Parables -
Parables of the Shrewd Manager
Luke 16:1-13
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Small things — big difference — Do not despise the day of small things. Steve Jobs became one of the greatest technological innovators who has ever lived. His inventions, including the iPhone and the iPad, have changed how we live. Steve Jobs had an initial exposure to computers. Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player ever. Once upon a time, Michael Jordan took his first dribble and his first shot. Evgeny Kissin is one of the great pianists of our time. One day his fingers touched the piano keys for a first time.
Do not despise the day of small things. It is the small things that can help you build a strong relationship with your spouse. A simple compliment and a small touch can make a big difference. Simply saying, “Thank you”, “I love you”, “I am proud of you”, and “I appreciate you”, can be huge building blocks in a marriage relationship.
Do not despise the day of small things. Look what Jesus started with a small beginning. John 1 is a record of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry from an eyewitness account. Jesus’ ministry started with the calling of Andrew, Peter, John, James, Philip and Nathanael. This marked the beginning of a huge, lasting movement. There was not a huge public display to mark the launch of Jesus’ ministry. There was not a big fireworks show to kick everything off. It was simply willingness on the part of others to follow Jesus when He called them.
Do not despise the day of small things. We want to do great things in the kingdom for God. We want to serve in big ways. We want to be a part of something that is big and grand and memorable. Remember…it’s the small things that can make a big difference. Listen to Jesus’ words in Luke 16:10, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much….” Small opportunities may be turned into great blessings. Take time to do the small things in your spiritual walk. Read your Bible every day. Pray continually. Write a note of encouragement to someone who is sick, shut-in, or struggling spiritually. Take a few minutes to walk across the street and invite your neighbors to worship. Express thanks to your elders and Bible class teachers. Be faithful to God today. Do not despise the day of small things. It is the small things that can make a big difference.
Opening Questions — Get Us Thinking:
· How much money is enough?
· What does it mean to be Shrewd
· Name specific evidence that money has so distorted our society’s sense of values that it causes people to do senseless things.
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager— Luke 16:1-13
Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? 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.’
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
“ ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“ ‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
“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. 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 servant can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.”
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.
· What is the main point of this parable? (v. 9) Jesus summary.
Research Questions — “Dig Deeper” to find God’s Will
1. Why would it be important for Jesus’ disciples to hear this parable?
2. In what crisis does the manager find himself? What plan does he devise?
3. In light of this scheme, why does the owner commend the manager? (v. 8)
4. What is Jesus not commending about this manager?
5. What is Jesus commending about this “shrewd,” “dishonest” waster of his employer’s possessions? (vv. 10-12)
6. What’s the problem with trying to serve two masters (v. 13)
7. What characterizes the attitude of the Pharisees? (v. 14) How does the parable speak to them?
8. Name a specific way you have seen the awesome power of money dominate and destroy human lives.
9. Why is it difficult to use money without being enslaved by it?
10. What are the differences between true riches and false riches?
Reflective Questions — Live it today.
1. As we look at our finances to evaluate our spirituality, what signs of danger should we look for?
2. What signs of health should we look for?
3. Why do most people have such a difficult time giving liberally to God and others?
4. How does “giving” free us from the destructive power of money?
5. When you hold a large sum of cash in your hand, what emotions do you feel? Be honest.
6. Tell of a spiritual weapon that you use to keep God, not money, king of your life?
7. What attitude would you have to change to be really happy?
I am called to make the most of what God has given me. So how I handle the money that passes through my control on the earth is an accurate barometer of my faith. Do I serve the God almighty or the “Almighty Dollar”?
