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.