jesus parables about money

JESUS’ PARABLES ABOUT MONEY

FFinancial planning is a growing profession. As life-

spans lengthen because ofadvances in healthcare, many will seek counsel to plan for futureneeds and to manage against thelikelihood of shrinking resources.

The best financial plan,however, can fail for lack of thekind of wisdom found in Jesus’parables about money. Apart froman understanding of the values our hearts were made for, all of our efforts to provide for thefuture will ultimately fail.

In this excerpt of The Parables:Understanding What Jesus Meant,Discovery House author Gary Inriglooks at the teaching of Jesus inthree stories about money. We may need other financial plannersto help us anticipate tax breaksand retirement benefits, but we will never find anyone with morewisdom and concern for our ownwell-being than Jesus, our DivinePlanner.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: Getty ImagesScripture quotations are from the New International Version, © 1973, 1978, 1984, by theInternational Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers.This booklet is based on a portion of The Parables: Understanding What Jesus Meant by Gary Inrigpublished by Discovery House Publishers, a non-profit affiliate of RBC Ministries.© 1998,2003 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

The Art Of Accumulation . . . . . . . . . 2

The Parable Of The Rich Fool . . . . . . . . 3

The Parable Of The Shrewd Manager . . 12

The Parable Of The Complaining Workers . . . . . . . . . . . 23

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

THE ART OFACCUMULATION

TThe 1980s willprobably go down in American history

as “the decade of theyuppies.” Much as anearlier era chanted, “Youcan have it all,” the yuppieslogan became, “Youshould have it all.” Theearly part of the decade wasmarked by acquisition andconsumption. Economicdownturns later shifted theemphasis from the pursuitof “more” to the pursuit ofsecurity. But materialismreigned supreme—and itwas not confined toyuppies.

A study of contemporaryAmerican youth by theCooperative ResearchProgram in 1988 concluded that “they are overwhelminglymaterialistic; interested more than ever primarily in making money” (Trinity

Journal, Fall 1988, p.216). Abreed of preachers baptizedthis impulse into a “health,wealth, and prosperity”theology, epitomized by onepreacher’s question, “If theMafia can ride around inLincoln Continental towncars, why can’t the King’skids?”

Babyboomers did not invent the pursuit of possessions, althoughthey certainly have refinedthe art. And the decade of the nineties was notcharacterized by any radicalturning from materialism.We have been nurtured in a society that seduces withthe promise of affluenceand measures worth on thebasis of possessions andpositions. There is nothinginherently wrong withprofessional success,financial security, orpersonal prosperity. But at some point, a follower of Jesus Christ crosses theline into enemy territory.

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THE PARABLEOF THE RICHFOOL

TThe Lord once told agroup of Pharisees,described as people

“who loved money,” that“what is highly valuedamong men is detestable in God’s sight” (Lk. 16:15).Undoubtedly, we value thefruits of being well-to-doand successful. Could it bethat Jesus detests what weaspire to? He has a verypainful way of probing thecentral nervous system ofour lives. In the parable ofthe rich fool (Lk. 12:13-21),Jesus forces all of us to facesome searching questionsabout ourselves.

JESUS PROBES THE HEARTAs Jesus moved towardJerusalem, huge crowds weredrawn to Him. Luke tells usthat “a crowd of manythousands had gathered, so

that they were trampling onone another” (Lk. 12:1). Atthe same time, His enemieshad begun “to oppose Himfiercely and to besiege Himwith questions, waiting tocatch Him in something Hemight say” (11:53-54). Inthat context of popularacclaim and deep hostility,the Lord called His disciplesto bold and fearless witnesson His behalf (12:1-3).

One of the men in thecrowd had little interest in such matters. He hadcome with a family problemthat was related to aninheritance. Apparently he was the younger of twobrothers. According to Jewishlaw, his older brother wouldhave been both the executorof the estate and the largestrecipient of the inheritanceand would usually have triedto maintain the estate intact.But that wasn’t the youngerbrother’s plan. He wantedmoney of his own to use as he pleased.

