Luke 15 – 16

Verse 15:7 gives us some insight to God’s heart:

This is how it is in heaven. They’re happier over one sinner who changes his way of life than they are over 99 good and just people who don’t need to change their ways of life.

Jesus goes through a series of parables to drive this point home. One is about a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son. Notice how it escalates in value as he moves from one story to the other. The key we need to take is God is not unhappy with us who diligently follow, but is excited when a lost one is saved. Once he was excited for our salvation or return to the Way.

We just need to watch our jealously about special treatment one may get for leading a lascivious life. We need to make sure we are not the older brother and instead join in the celebration. Jesus used the older brother and did not finish his story because he was putting the Pharisees into the older brother’s position to see what they would do. Put yourself into his shoes and think about what you would really do in your heart. Would your response be jealously or joy?

Verse 16:8 is a parable I still don’t fully understand:

When the manager’s boss realized what he had done, he congratulated him for at least being clever. That’s how it is: those attuned to this evil age are more clever in dealing with their affairs than the enlightened are in dealing with their affairs!

Here the manager was stealing from him and yet when he negotiates down the debt others owe him, he is happy. I don’t get what the point really is here. It almost seems like it ok to do as you wish. If someone owed me $50 I would not want someone else to negotiate that down to $20 without my knowledge. Sure I am forgive it entirely, it’s not someone else’s decision. Hence why I don’t get the story.

In this story you have an unsavory character who is about to lose his job and he negotiates his masters debt to ensure HE had a place to go afterwards. The master recognized this unsavory manner and commends his actions.

Verse 16:9 clears this story up a bit:

Learn some lessons from this crooked but clever asset manager. Realize that the purpose of money is to strengthen friendships, to provide opportunities for being generous and kind. Eventually money will be useless to you—but if you use it generously to serve others, you will be welcomed joyfully into your eternal destination.

First, we are to use money that we have been entrusted to make friends not for our own pleasures. In this we will be showing people the love of Jesus! It still is an odd story, but we need to remember it’s not our money and to do good with helping others. In the process it will help us in a time of need.