Kingdom-Minded Shrewdness ~ Luke 16:1-15

October 9, 2016 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson

Intro: Dudley Dursley of #4 Privet Drive counted 36 presents for his birthday which was the same as last years so he
complains to his parents that is the same number as last year, andsensing a temper tantrum coming onhis doting
parents are quick to tell him that they in fact are planning on buying him two more present that very day.
Dudley is a pathetic character that shows what happens to us when we get focused on the here and now; we begin to
measure our lives by what we have and fixate upon stuff wanting more and more.
And Jesus tells us that when we do that, we not only live against our design, but the results are disastrous: instead of
using stuff to love people, we love our stuff and use people to get more stuff.
Whether you are new to Christianity or whether you are a seasoned follower of Jesus, were going to see Jesus put his
finger on the one issue that is likely to keep us away from God, namely, our love of stuff.
Just like the old country bumpkin what said, The preachers gone from preaching to meddling, Jesus is going to go
from preaching to meddling, and hes going to meddle with the one thing that poses the biggest threat to our wellbeing, and not only to ours, but to others as well.
So as we look into this historical biography of Jesus, it seems the safest thing to do is to put up our guard b/c we dont
want anybodynot a preacher, not our parents, not even Jesusmeddling in our lives. I get that, but let me
encourage you with one thought: Jesus is aiming to free us from slavery to stuff, from measuring our lives by our
success here and now, and he wants to free you to live more in line with your designa design in which not only can
you flourish, but a design in which you can cause others to flourish as well.
Kingdom-Minded Shrewdness ~ Luke 16:1-15
CONTEXT: Luke 15:1-2, Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the
scribes grumbled, saying, This man receives sinners and eats with them.
Jesus told a 3-fold parable talking about the heightened celebration of heaven that occurs when someone who is lost is
found. Jesus left off with a challenge to the religious elite to join in the mission of God. Now at that same dinner party,
Jesus turns to his disciples and tells them a story.
16:1 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.
1. The characters: (1) The rich man & (2) his steward (probably lived in the estate of his rich employer)
2. The scandal: Evidence is brought to the business owner that his manager was stealing from him.
3. The consequences: the manager is being fired, and his future is all of a sudden in jeopardy. He begins to panic.
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.
1. His reputation is shot: no one would trust him again with anything of value.
2. His options look bleak: Hes about to find himself homeless, and then he has a bright idea
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 masters 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.

