|
Post by Jesus Christ teachings on Sept 4, 2019 8:50:24 GMT -5
There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 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.
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. I am 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 lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 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.
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. 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.
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. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 4, 2019 9:08:53 GMT -5
The thing that I take from this parable is the need to be faithful in whatever the Lord has entrusted us with. Be a good steward of the money he gives us and the tasks he give us to do. He makes us responsible for small things to see what we will do with them. If we are responsible and manage those things well, He will give us bigger things. If we are not responsible with the little things, we will not be trusted with more. If we are not faithful in the things in this life, don't expect to be trusted with much in the Kingdom of God.
The way the unjust steward handles the threat of being put out of the stewardship has always been interesting to me. Does he use his authority and simply cancel a portion of these people's debts? That is how I have taken it. Some think he paid off part of their debt. Either way, he was seeking to be popular among the people, so if he did lose his position, they would take him in. He was commended by his Lord for acting wisely. He states that "the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light." That is an observation, but then we are told something that to me is the most difficult thing in the parable to fully understand.
"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."
What do I find difficult about his? I can see why it is wise to be in good with as many people as possible, even those you have dealings with because you are responsible to collect debt from, but this has a spiritual meaning that seems to go deeper than that. We are supposed to make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when we fail, they may receive us "into everlasting habitations." How do they receive us into "everlasting" habitations? Popular or unpopular, I am interested in any thoughts about what Jesus is instructing us to do and why.
|
|
PG4Him
Senior Member
Essay Moderator
Posts: 3,570
|
Post by PG4Him on Sept 4, 2019 9:39:23 GMT -5
This is my theory. Not one I learned in church, just a thought I had for myself.
There are those who think they’re entitled to salvation because they can do no wrong. When they accept Jesus, they trot into church thinking they’re already adults in Christ because they mostly know what to do. They were always “a good person” who didn’t have to be saved from depravity. These people think they’re too spiritual to understand the plight of a publican.
Those publicans and sinners knew the real value of salvation. They knew the cost of their sin debt. Jesus told His disciples to appreciate them and fellowship with publican brethren. See salvation through their eyes. That way, when pride causes us to get knocked down a bit, they can show us how to repent in the real world. If we can’t reckon justly in our fellowship with them, and God’s shepherds can’t figure out how to righteously handle things like unrighteous money, then they’re not good managers.
|
|
777
Senior Member
Teacher
Posts: 1,189
|
Post by 777 on Sept 10, 2019 22:43:06 GMT -5
Something I was thinking about when I read this parable is how that Jesus says the children of the world are wiser in this generation than the children of light. That seems to be a criticism of God's children for not using wisdom. The Bible says that if any man lacks wisdom, they should pray for wisdom. That may not be the main point Jesus was making, but if we are not as wise as the children of the world, shouldn't we seek to do something about that?
The unjust steward did act wisely when he was in danger of losing his position, but it seems like it would have been better if he had been faithful to do his job from the start. He wasted the goods he was over. Do you suppose he was doing what is called embezzling of his boss's money? There is a lot in this parable.
|
|
|
Post by solid on Sept 10, 2019 23:22:03 GMT -5
The message is about being faithful.
|
|
|
Post by John on Sept 14, 2019 21:29:34 GMT -5
Being faithful in all the Lord gives us is the most important thing.
|
|