Luke 16:9 "And Jesus went on to say, "And so I tell you: make friends for yourselves with worldly wealth, so that when it gives out, you will be welcomed in the eternal home." (GNB)

Happy Sabbath!

This was a hard parable to write on. I spent hours studying different commentaries, sermons, and talking with a minister on the topic. It looks like it goes against the teachings of Jesus, but since Jesus told this parable, we know that there must be another way of looking at it, than what our first impressions of it are.

This parable starts out with a rich man being informed that his manager or accountant was wasting the man's money. The fact that someone would inform the rich man tells us that the man was liked by others. He was like enough that someone wanted to let him know of this problem. So the rich man confronted his manager about the issue and asked him to turn in a complete account of the of the way the manager had been handling things. Realizing that he may lose his job the manager plans ahead. He figures if he does kind things to people who are in debt to the rich man, those people may allow him into their houses. So he goes around and reduces the people's debts. This action causes the people to not only like the manager, but it would also make the rich man look good since they would think the manager was acting under the orders of the rich man. Even though his actions were done without the consent of the rich man, the rich man praised the manager for his wise actions. Then Jesus says a strange comment.

"for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light." Another version says it this way,

"For worldly people are more clever than enlightened people in dealing with their own generation. " Let's look at one more version for this comment.

"Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits."

There is truth in those statements. People who are out for themselves know the tricks to get ahead. They know how to attract people to them, how to make money, but all of it is done for their own self-satisfaction. The next statement Jesus makes seems even more confusing. He said, "And I say to you, Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves, so that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings." Let's look at that in another version. "And I say to you, Make friends for yourselves through the wealth of this life, so that when it comes to an end, you may be taken into the eternal resting-places."

I suspect that what Jesus is saying here is to become as wise in handling money as the worldly people are and to not be afraid to be friends of the wealthy nor to shun wealth, but to use it to reach out to our neighbors, communities, or other countries. Use the wealth to spread the Gospel, so that by telling others about Jesus we will be taken up to Heaven when this world comes to an end. By being as wise as the worldly does not mean we take advantage or stomp on others to get what we want. Remember Jesus also said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16"

By being wise stewards, finding ways to save or make money for the sake of getting the Gospel out, and by reaching out to others a place will be made for us in Heaven. The amount of energy we use to get money for earthly trinkets, and our personal self-seeking pleasures, would be so much more profitable if we turned that energy into making money for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus and our salvation through Him and His death on the cross.

" Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven. But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven." Matthew 10:32-33

Have a Happy Sabbath!