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So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine?

Luke 16:11

As one goes through life it is important to ask, ‘Who trusts me?’ If you have very few, or even nobody, who trusts you on any level, it indicates your reputation is quite poor. Faithfulness in anything, even bad things, is appreciated.

Being faithful is actually a key to life. Those who learn this lesson early will go far. Now, Jesus is not saying that being faithful in worldly things makes you holy. But, it does make you trustworthy, and potentially loyal. Laziness and godliness do not mix. So being industrious won’t make you holy, but it will make you eligible.

Heavenly Father, thank You for constantly helping us to see how weak we are. Though we resist that, it is in our favor to realize just how much we depend upon You. Every blessing comes from You and is a gift from Your hand. Thank You for Your work in our lives! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

Luke 16:10

The bad manager was the one who was ‘unrighteous’ in little, but also proved to be unrighteous in much. In other words, he had been shrewd and worldlywise as he stole a bit off the top of his master’s profits. And he was then even more skilled in unrighteousness when the stakes were raised and he needed to provide for his future.

This verse is the application of this parable. The key is the word ‘faithful’ here. In contrast to the bad manager, Jesus calls us to be faithful servants. But, like the bad manager who was able to take his skills to the next level, those who are faithful in little things will prove faithful with big things.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to praise You! Thank You for Your leading and guiding of our lives. Thank You for giving us hope. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.

Luke 16:9

Here we must establish what Jesus is saying, and what He is not saying. He is not saying that we should do the same thing that the bad manager did. What he is saying is that we should be wise, and generous, in the use of our monetary resources. Money is a tool that can be used to bring blessing to the lives of others.

Notice here that Jesus says ‘when’ it fails. Money will ultimately fail. You can’t take it with you. What you can take with you is what you have chosen to do with it.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your generosity with Your creation. You have given us all things richly to enjoy. Your magnanimity and beneficence are absolutely overwhelming! To live by Your mercy and grace is the greatest joy we can know. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

The master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age are more astute than the sons of light in dealing with their own people.

Luke 16:8

In many other parables of Christ the master represents God, or Christ himself. Not so in this parable, here the master represents a worldly man who is impressed by the shrewdness of this bad manager. He recognizes the fact that the plan this manager hatches will indeed be a help to the manager’s future. He begins to think maybe he still needs such a man in his employ.

Jesus is not praising the ‘sons of this age’ for doing wrong. He simply recognizing the fact that those who are unrighteous may many times make very shrewd decisions nonetheless.

Heavenly Father, thank You for another day to praise You! Thank You for Your management of this world, and Your plan for redemption. Your grace and mercy are overwhelming! Your power and wisdom are awesome! Your love and kindness are wonderful! Thank You for Your power in our lives. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe? ‘ ‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said. ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’

Luke 16:7 CSB

This bad manager only had the invoices changed slightly. He did not want to have too much trouble to work off, yet enough favor to be befriended.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your awesome power! You are not simply strong, but are good and holy and just. You make right all that is wrong in Your time, and by Your plan. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said. ‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’

Luke 16:6

Make no mistake, what the bad manager is doing here is not honest. It was, however, an effective way to make some quick so-called friends.

Heavenly Father, thank You for this day to serve You. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and Your love. Thank You for being the Just One, the Holy One, the Righteous One, and the Pure One. You inspire our awe. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.

Luke 16:5

These debtors were not in a position to argue with this manager. They were all in debt and were concerned abut their need to pay. It is so important to understand Jesus’ teaching that the borrower is servant to the lender.

Heavenly Father, thank you for another day to give you praise, honor, and glory! Father, you are worthy of every praise, of every exhalation. You have made mercy and grace apparent to us. We live in a world so burdened with sin and shame, and yet you teach us love. Thank you! In the name of Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.

Luke 16:4 CSB

This man was thinking hard now. He was determined to solve his problem and came up with a scheme. He had not stopped his trickery or decided to be honest. But he was working hard to get out of his predicament.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and care for us. We need not resort to trickery and dishonesty. We can rest in the assurance that You guide our path. And we will put all our strength into our dependence upon You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg.’

Luke 16:3 CSB

Though a bad manager, this man was not unintelligent. This serves to show that his inability to manage correctly was due to negligence. Going through his options carefully he eliminated some basic options quickly. He should have applied such studiousness to his job to begin with.

Heavenly Father, thank You for always being at work! We are lazy and ineffective. But You are always active and powerful. Thank You for Your activity and the blessings it causes in our lives. You are truly amazing and incredibly awesome! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be my manager.’

Luke 16:2 CSB

Basically this bad manager was told to reconcile the books and turn in the records. He would provide direct proof of his mismanagement in the process. He would no longer be able to serve in this capacity for anyone again. And, he would likely come out owing enough to almost land him in jail.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your work in our hearts and lives today! You are amazing, wonderful, and so powerful. I can never find just exactly the right words to praise You with. You are worthy of so much more! I love You, Father. And I like you very, very much! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.