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Since it was common tobring disputed points of thelaw to an accredited rabbi,he blurted out his concernto Jesus: “Teacher, tell mybrother to divide theinheritance with me” (v.13).His words are revealing. Hedoesn’t ask the Lord to makea judgment, but to side withhim to provide ammunitionagainst his brother. Likemany since his time, hewanted to use Jesus to meethis monetary desires.

The Lord refused to be drawn into such a role:“Man, who appointed Me ajudge or an arbiter betweenyou?” (v.14). Jesus had no legal standing as anaccredited rabbi to beinvolved in such cases. Butmore important, such a taskwas not part of His divinemission. As Leon Morrisobserves, “He came to bringmen to God, not property toman” (The Gospel AccordingTo St. Luke, p.212).

That is an important truth

to embrace when some teachus that believers can andshould expect the Lord toprovide physical well-beingand prosperity. Even if thisman was being wronged byhis brother, getting his rightsmay not have been best forhim. There is a deeper issueinvolved, and a greaterdanger than being cheatedout of one’s inheritance.

It is that danger the Lord had in mind when He turned from the man tothe multitudes (“to them”):“Watch out! Be on yourguard against all kinds ofgreed; a man’s life does notconsist in the abundance ofhis possessions” (v.15).

The initial words,“Watch out! Be on yourguard!” put the Lord’smessage in neon lights. Thisis not an abstract possibilityor a theoretical concern.What Jesus had in view wasnot just a sin, but a serious,yet subtle, sin. Some sinsare clear and recognizable,

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and evangelicals are quickto label them as evil andcondemn participation inthem. Rarely do we seegreed as a horrific sin. Butremarkably, Jesus neverwarned about adultery anddrunkenness in the kind ofdramatic terms He usedhere against covetousness.

The term greed meanssimply “a consuming desireto have more.” It has thenuance of a grasping formore, a lust to acquire. It is the very opposite of the contentment thataccompanies true godliness(1 Tim. 6:6). Someone onceasked John D. Rockefellerhow much money wasenough. “One dollar more,”he replied. The beast ofgreed is never full. It isinsatiable.

We miss the point,however, if we seecovetousness as an issue ofamount not attitude. Thepoorest can be greedy; therichest can avoid greed. But

the danger of possessions isthat they often arouse thedesire for more.

Ivan Boesky, who went toprison and paid a fine of$100 million for insidertrading was, a few yearsearlier, the darling of WallStreet. During that time hedeclared at a graduationceremony at a majoruniversity, “Greed is allright. I want you to know Ithink greed is healthy. Youcan be greedy and still feelgood about yourself.” AsNewsweek later commented,“The strangest thing whenwe look back will not be justthat Ivan Boesky could saythat at a business schoolgraduation, but that it wasgreeted with laughter andapplause” (Dec. 1, 1986).

But greed is no laughingmatter. It is, in fact, idolatry(Col. 3:5). The Lord left nodoubt when He said, “Aman’s life does not consistin the abundance of hispossessions” (Lk. 12:15).

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God alone is the source oflife; God alone controls life;God alone gives life.

JESUS PORTRAYSTHE PROBLEMThe Lord was not content togive us an abstract warning.In the parable of the richfool, He introduced us to a first-century yuppie.

He told them this parable:“The ground of a certainrich man produced a goodcrop. He thought tohimself, ‘What shall I do?I have no place to storemy crops.’ Then he said,‘This is what I’ll do. I willtear down my barns andbuild bigger ones, andthere I will store all mygrain and my goods. AndI’ll say to myself, “Youhave plenty of good thingslaid up for many years.Take life easy; eat, drink,and be merry.” ’ But Godsaid to him, ‘You fool!This very night your lifewill be demanded from

you. Then who will getwhat you have preparedfor yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things forhimself but is not richtoward God.”Wealth often begets

wealth, and his wealthenabled him to possess landthat produced a bumpercrop. There seems to be nocriticism intended by the factof his wealth, his manner ofacquiring it, or its increase.What is decisive is what hechose to do with it. Eventhen, it was not his actionsso much as his assumptionsthat were crucial. Given his values, building biggerbarns was a wise, pragmaticdecision. Yet that is preciselythe question: What were hisvalues?

We can summarize hisview of life with severalphrases that echo throughthe years:

• “If I’m not good tomyself, who will be?”

