Management Training (Luke 16:1-13)

I. Too Many Managers?

In the midst of the recent economic downturn, many businesses and state governments have looked for ways to reduce their expenses as revenues have dropped. One approach has been to look for 'redundancies' in an organization's labor force. For example, some businesses and governments have suggested that they simply have too many managers. 

Last September, Rick Snyder, the governor of Michigan ordered a study examining whether or not the state had too many managers. It was suggested that the state had one manager for every six employees. Similarly, I found a forum online in which someone submitted a question to the panel that started like this: “My organization has been bought three different times in the last five years and I currently have three different bosses that I report to.” 

This morning, I'd like to argue that when it comes to the church today, THIS is not our problem. There are not too many managers. According to God's word, our problem is too few managers; more specifically, we have too few managers who understand their calling. To explain what I mean, let's look together at Luke 16:1-13.

II. The Passage: “One Who is Faithful” (16:1-13)

What I'd like to do this morning is break this passage down into four parts. And as we work together through these four parts, I want you to consider what this passage tells us about God's perspective on managers and management. 

A. The Manager’s Wastefulness (16:1, 2) 

Let's start with verses 1 and 2. This is what Luke writes: 

He [Jesus] 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.’ 

So obviously the parable we have here does not feature a manager like we might think of a manager. This manager was a steward or superintendent who oversaw his master's affairs; someone who handled all of the everyday details of the estate. Obviously in this parable, the manager was not stewarding the master's property... he was squandering the master's property. And because he was failing to be faithful and honest, the landowner tells him to get the books in order and hand them over, because his services are no longer needed. 

B. The Manager’s Shrewdness (16:3-7) 

If you look at the next five verses, verses 3-7, we see there how this wasteful manager responded to his master's decisive action. Look at verse 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. [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 master's 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.’ 

So very clearly, the manager is distraught over his termination. And as he communicates in verse 3, his vocational future looks pretty bleak. Obviously, his future as a manager is pretty much ruined. Who's going to hire someone who was fired for squandering his last employer's property? Furthermore, he's not strong enough to dig, and he's too proud to beg. 

So suddenly, he has a flash of inspiration. The accounting log! He still has the accounting log in his possession! He knows what he needs right now is plenty of favor. And nothing gains favor from others like doing a few financial favors. And that's exactly what he does. He gets all of his master's debtors (these would have been people who lived on and worked the master's land, and in return, gave him a portion of their crops... he gathers all of these debtors) and one by one he reduces all of their bills or contacts by an amount that equaled about 500 denarii for each debt (that's almost two years worth of wages!). 

And so, as the manager reduces these debts, he increases the number of people who are now in his debt. And as he communicates in verse 4, his goal is to convert his newly found favor into open doors when he thrown out of his master's house.  

C. A Manager’s Shrewdness (16:8, 9) 

But when the master finds out about the manager's plan, look at how he responds in the first half of verse 8. It says, “The master condemned...” No wait, it doesn't say that. It says, “The master commanded the manager to be stoned to death...” No wait it doesn't say that either. It says: “The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.”

Shrewdness. That's not a word we use very often. But it's a great word. The word translated “shrewd” here is also translated as wise, or prudent, or intelligent in other passages. But this is not the more common word for “wise”. This word seems to have more to do with personal and practical gain. I think this modern dictionary entry for shrewd is very helpful: 

Shrewd: marked by clever discerning awareness and hardheaded acumen (that is, the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions). 

And isn't that what we see here with this manager?

But notice the second half of verse 8. This is where we switch from talking THE manager, that is, the manager mentioned in this story... we switch to talking about A manager. Look at what Jesus tells us: 

For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. [9] And I tell you, [we might say, “like the manager in this parable...”] make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 

Now Jesus' application has troubled many people because it seems like Jesus wants us to follow the example of a DISHONEST manager. How can Jesus recommend that we emulate such a WASTEFUL and SNEAKY character? But there are only two points of connection between the story Jesus has described and the behavior Jesus has prescribed. And those two points are finances and shrewdness. 

Jesus is very clear about the contrast we need to hold onto. This manager is a “son of the world”. But disciples of Jesus are “sons of light”. But that radical difference does not mean we cannot learn things from the “sons of the world”. That's what Jesus tells us here. The parable is not commending dishonesty. It's commending shrewdness, and specifically, shrewdness with our money. One commentator on this passage puts it this way: 

“…if only Christians were as eager and ingenious in their attempt to attain goodness as those with more worldly concerns are in their attempts to attain money and comfort, they would be much better people.” (Barclay) 

You see, if we were shrewd, we would handle our money with an eye to eternity. The phrase “unrighteous wealth” here simply means the money of this world (that's clear from the contrast in verse 11). And so Jesus is recommending that we use our money to bless other people in such a way that they will be eternally impacted. And when they are eternally impacted, they will be there to welcome us into (v. 9) “eternal dwellings”. 

