After a discussion with a friend last night I went to bed and woke up at some point with another of my flags answered. I have never really understood what Jesus parable in Luke 16, refereed to as "the unrighteous steward" is about. Don't get me wrong I have heard plenty of people say it's easy, but none have satisfied me. Maybe others are too easily satisfied, maybe I am too fussy. But when I say what I think it is about I will explain why I think others have missed the point. Or maybe I have missed there point and we agree, but it has taken until now for me to get the concept!!
Here is the Parable:
"1Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2"And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3"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; I am ashamed to beg. 4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5"And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6"And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And 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?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8"And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11"Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12"And if you have not been faithful in the use of 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 else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
14Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. 15And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.
16"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17"But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
18"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery." Luke 16:1-18 (NASB)
Let's do a basic break down. Is Jesus making a comparison between the steward and the Christian or a contrast? Clearly when Jesus says, "the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light." Verse 8, He is making a contrast.
So, if Jesus is making a contrast, but comparing the way the unrighteous man used His masters wealth and us then how does that make sense?
The clue is simply in the "unrighteous wealth." We are to make friends for ourselves using unrighteous wealth. What is "unrighteous wealth?" The wealth of unrighteousness is that which is produced by the unrighteous. The things of this world that are not for those who no longer belong to this world. There are things in this world that Christians should not approve.
There is another verse which has long been a favourite of mine, "those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away." I Cor 7:31 (NIV)
There are things in this world which we are free to use, but not so as to get engrossed.
Let me give you a couple of example situations, let's say that someone who was into Satanic Porn was converted. That person has some DVDs. They repent of what they did and want to get rid of their DVDs. Are they free to sell them? After all those other people would not be Christians so what does it matter? But they would be perpetuating and promoting Satanic Porn! So they would not be shred in their use of unrighteous wealth to use it to make money.
Jesus specifically said that we should use this wealth of unrighteousness to make friends. We know we are free to use it, but so as we get engrossed. I know the above example would frighten the life out of some, so let's make it less extreme. The kid's in the neighbourhood are mad on Harry Potter, they can't get enough. So your church runs a "Harry Potter and the Gospel" meeting for them. They are intrigued so they come to watch. The preacher shows favourite clips and give readings from Harry Potter, and uses them to cunningly portray the truths of the gospel. He lays it on heavy and gives an alter call at the end. Now, any who go forward are friends who have been won by the use of the wealth of unrighteousness.
I get the point about why certain evangelists use this stuff to win people. If only their congregations didn't take it as endorsement of the product and equally others be horrified that they are "Showing Harry Potter in Church!!"
Where I think others have missed the point is that they don't see that anything in this world is "off limits" to the new nature. If we are to put of the old nature, surely that includes the stuff the old nature generates and therefore can only feed our old nature. We are supposed to be starving our old natures to death. But we all too readily feed them. It is painful at times but then death usually is! What is hard is doing it in a way that is by your own conscience and not bu the conscience of others. I have given up trying to weigh up what I can and can't do based on what others say. There are Christian film reviewers who tell you whether something is suitable! There is only one criteria for me, is the spirit behind it the spirit of the world or the spirit of God? There are only two! People tend to think there is God's spirit, the devil and then us in the middle. Here are two passages that show no distinction between how Jesus saw the devil and fallen humanity:
"42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. 43"Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. 44"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:42-44
"23But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s."" Matthew 16:23 Notice how Jesus uses "Satan" and "Man" interchangably.
There are only two natures and only two spirits. The old nature and the new nature, the world's spirit and God's Spirit. That is what some call black and white, but thankfully they accuse Jesus of that!
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6 comments:
I think I'm following you. (I've been a bit foggy the past few days).
Just to be clear, would you say your example of the Harry Potter outreach is an example of using unrighteous wealth in a righteous way? I think that's what you're saying.
And the example of just giving away the satanic porn (i'd never heard of that before!) is an example of using unrighteous wealth in a non-righteous way?
The passage of the unrighteous steward has always confused me. It makes much more sense to me the way you've explained it.
But let me know if I've missed your point.
Hi Alice, Thanks I am glad it has made it a bit clearer!
Yes that is what I am saying, although I was making the point of selling "Satanic Porn" rather than giving it away. I made up the name, I just wanted something that wasn't likely to be on any Christian readers DVD shelves so as to keep it objective for a while. If I said, "James Bond" the likely menatal reaction would be to leave saying, "How can he have a go at James Bond? That's just too much!!"
I was in that situation when we got the "revelation" I had five black sacks full of dvds and cds. These are things that resell very easily here. I had to make the decision, do I sell this stuff and make some money out of it or just chuch as rubbish? I couldn't see that I was just perpetuating the stuff. I suppose I could argue that unsaved people are allowed to marry unsaved people therefore unsaved people are allowed to watch what they like, I mean they are heading for the lake of fire, why deprive them of a good deal on movie in the waiting room?! (Sorry I'm not really that cynical!)
But if I wouldn't make a film about fornication, say, then why would I sell one? My conscience told be to chuck it, even though my old nature was crying over the waist of a good money making oportunity! Funny I am not usually that bothered about money making oportunities, is that the devil trying to tempt me?
A good example is Paul. He used things like the Greek games as examples of Spiritual truths he was trying to get across. Did that mean he went to the Greek games? That would be unlikely. The Greek games, as the olympics is now, were dedicated to the Greek gods. They were all about the Greek religion. They were practically religious event. Paul told the Corinthians off for keep going back to the old temples, so it would hardly be fitting for him to go to a Greek games as a keen spectator. But He was free to use them as an example. There is the more famous example of Paul using the shrine to the unknown GOd in Athens, some people talk about that as if he was into multi faith worship! He was using what they understood and the language they used to communicate the gosple to them.
Hope that clears it up, at least makes a little less foggy!
I was just rereading my last comment and it didn't make much sense to me with the miss types! Please forgive me!
By the way, I was typing so fast, the olympic games aren't dedicated to greek gods, but if you watch the openning cerimony there is a lot of mention of the olympic spirit and so on.
Another example that came to me is when Paul had Timothy circumcised. After what Paul had written in Galatians you would think that circumcision for the Christian was on a par with the Corinthians going back to the temple prostitutes.
There is a vicar I know who is so wishy washy in his own thinking and judges the word as if it were how he thinks, says this is a clear indication that the word is not that concrete about the truth. As if to say, one minute Paul is wanting people to castrate themselves and the next decides its quite a good thing really.
But clearly Paul was taking Timothy into a region where the people would not talk to, eat with or listen to anyone who wasn't circumcised. Therefore for the sake of the spread of the Gosple, and not for Timothy's own sanctification, Paul has him circumcised.
This would be the same as a preacher berating his congregation for watching worldly tv and then using it in his own evangelistic mission. It would be very confussing, but the difference is he is using it and not getting engrossed in it!
Yes, in order to be able to affect (or effect) the culture, you have to be a part of the culture, enter into it in some way.
Paul said he would be all things to all men in order to win them to Christ.
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