#101 Luke 16:1-9 Use Worldly Wealth
On December 11, 2022 by Amy BurginAmy:
Episode #101 Luke 16:1-9
Welcome
Amy:
Welcome to The Christgazing Podcast. We are so glad you’re here. I am Amy Burgin and I co-host this podcast with my daughter Joy, who is taking some time off.
If you’re anything like us, you long for God’s presence and holy direction in the midst of your own wrong-thinking, unpredictable relationships with people you long to love well and calendars and circumstances that breathe down your neck and masquerade as your boss.
Or maybe, you don’t really know who this Jesus is, what he says about you, where you fit in, or why you’re even here. This podcast is also for you. If you’re curious about Christ, put aside what the world or religion has told you and see for yourself who he truly is.
Here, we make room for Christgazing, the act of gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. Each week we read a portion of scripture several times and create stillness after each reading so we might also be still and know God with us.
We are in a series that takes us through the book of Luke.
Pour Out Your Heart to God
Amy:
Before we read today, take time to share your heart with God. We do this each week; we pour out our hearts to God, exposing the wrong-thinking, wounds, and discouragement inside us so he can fill us up with right-thinking, healing, joy, love, and hope.
So bring your nightmares, your daydreams, your grief, joy, loneliness, togetherness, hurts, and thanksgiving to God in this next minute.
[Pause and pour out your heart to God]What Does This Passage Say About God?
Amy:
I’m going to read the text two times. As I read, consider the question, what does this tell me about God?
Luke 16:1-9 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Again?
Luke 16:1-9 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Take a minute to be still and know what this says about God.
[Pause and know]What Does This Passage Say About People?
Amy:
As I re-read the text, consider the question, What does this say about people?
Luke 16:1-9 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Take the next few moments to answer the question, what does this passage tell you about people?
[Pause and know]Lord, What Would You Have Me Know Or Do Today?
Amy:
As I read for the last time, ask God, “Lord, what would you have me know or do today in response to this passage?” If it helps, put yourself in the narrative.
Luke 16:1-9 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “ ‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Take the next minute to ask God, “Lord, what would you have me know or do today in response to this passage?”
[Pause and listen]Blessing
Amy:
Christgazer, the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. And may you turn your face toward Jesus today and know him personally.
One Response
Amy:
I like how the New Living Translation sums up the passage. Luke 16:9 in the NLT reads, “Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.”
And I also like how the Message sums up the passage. Luke 16:8-9 in The Message reads, “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”
If I close my eyes and put myself in the passage, I hear Jesus speaking to me, “Amy, be prudent and wise. Use your intelligence, your mind, your education, your body, your strength, your time, your relationships, your finances – use all of your stuff to look after your interests and align your interests with mine. You and I? We are about the eternal. Let’s go!”
Closing
Amy:
You can find a transcript of this episode and all our episodes at amyburgin.com. We will be back again next week to go Christgazing together. Until then, don’t forget, when you put your trust in Christ, you are one in whom he dwells and delights, a dearly loved child of God. You are royalty in his strong and unshakeable kingdom. Though trouble abounds, Christ prevails, and so do you.
It blesses me to hear from you! Please leave a reply here.