D. A Manager’s Faithfulness (16:10-13) 

But Jesus goes on here in verses 10-13. He goes on to tell us more about the kind of manager He is desires to use for His work, for His purposes, for His glory. Verse 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 another's, who will give you that which is your own? [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.”

Notice that Jesus is expanding on his previous discussion about money. But He continues to use these contrasts. In verse 8 it was a contrast between “the sons of this world” and “the sons of light”. In verse 10, it's between the who is “faithful” and the one who is “dishonest”. In verse 11, it's between “unrighteous wealth” and “true riches”. Verse 12: “that which is another's” and “that which is your own”. Verse 13: between God and money.

And through these contrasts, Jesus is emphasizing the critical importance of how we handle our money. Do you see that? We will dig a little deeper into some of these contrasts in just a minute, but I really want to stress what Jesus is doing for us here. If you are a follower of Jesus this morning, if you are a Christian, then Jesus is confirming that you are a manager. And what He's doing here is simply 'management training'. 

Here is the whole point of this parable: Jesus wants to train us to be good managers. That's it. His goal is to make us good money managers.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that if “Jesus is Lord”, He should be Lord over your checkbook as well? Of course He should! But what does that mean? It means exactly what Jesus recommends here: shrewdness and faithfulness. 

III. What a Faithful Manager Understands 

Listen, in light of God's word, let's talk about what a faithful money manager understands. Now I'm going to throw a lot of principles and passages at you in a short amount of time, so don't let your eyes glaze over as we go through this. Just take it bit by bit, write some things down, and know that the audio of this message, and a transcript of this message will be on our website for you to go back to anytime you want. 

In light of this passage, let's look at four things a faithful money manager understands:

First of all, a faithful money manager understands that everything belongs to God. 

Remember what Jesus said in verse 12? He talked about being faithful with that which is another's. This connects directly back to why this parable is about a manager or a steward. Everything you have was given to you by and ultimately belongs to God. That includes every items in your house, every dollar in your bank account, the lost change under your car seat, your investment portfolio, and the list goes on and on and on. 

God's word confirms this over and over: “The earth is the LORD's and all that fills it, the world and those who dwell in it.” (Psalm 24:1) “... nor is [God] served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.” (Acts 17:25) And if we think that our own labor and strength are the source of our money and possessions, we need to “remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth...” (Deuteronomy 8:18) 

This is absolutely foundational to a right understanding of what it means to be a faithful money manager. As long as you think that what you have is yours, faithfulness will always be beyond your reach. If a friend gave you a $1000 to invest, how careful would you be with that money? Shouldn't we be even more careful with God's money? 

The second thing we see in this parable is that you cannot serve God and money. 

There are some things you can do at the same time: you can whistle and ride a bike. On the AT&T network, you can talk on your i-Phone and surf the internet at the same time. Maybe you can rub your stomach and pat your head... maybe.

But you cannot serve God and money! Both demand our absolute devotion, but only one actually cares about us; only one will actually satisfy us; only one of these masters will deliver on his promises... and it isn't money. No one can say, “I want what God wants!” and then spend his or her money only on what they want. 

And no one can throw money at God, because He ultimately doesn't want your money. He wants you! He wants your heart! And a great indication of whether or not He has you is whether or not He has your money as well... whether or not you've surrendered that to Him. 

And if we have surrendered control of our finances to God, then, number three, we should understand that money is a tool for God’s eternal purposes. That's what Jesus is telling us here. How many of us look at our money and ask, “How can I make eternal friends with this money?” Now, this idea of making friends with our money is kind of a strange concept. But when we look at the rest of the New Testament, we understand what Jesus is saying. 

The Scriptures teach us that a man or woman who is serving God will spend his or her money in light of two things we will find in eternity: the souls of people and the glory of God! The pastor and writer A. W. Tozer put it this way: 

“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.”

The dishonest manager acted shrewdly in light of his future. Are we doing the same, according to what God has told us about 'heavenly investments'? 

Finally, the fourth thing a faithful money manager understands is how to give in light of the Master’s will. 

If your money is really God's money, and if Christians are God's money managers, then we better make sure we understand the management that's been entrusted to us (not wasteful). What are the Master's priorities and passions and principles and parameters? If you wrongly believe that God only exists to make you happy, then you will fool yourself into thinking you only need to worry about spending His money on what YOU want. 

We don't have time this morning to do an in-depth study of what the whole Bible teaches us about being “faithful with our finances”. We do offer a class called, “Faithful with Our Finances” and I hope all of us will take advantage of that class the next time we offer it. But nevertheless, let me attempt to summarize what the Bible teaches with six brief but key ideas about giving in light of the Master's will. 

Number one: Give to God first! Proverbs 3:9, 10 says: “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

If God has the 'first place' in our heart, then He should have the 'first place' in our weekly or monthly spending plan. Is your gift to God the first check you write? It should be.

Number two: Give to God regularly! Numbers 28:3 tells us about the offerings that God's people were directed to bring “day by day, as a regular offering”. The chapter goes on to instruct the people to bring gifts on the Sabbath, and others on a monthly basis, and others at different times throughout the year. 

