Dealing with your generation
Luke 16:1-9: The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
1He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3And 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, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.
I’ve been looking for this verse for 6 months. It finally appeared in today’s Bible read through. While the parable does not teach that we should steal from our employers when we know we are going to be fired, it does teach a principle that is very true today. I know that I’m applying a sterotype, but Christians can be so naive and irrelevant when trying to communicate to non-Christians. Among other things, this parable teaches that Christians should understand the world and know how to “speak the language.”
That’s one reason that I really like Mo Leverett and Desire Street Ministries of New Orleans (now relocated to the panhandle of Florida). Mo didn’t move to New Orleans and stand on a street corner and scream the gospel at people. He didn’t work to establish a traditional church with traditional services. He moved to the neighborhood and “became one of them.” He teaches at the local high school. He works to provide for the physical needs of the children and families. He helps them with their education and encourages college. AND he tells them about Christ. He “shrewdly” meets the physical and emotional needs of the poor people in the Desire community, all the while demonstrating and living the gospel. While Mo is smart to “speak the language” of the people and deal shrewdly with them, this is really love! He loves the people of desire. He wants to see long-lasting marriages, healthy children, educated children, and college-bound teenagers.
While I absolutely think that Christians should be creative, wise, and shrewd when ministering to the world, above all we should love! We should want to see our non-Christian friends succeed, have great friends, successful marriages, smart children, and changed by the gospel.
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing…. 13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 13
Rob, I don’t think I remember that parable. Totally agree with what you say about meeting physical and emotional needs, meeting the people where they are, not that we change the message, but everyone knows what love looks like in any culture. Have you seen End of the Spear yet? The missionaries in that film really live out what you were talking about in the above. I would be interested to hear what you and Marie have to say about it, it is pretty violent, not for small children. Check out my post for today, really funny.
I did see End of the Spear. Marie didn’t want to see it…too emotionally draining. But yes, I agree that the missionaries in the movie demonstrate true Christian love and definately self-sacrifice. It killed me when Nate Saint said, “Son, these people aren’t ready for heaven, we are.” Talk about a perspective adjustment; he was willing to sacrifice everything to further God’s kingdom.
Although, it’s hard for me to say they were “shrewd” with the Moipa. This isn’t a criticism, but an observation.