A challenging story, but a simple choice: we can have only one master

By Dean Collins

I think the auditor would have reported that this rich man didn’t have adequate internal controls in place. There were also general management and human resource issues. But Jesus didn’t tell the story as a business consultant or as a compliance officer.

A head-scratcher

Read Luke 16:1-13 and you’ll understand why commentators call it a somewhat difficult passage to interpret. I’ve read these verses many times, and it is a head-scratcher to consider what Jesus was getting at with this story. I feel safe in suggesting that Jesus was doing Jesus. He intentionally told stories to get past the head and straight to the heart.

Luke tells us that Jesus told the story to the disciples. There must be something here for those eager to follow Jesus. But when the story is finished, Luke gives us the reaction of those who overheard the story. The Pharisees who were the educated and easy to identify religious leaders didn’t like the story at all, and they immediately ridiculed and were dismissive of this teaching by Jesus. And for good reason. Luke reminds us that even though the Pharisees were among the religious who’s who, they were also lovers of money. This story by Jesus had implications concerning their ultimate loyalties, and they didn’t like it.

Using the system

Everything Jesus taught his disciples was intended to help them become fully formed as those who seek first God’s Kingdom, which is different than simply knowing religion and its rules. In this case, both the disciples and the Pharisees knew the economic justice system was a sham. Rome allowed those with authority and power given by the government to use it to their advantage.

In this particular story, the listener would have assumed that the manager who was working for the rich owner had almost surely added a lot of interest to the loans that were issued as a way of using the system to his economic advantage. The system allowed it, just as the tax collectors were allowed to charge taxes on top of taxes as their cut.

The manager who had been taking advantage of his boss was clever. We don’t know all the manager had done, other than he was accused of wasting the rich man’s money. He must not have thought he could convince his boss otherwise, so he worked hard to set up good relationships with those he had taken advantage of who were below him in the system.

What he probably did when he wrote off balances was simply cut the exorbitant interest he had personally added to their original loans or charges. He likely wouldn’t have dipped into what was owed to the rich man or his own troubles could have become much worse. But by writing off interest he was building a network of people who might help him in his time of need. Jesus commended his judgment and suggested that people in the world apparently use more judgment than some who are in the light.

Better judgment

Hmm. It seems harsh to think that people of the world have better judgment than believers. Aren’t we the ones who are promised wisdom when we simply ask for it? And what about studying to show ourselves approved by God? Seems like it would take knowledge and wisdom to be approved by God. But then I think about the moment of this story. Those who were religious, the Pharisees in particular, had already been outed by Jesus as being prone to ego, power, self-righteousness, and selfishness. Yes, they liked to follow the letter of the law, but both the spirit of the Law and the Holy Spirit seemed absent.

And being a disciple of Jesus was new to everyone. Jesus was the light and life of the world, but his followers were just beginning to understand the freshness of his teachings. Jesus wanted his followers to understand that being faithful with big things, even God-sized things, first requires faithfulness in the basics, things deemed to be smaller. Things like honesty and not stealing from anyone, especially from those who have less or little to live on.

One master

I think Jesus made a point for both his eager new disciples and the tired and self-righteous religious insiders: You cannot have two masters. In this case and in other parables, Jesus was clear that one cannot serve God and money. You have to make a choice. The Pharisees didn’t care for this option. They didn’t really care at all for Jesus who was upsetting their way of life. His light was shining like a spotlight on their inconsistency, and they didn’t like it.

I guess I’m not all that worried about the scholars who think this passage is hard to interpret. It is hard to understand some of the particulars, but I think it’s not that hard to see that Jesus wants us to be fair with others and not take advantage of them. He also wants us to choose just one God. Our Creator knows us well. He knows our capacity for loyalty and that it is limited. We are made for one God.

As we surrender to his love and grace and bow to his kingship, a wonderful thing happens. We have unlimited capacity to love others. But according to Jesus, it’s hard to open our hands to others if they are grasping tightly the things of the world.

Your time with God’s Word
Luke 16:1-17 ESV

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.
To download a printable version of today’s post, click here.