Now, even though we are not under the Old Testament Law, I think we can see here that God was trying to teach His people about the importance of disciplined giving. This was not only to teach the people about cultivating a regular life of worship, but also so they could provide for the regular needs that existed among the priests and among the poor. We read, pray, and gathering regularly! Why not give? Are you giving to God on a regular basis? 

Number three: Give to God’s church! There are so many good causes out there, and so many good Christian causes. But Galatians 6:10 tells us, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” The “household of faith” is the church, and in the context it's clear Paul is talking about the local church. 

You see, there are three priorities on the Master's financial agenda. When money is given in the Bible, or we are instructed to give, these are the three priorities to which we give: 1) the support of the ministry (Ex. 25:1-8; 30:16; 35:21; Nu. 7; I Chron. 29:7; II Ki. 12:4-16), 2) the support of the minister (Lev. 18:1-8; Luke 10:7; I Cor. 9:6-14; Gal. 6:6; Phil. 4:15-18; II Thess. 3:9; I Tim. 5:17, 18), and 3) the support of the needy (e.g. poor, widows, etc.)(I Tim. 5:3; Eph. 4:28; Heb. 13:16; James 2:15, 16; I John 3:16-18). 

And when God's people in the New Testament gave toward these priorities, that giving was always to and through the local church. When we give to God first, and when we give regularly, we should give to the work that God is carrying out through the local church. According to God's word, the local church is the only organization through which God is carrying out His work of grace. That doesn't keep us from giving to other causes, it just makes the church our priority... because it's His priority. 

Number four: Give as God prospers you! When Paul gave instructions to the Corinthian church about the collection for poor he was taking up, he wrote this: “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” (I Corinthians 16:2) Concerning this same project, he would go on to tell the Corinthians in another letter that the Macedonian believers “gave according to their means” (II Corinthians 8:3).

These are indicators that God instructs us to give proportionally. Give in proportion to the way that God prospers you individually. What does that mean practically? Well, practically, it's going to mean something a little different for each person. But a good place to start is with what the Bible calls the “tithe”, that is, giving the first tenth of what God has given to you. 

Now, when it comes to percentages, let me stress that we always have to start with 100%, that is, God wants 100% of you. He wants you surrender everything to Him. But when we do that, we also discover that throughout the Bible, giving 10% was a very common practice. Abraham and Jacob gave God a tenth in the book of Genesis, well before the Law of Moses. The Law itself called the Israelites to give a tenth back to God. And Jesus said this to the Pharisees in Luke 11:42...

“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” (Luke 11:42)

Notice that Jesus didn't condemn the practice of tithing. He condemn the Pharisees' failure to walk in justice and love. Now let me be clear about this: I am not saying that giving God a tenth of your income is a biblical requirement. But it is clearly a biblical precedent, and it's a precedent we should take seriously when we think about giving “according to our means”. If you cannot give a tenth, that's okay. But give something regularly, and make giving a tenth your goal. AND as God prospers us in new ways, we should give in new ways, above and beyond that tithe. 

Number five: Give to God with joy! One of the reasons I said that giving a tenth is not a biblical requirement is because of the principle Paul shares in II Corinthians 9:7. He writes: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

You see, God wants to change you. He's not interested in filling His account with your money. He's interested in filling your heart with His joy. He wants to fill your heart with His heart. And when you have His heart, when you love what He loves, you will give to His priorities with joy.

Are you a “cheerful giver”? Or do you feel like God is prying the money out of your hands? What makes the real difference is the very thing our last point touches on.

Number six: Give to God in faith! Here's a well know verse from the Apostle Paul: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Did you know Paul said that while talking about money? The strength he describes in that verse is the strength that God provides to get us through any and every situation: times of plenty and times of need. That's why, in light of their monetary gift to him, Paul goes on to encourage the Philippians by writing in verse 19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) 

You see, we give to God with joy, and not fear, because we trust that when we give, God will provide for us. That doesn't mean that God will always give us money when we give money. But it does mean that He will always, always, always give us everything we need to be His faithful money manager. I like what the great Puritan writer John Bunyan said, “A man there was, though some did count him mad, the more he cast away the more he had.” 

Brothers and sisters, when it comes to our money, do we trust God? Isn't it interesting that right there on all our money it says “In God We Trust”? If this is true, of all people, it should be true of us. Do we trust God? Or is our money management influenced more by fear and selfishness and worldly priorities? God wants to train us to be His managers! Are we listening to His word? The word is very clear that everyone single one of us will give an account for every single cent we spend. Pretty sobering, isn't it.

But it all starts with the heart. It all starts with who you are serving. As Bob Dylan said, “your gonna have to serve somebody”. You were made to serve God. But only through faith in Jesus Christ can we find forgiveness from God, and a new heart to live for God. Only Jesus can make us faithful money managers. Let's pray and ask God to change us in light of these things.