By Samuel E. Ward Part 3: Jesus' Journey to Heaven by Way of Jerusalem Luke 16 Introduction The story is told of a wealthy old miser that visited a rabbi who took him by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said, pointing to the street. "What do you see?" "I see men and women and little children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and led him to the mirror and said, "What do you see now?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied. Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, but the glass of the mirror is covered with silver, and no sooner is the silver added then you fail to see others but see only yourself." If you see self and all the respect and honor others ought to give you, you are on dangerous ground. You won't be able to see others if self is in the image you hold in front of you.[i] The pursuit of material wealth has a tendency to distort one's vision of what is truly important. Billy Graham once observed that he had never seen a hearse towing a U Haul trailer behind it. Benjamin Franklin is once credited with asking, "If your wealth is yours, why don't you get take it with you when you die?" Jesus' teachings in this chapter are designed to inform us of the futility of amassing wealth as a reason to live. There are consequences to such pursuits that outlive one's life on earth, as we shall see in the "Parable of the Shrewd Manager" and the story of "The Rich Man and Lazarus." XXI. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, Luke 16 A. The Parable Narrative Offered to the Disciples: From Accusation to Approval, Luke 16:1-8a
Luke 16:1-2 (NIV) (1) Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. (2) 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.'" 2. The hour of anxiety, Luke 16:3
3. The minute of decision, Luke 16:4 Luke 16:4 (NIV) (4) "'I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'" 4. The time of action, Luke 16:5-7 Luke 16:5-7 (NIV) (5) "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' (6) 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' (7) 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.'" a. The value of the debt owed · For the first man it was 850 gallons of olive oil, the yield of about 150 trees and worth the pay of a laborer for 1,000 days (just under $100,000 in American dollars in 2008). The debt forgiven was worth about $50,000. · For the second man it was a 1,000 bushels of wheat of, the yield of about 100 acres of land and worth the pay of a laborer for 2,500 days (just under $250,000 in American dollars in 2008). The debt forgiven was also about $50,000. b. The true victim of the losses depends upon whether the debts forgiven came from commissions or interest charged to the growers above that which the master had approved or represented profits which belonged to the master. The reaction of the master with approval toward the manager seems to indicate the former, but certainty cannot be claimed. There is wide disagreement even among scholars. 5. The master's instantaneous approval, Luke 16:8a Luke 16:8a (NIV) (8a) "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly." This may be the biblical application of a modern proverb, "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade." In losing one job, the manager had shrewdly found a way to obligate the debtors to himself and perhaps influence one of them to make a place for him on his staff. To many business people, the very nature of business is shrewdness and they appreciate it when they see it. That appears to be what the master saw in his former manager. B. The Parable Lessons Explained to the Disciples, Luke 16:8b-13 We cannot hope to deal satisfactorily with the question of whether Jesus was condoning a dishonest act on the part of the manager by commending his shrewdness. It is possible that his dishonesty did not lie in his shrewd dealings with the debtors as much as wasting his master's possessions. We will rather focus upon what Jesus intended to be learned from this parable. 1. It is better to gain eternal friends than temporal riches, Luke 16:8b-10. a. Even the people of the world know that money is a tool to be used and not hoarded for its own sake (You can't take it with you!), Luke 16:8b. Luke 16:8b (NIV) (8b) "For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light." b. The people of God are to use money to gather friends for eternity. These you can take with you, Luke 16:9.
This verse is a challenge to interpret. Who are the "friends" and what part do they play in welcoming us into "eternal dwellings"? The answer may lie in first noting the objective of making friends (so that we might be welcomed into eternal dwellings). What other eternal dwellings are there to be welcomed into other than the eternal abode with God. Furthermore, it is not the friends who have the influence to give us a place in eternal dwellings; it is God. Consider the fact that Jesus' preaching on His way to Jerusalem has been all about making friends for the kingdom of God. Our "friends" do not get us into the eternal dwellings, but our God who is blessed by our participation in bringing "friends" into the kingdom of God does. It is those who are obedient to the Great Commission by making friends for the kingdom who are welcomed into eternal dwellings. What better use of our resources is there than to invest them not in gaining more money, but in gaining more souls for the kingdom of God? One can have material riches with God and invest it in laying up treasures in heaven and be a tremendous blessing. One can have material riches without God and lay up for himself only more material riches for this earth and die in spiritual poverty with no home in the eternal dwellings. 2. It is better to serve God than money, Luke 16:10-12. a. God's measure of a person's integrity, Luke 16:10
b. God's criterion for entrusting true riches to people, Luke 16:11-12
3. It is a decision everyone must make for themselves concerning God or Money, Luke 16:13.
C. The Parable and its Lessons Are Lost to the Pharisees, Luke 16:14-18 1. Because Jesus' was a fool to them, Luke 16:14.
2. Because they were guided by their own rules rather than God's laws, Luke 16:15-18. Characteristic features of their rules: a. Their values were misplaced, being self-centered rather than God-centered, Luke 16:15. Luke 16:15 (NIV) (15) 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." b. Their rules were misdirected, being rationalizations for their own desires rather than reflective of God's will, Luke 16:16-17. Luke 16:16-17 (NIV) (16) "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. (17) It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law." c. Their view of divorce was misinformed, being skewed to their own whims rather than determined by God's Word, Luke 16:18.
D. The Parable and Its Most Serious Lesson, Luke 16:19-31 Though this might be the introduction of a new parable, it could just as well a true story Jesus uses to illustrate what happens if a person does not get the point of the previous parable. 1. It's a tale contrasting two men, Luke 16:19-21.
2. It's a tale contrasting two destinations and two experiences, Luke 16:22- 23.
3. It's a tale of unending agony, Luke 16:24-31. a. The cry for mercy was too late, Luke 16:24.
b. The choices had already been made, Luke 16:25.
c. The consequences were irreversible, Luke 16:26.
d. The call for warnings to his family unheeded, Luke 16:27-28, 30. Luke 16:27-28 (NIV) (27) "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, (28) for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'"
e. The cause for denial given, Luke 16:29, 31. Luke 16:29 (NIV) (29) "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'" Luke 16:31 (NIV) (31) "'He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" To be like Jesus . . . A. We must be willing to lay aside the pursuit of riches for the spiritual enrichment of others by sharing the gospel of Christ, Phil 2:4-9. Philippians 2:4-9 (NIV) (4) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (5) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: (6) Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, (7) but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (8) And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! (9) Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name. B. We must be guided by God's Word rather than our personal desires. It is so easy to justify our desires to ourselves and end up at odds with God's truth, John 6:38. John 6:38 (NIV) (38) For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. C. We must live with "eternity's values in view," Heb 12:2.
[i] --Illustrations of Bible Truths, Compiled by Ruth Peters, Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2005, QuickVerse. All rights reserved |
Pastor Sam's Sermon Notes
Posts
Comments
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Jesus: O to Be Like Thee
