Jesus told a story about a property manager who was sacked for extravagant living at the expense of his boss. On his way out the door of a very lucrative job, he called in each of his employers’ creditors and reduced their debt by as much as 50%. The amounts renegotiated in each transaction are in the tens of thousands of dollars. The shrewd manager knows each client will be eternally grateful for his generosity. He will always be welcome in their homes. This shrewd but unethical manager swindled his boss out of vast sums of money, and feathered his nest so he will never have to work again. The manager made the creditors complicit in his dishonest transactions. Surprisingly, the boss, when he learned he was swindled expressed admiration for the quick-witted craftiness of his manager. In the arena of big business and high finance, games for financial gain through clever and shady dealing are played by high-stakes gamblers every day. All of them admire a good con, even if they happen to be on the losing end of it. Even more surprisingly, Jesus too commended the manager’s cleverness in saving his skin, without condoning his dishonesty. Jesus loves cleverness. Listen to what Jesus says, “For the children of this world are more clever in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
Jesus lamented that Christians, who are people of integrity and light, can be very dim bulbs when it comes to their pursuit and use of money. Why is it that non-religious people are usually more resourceful and clever in the pursuit of wealth for their own purposes, than believers are in their pursuit of wealth for the advancement of Christian values? Either we see it as tainted and miss opportunities to acquire it, or we unwittingly allow it to become our god. Jesus calls us to a middle way. Be shrewd in acquiring it but be equally shrewd in giving it away. How different might the world be if Christians were as fervent and focused in striving for a more just and peaceful world with their resources, as others have been in acquiring personal fortunes?
Jesus drew three lessons from this story.
“Use worldly wealth to accumulate treasure in heaven.
We do well if in our acquisition of worldly wealth we see it as an awesome gift of God for good. We will then be generous and give it away to help others. The rich help the poor in this world. The poor help the rich in the world to come. Jesus said, “Give money to the poor and this will store up for you treasure in heaven,” Luke 12:33.
“Be trustworthy in managing worldly wealth.”
If we see worldly wealth as a servant, we will be able to manage it well. True wealth is measured not by what we make, but by what we give away. God blesses and multiplies what we give. The General Council of the Massachusetts Bay Colony approved the founding of a college for the training of ministers in 1636. A colonist willed his large excellent library and half his property to the project. Harvard College bears his name today. What a world changing event that modest gift turned out to be!
Worldly wealth is a wonderful servant but a terrible master.
If worldly wealth becomes our master it invariably brings corruption. Where wealth is master, corruption spreads like a cancer known as the Resource Curse. Many resource-rich countries are worse off than resource-poor countries because vast wealth is hoarded and squandered at the top. Roads, schools and social services are neglected. Whereas countries with fewer natural resources enjoy a higher standard of living because they have shrewdly invested more of their modest wealth in education, and social projects that promote the common good.
Money is God’s greatest rival for first place in people’s lives, but faith in God can make money our greatest friend for good, and advance the purposes of God in this world. Let’s keep track of our spending and our allocation of resources. If we have no financial plan and no spiritually informed spending priorities, chances are that money is our master and not our servant. Unless we pray that God will help us manage our money, our money will most certainly manage us.
Pastor Norm Erlendson