.
Jesus is not telling us to cheat. He is saying that worldly people are clever with money to secure their future. Believers should be even wiser—using money to help others and gain eternal friends.
Jesus then gives three lessons.
First, if you are faithful with small things, you can be trusted with true riches. If you cheat with money, you cannot be trusted.
Second, you cannot serve both God and money. You will love one and hate the other. The Pharisees loved money and made fun of Jesus, but God saw their hearts.
Third, God’s laws still stand. Even one tiny dot of the Law is important.
So, what does this mean for a younger person like me, for example? Money is a tool. Use it wisely—share, help others, and be honest. Don’t let money control you.
And remember, God sees your heart, not just what others see. Be smart with money, but also be kind and faithful.
Now let Sister Ingrid give a deeper summary.
3. Sister Ingrid’s Comment on My Study Summary
Hello. The first point we have to observe is where the unfaithful manager was: he was in the house of the master, and he wasted things that belonged to the master.
If we translate this into our time, there can be administrators in churches who waste the things that belong to God, such as the gifts of the Holy Spirit, healing, or other benefits that God reserved for His children. These administrators may even get paid for their bad works in the churches.
Then the manager hears that the master will throw him out, and he uses a trick: he adulterates the invoices of his master. Oil stands for the Holy Spirit, and wheat stands in the Bible for the harvest that belongs to God.
But the master did not rebuke this unfaithful manager; he praised him because he was smarter than the children of light, since the children of light are often lazy. They can take the things of God and make good use of them, but they do not do it.
Jesus ends this parable by telling us that we should make friends with riches and the unjust Mammon. That means we should become good administrators of what we have and remember that everything we have belongs to God.
We should administer it for Him, and when we are taken up to our eternal homes, we will receive what is ours. We cannot serve two masters. We will either hate one or love the other.
4. Question List Based on the 45th Study of Luke
Okay. Based on the Bible study content above, let me now ask Sister Ingrid some related questions.
We hope the following questions can be helpful to our brothers and sisters.
1. Why did the rich man fire the manager?
Because he wasted money that did not belong to him, but to the master.
2. What did the manager do with the debts?
He hoped that the debtors would give him a job and support him after he was thrown out as manager.
3. Why did the rich man praise the dishonest manager?
Because he was very smart in making friends with the enemies of the master.
4. What does “the sons of this world are shrewder than the sons of light” mean?
Because they know how to deal with money and conduct business.
5. How can we use “unrighteous wealth” to make friends for eternity?
It means that we should be responsible administrators of everything we have.
6. What is the difference between being faithful in little and dishonest in little?
We can be content with little and administer it well, or we can be dishonest with little and waste it.
7. Why can’t we serve both God and money?
Because they are leaders of opposite kingdoms.
8. Why did the Pharisees mock Jesus?
They said, “He does not want money; He is foolish.”
9. What does “everyone forces his way into the kingdom of God” mean?
They would like to enter by force, but that does not work.
10. Is it easier for heaven and earth to disappear or for God’s Law to fail?
It is written in the book of Isaiah: Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s Word will last forever.