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1. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Facing the prospect of poverty and homelessness, he devises a
strategy to avert disaster: make friends ASAP.
(1) During the OT times, Jews were forbidden to lend money with interest to the poor. Some attempted to find a loop
hole by lending money in the form of commodities (ie., oil and wheat) and charging interest in kind.
(2) Wright, It is likely that what the steward deducted from the bill was the interest that the master had been charging
with a higher rate on oil than on wheat. If he reduced the bill in each case to the principle, the simple amount that
had been lent, the debtors wold be delighted, but he master couldnt lay a charge against the steward without
owning up to his own shady business practice (193-4).
2. The goal: to leverage resources to make friends who can receive him into their homes when hes homeless.
8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.
1. The master commendation: Youve gotta give him credit, hes definitely shrewd.
2. Definition of shrewd: having or showing sharp powers of judgment. (Synonyms: astute; sharp, smart, intelligent,
clever, canny, perceptive.)
Jesus told this story to give an example of how clever, intelligent, perceptive people can be when their own best
interests compel them to act with foresight re: the future. And then he makes this jarring statement.
For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
1. The comparison b/t the sons of this world and the sons of light
The sons of this world. = those who live for the here and now; those who build their own kingdom; those who
have not responded to the message of Jesus about the coming kingdom of God.
the sons of light = those who have responded to the message of Jesus regarding the kingdom of God; those
whose lives are devoted to building the kingdom of God; those who live with an eternal perspective.
2. The assessment: the sons of this world are more shrewd/ intelligent / perceptive in dealing with their own generation
than the sons of light.
IOW, if people of this world use what they have to further their own interests, how much more should the followers of
Jesus use what resources they have to further the interests of the kingdom of God.
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.
1. What does unrighteous wealth mean? Good questionhold that thought for just a moment.
2. The mandate: use your wealth to make friends for yourselves in the kingdom of God.
We were designed to love people and use things to love people; but we have come to love things and so we use
people so we can get more stuff to spend on ourselves. But Jesus has come to restore us to our original design.
Be careful: the text is not saying you can buy your way into heaven. You cannot, it is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9).
But those who have received this gift are transformed by the gift so that their lives begin to be oriented and transformed by the message of Jesus.
3. We all think about the future, and sometimes we think about the worse case scenario. But often we dont think
far enough into the future, ie., eternity. When we pass into eternity, our wealth and possession here will fail us.
1 Timothy 6:7, For there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into this world, and we
cannot take anything out of the world.
Just like the the shrewd manager prepared for his unemployment, so too we ought to shrewdly prepare for eternity.
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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 anothers, who will give you that which is your
own?
1. The common sense principle: if you are faithful in little, you will be faithful in much. The converse is true.
2. With this, Jesus is forcing upon us a very uncomfortable though necessary thought: Am I using the resources
that Ive been entrusted with for the kingdom of God? Am I using my stuff to make friends that will last forever, or am I
using people to get more stuff which will ultimately fail in the end?
Cf. the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25: His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.
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.
1. Heres the answer to our question, What does Jesus mean by unrighteous wealth?
Wealth by itself is neither good nor evil, but what our hearts do with it makes it either good or evil.
2. Both God and money make a claim on our hearts
Money says, Its all about you and your kingdom. God says, Its all about me and my Kingdom.
3. and our hearts will respond by serving one or the other.
We will either respond by serving money, and we will use people to get more stuff.
Or, we will respond by serving God, and we will use our stuff to love more people.
How will you respond? Luke tells us how the Pharisees responded.
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed Jesus.
1. 1 Timothy 6:9-10, But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful
desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this
craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
2. Remember the context! Jesus was receiving sinners and eating with them, and the Pharisees, who where lovers of
money, grumbled against Jesus, and now they are ridiculing him.
Jesus was using his resources to make eternal friends. The only question left is, Will we?
15 And he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what
is highly exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
1. Probably a critique of the thought, If we have wealth, then we are the ones who are blessed by God.
Though wealth can be obtained by the blessing of God, it can also be obtained through dishonesty, cheating, &
oppression. And the evidence that the Pharisees are completely wrong is that they have no place in their worldview
to use the resources they have to love and bless others.
2. What is highly exalted among peoplethe accumulation of more stuff to glorify yourselfis an abomination
in the sight of God.
Why does Luke record this account in his historical biography of Jesus? The number one competitor to God for the
loyalty of your hearts is your hope for more and more money. And when you set your hope on riches, you live contrary to
your design, and you will use people to get more stuff.

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Bottom Line: People are more important than our stuff.

Therefore, we should use our stuff to make friends that will last forever.
1. Do a spiritual inventory of you & your money. Your life will tell you where your deepest loyalties lie, with God or
wealth.
(1) We are among the wealthiest people on the planet. There is an ever present danger that our stuff will become too
important to us.
(2) 2 Corinthians 8:9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he
became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
(3) Only when we grasp that Jesus spared no expense to welcome us into his kingdom will we be transformed into
people who will spare no expense to welcome others into the kingdom.
2. Invest eternally. If what Jesus said is true, there will be a day when we pass from this world, and all our wealth and
resources will fail usthey will no longer be available. And we will give an account of our lives. Use your resources of
time, talents, & treasures to make friends with souls that will last forever.
(1) 1 Timothy 6:17-19, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on
the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be
rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good
foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
(2) What kind of me is God calling me to be?
God is calling you and me to be shrewd, smart, intelligent, savvy, perceptive in the way we invest our time,
talent, and treasures for eternity. God is inviting me to be a person who uses my resources to populate the
kingdom and thus make eternal friends who who will welcome us there.
Imagine being welcomed into the Kingdom of heaven by those who are there because of the way you have
invested your time, your talents, and your treasures!

NCC, may you be a people who live with a kingdom-minded shrewdness

using your stuff to make friends with souls who will live forever.

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