Jesus told a story to his disciples about a rich man whose manager wasn’t doing a good job – he was wasting the owner’s possessions. When called in to give an account of what he was doing – or not doing – the owner dismissed the manager.

The manager then had to decide what he was going to do. There wasn’t anything known as ‘unemployment’ cheques from the government – you either worked or you had no income. No income meant no food and no way to support any family he might have. What was he to do? We get to listen to him as he talked to himself.

“My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg – I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.” (Luke 16:3-4 NIV)

He worked out a plan so that others would be indebted to him. He called in those who owed the owner money and asked what they owed. He then proceeded to reduce the amount they owed: some by half, some by lesser amounts. As manager he was able to do that, but it was totally dishonest he had lost his position and he was now defrauding the owner. He was thinking only of himself. Yet when the owner heard about what his former manager had done he was impressed.

“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.” (Luke 16:8)

This is one of Jesus’ stories that goes against the grain in what we consider being right. Why did he tell a story like this? What was his point? Some of the answer lies within the text itself.

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? No-one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’’ (Luke 16:9-13)

Jesus used this story to press home the point of honesty and trust. If a person can be trusted to handle something small then they can be trusted with something more substantial as well. If someone is dishonest in small matters then they would do the same in if they had more. If they don’t handle worldly wealth who will give them real riches of their own?

That could be applied to many areas of life. If our politicians can’t be trusted to be honest why would we elect them into higher positions? If people don’t pay back what they owe why would we loan them more? If someone lives a worldly life why would we consider making them leaders amongst God’s people? Yet how many times have we heard people say “If I had more I’d do more”? It isn’t about what we would do if we had more but what are we doing now what what we do have!

This story also gives a setting for Jesus’ teaching about serving two masters. There is no way a person can serve two different masters equally because they will prefer one over the other. This will be seen when there is a conflict between what both want. The one we are really serving is the one we choose to obey. Yet how many people try to live as part of the world and part of God’s kingdom? It simply cannot be done, because when we try to serve God and anything else, in reality we are choosing not to serve God.

What is it that we need to learn from this story? Honesty, integrity and faithfulness to God. If we can get that right then we will be living for Jesus.

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Readings for next week: Luke 13-17