The Unrighteous Manager
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June 25, 2017 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light"(Luke 16:8).
When Jesus taught His disciples, He spoke in parables for better understanding. But many people do not clearly understand the spiritual meaning and interpret them in many different ways. Today's message is one of the parables that people find hard to understand. Let's now look into the parable of the unrighteous manager.
1. The Unrighteous Manager Squandered His Master's Possessions
Jesus started the parable in Luke 16:1, saying, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions." Here, the rich man refers to Jesus Christ, and the unrighteous manager to a hired shepherd (John 10:12). 'Squandering the master's possessions' means that a hired shepherd failed to lead the flock, which the Lord entrusted to him, to full assurance of faith, for he did not take good care of them.
Here, the unrighteous manager does not only refer to pastors who do their ministry to make money, but refers to church leaders who fail to lead their group or cell members to be in the grace of God, stay full of Holy Spirit, and grow in their faith. They squander the master's possessions. Not fulfilling their duties well but causing the works of God to be delayed are also 'squandering the master's possessions'.
People like the hired hand are interested in gaining honor and power and being served. They do not care about their duty and do not cherish the precious mission given to them by the Lord. Thus, they are unable to help people grow in faith even if they teach them.
Luke 16:2 says, "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'" Although one was faithful in his duty once, if he lost the deeds he did at first and does not repent, his duty will be taken away and given to another person as Revelation 2:5 says, "I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place..."
2. The Reason the Master Complimented the Unrighteous Manager
In Luke 16:3, when the unrighteous manager heard he would not be able to continue to do his duty, he worried about what he would do afterwards rather than looking back upon his past and repenting. He summoned each one of his master's debtors, and did them a favor by letting them rewrite their bills. They were allowed to change a hundred measures of oil into fifty and a hundred measures of wheat into eighty in the bill. The manager thought if he did them a favor they would help him after losing his job.
His master found it out, but he praised the unrighteous manager for his shrewd deeds. Why did the master praise the manager? Here, 'his master's debtors' spiritually refer to people who have not accepted the Lord and not received salvation. They are still under the burden of sins.
The unrighteous manager wrote off some of their debts. It spiritually means that he taught them about Jesus Christ and salvation through His name although he could not lead them to perfect salvation.
Thus, the Lord who desires more souls to receive salvation, praised the unrighteous manager. He said, "The sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light" (Luke 16:8). It does not really mean the sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light. But it says, "in relation to their own kind". In other words, in this age which is the age of darkness, what the unrighteous manager did is considered acting shrewdly.
3. The Truly Shrewd Are Not the Sons of This Age But the Sons of Light
"The sons of light" refer to those who devote themselves to practicing the Word of God and teach it to people without compromising with the world in any kind of situation. They believe all the words in the Bible, put them in practice, and teach them to people. They are followed by works that confirm their words and thereby lead their flock to have faith and hope.
"The sons of this age" refer to those who teach people about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation but they rather compromise with the world depending on the situations than choosing what is right in the sight of God.
They say they are teaching the Word of God, but they are teaching within their limits. They are unable to show God's works. Moreover, if someone in their church experienced spiritual things that they themselves had never experienced, they try to stop them. They preach about God just enough to avoid conflicts with people of the world, and they join the thoughts and ways of worldly people following their benefits. They seem to act shrewdly because they adapt to their circumstances.
However, God recognizes those who never compromise with the world even if others speak ill of them (Matthew 10:28). True pastors worthy to be recognized by God guide their flock to have perfect faith by showing the works of God more than to teach the message of salvation. They should circumcise their hearts, and show good examples in their deeds. Only then can they be acknowledged as shrewd and praiseworthy.
4. 'Making Friends for Yourselves by Means of the Wealth of Unrighteousness'
Luke 16:9 says, "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." It indicates that we should embrace even unrighteous people, open the way for them to turn back, change them, and lead them to perfect faith. When they receive salvation and reach Heaven, they will welcome us into their dwellings in Heaven.
Therefore, we must not give up on those who are not right in the sight of God and who are still living in the flesh. Although they may have little faith and live against the will of God, if we admonish them with love, pray for them, and patiently hope for them until the end, they will change and be able to enter Heaven.
If we embrace all people and achieve the heart of the Lord who loved even the one who would betray Him, Judas Iscariot, until the end, then we will be able to hold all peoples of all nations in our hearts as good-hearted managers and guide countless people to the way of salvation.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, God's children are managers who take care of the Lord's possessions. We should increase His possessions every day as faithful managers and become good-hearted managers who resemble the Lord. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will receive God's love and His compliment.
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