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• “Success withpossessions showsI’m a success as aperson.”

• “The bigger the barn(or car or house), thebetter the life.”

• “If money can’t buyhappiness, it can atleast buy pleasureand security.”

But in a moment, hisbubble burst. God passedsentence not only on the richfool but on every life that isbased on covetousness: “Youfool! This very night your lifewill be demanded from you.Then who will get what youhave prepared for yourself?”The Lord’s diagnosis wasunrelenting in its honestyand revealing in its insights.Three things stand out.

1. He was a fool,not a success. Almostcertainly, in the community’seyes, he was a man to beenvied. In God’s eyes, hewas a fool to be pitied. Theterm fool in biblical language

is not a description ofmental ability but ofspiritual discernment. In theOld Testament language ofPsalms and Proverbs, a foolis an individual who makeschoices as if God doesn’texist and who lives as if Godhasn’t spoken. Eleven timesover, we hear “I” and “my”in this man’s words. For allintents and purposes, Goddoes not exist.

2. He was a servant,not a master. The richman was convinced that hewas in control of his life andthat wealth gave him control.But God’s words to himmade it clear that he had no power over the present:“This very night your life willbe demanded from you.”The word demanded was a commercial term, used of a loan. At this crisis point he discovered a truth thateveryone learns sooner orlater: God owns life, and Hemerely loans our earthlyexistence to us. At any time

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He can call in His loan. The fool also had no

power over the future: “Who will get what youhave prepared for yourself?”As the writer of Ecclesiasteslamented, “I must leave [my wealth] to the one whocomes after me. And whoknows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?” (Eccl. 2:18-19).

3. He was a pauper,not a rich man. In themoment of truth, thewealthy farmer realized thathe had worked so hard forso little. He had invested in the passing, not in thepermanent. What makesdeath hard is the evaluationof what we lose by it. Thiswas a man who was leavingeverything behind—thebarns he had built, thepeople he had controlled,the prestige he hadacquired. Death strippedhim bare and revealed himfor who he was, a man who“stores up things for himself

but is not rich toward God” (v.21).

That last statementshould force each of us toask ourselves, “Am I a foolin God’s eyes? What labelwould He attach to mylife?” The following wordsspoken by Jim Elliot meritcareful consideration: “Heis no fool who gives whathe cannot keep to gainwhat he cannot lose.”

There is another type offoolishness the Lord wantsus to recognize. He hasdescribed in the parable the folly that says, “Goddoesn’t matter” and “I can’tget enough.” The power ofpossessions is that they giveus a feeling of control. Butdisciples face another folly,the folly that says “Goddoesn’t care.” We aretempted to believe that if we follow the Lord,renouncing all ourpossessions, we may not have enough.

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JESUS PRESENTSTHE ALTERNATIVE Luke made it clear that verses 22-34 were addressednot to the crowd but to the disciples. There is animplication here that worry isone of the besetting sins ofChrist-followers. The reasonis not hard to discover. Theterms of discipleship aredemanding. To obey the callis to trust Christ completely,but what are the implicationsof that obedience? Financialquestions loom large. If I say goodbye to all mypossessions, will the Lordreally meet my needs? Myhead assures me that He will,but my heart is not quite so certain. The writer ofProverbs put it this way: “An anxious heart weighs aman down” (Prov. 12:25).Physically, this is so. Assomeone has observed,people get ulcers not so muchfrom what they eat as fromwhat eats them. Anxiety alsosteals emotional peace and

removes spiritual assurance.Telling us not to worry

isn’t very helpful. People who tell us that usually seem either unrealistic,uninformed, or patronizing.The Lord forces us to thinkabout why we are not toworry. First, He said thatworry is foolish (Lk. 12:22-24). It is falling into the follyof the rich fool who believedthat his life consisted of hispossessions. But life is morethan food and clothes, andGod has promised us that Hewill care for us, much moreso than He does for Hiscreatures, the birds. To worryis foolishly to forget that weare God’s valued childrenand He is our loving Father.

Second, worry is futile(12:25-28). Worry canshorten life, but it can’tlengthen it—and God whogives beauty to the fields willnot strip us bare. Anxietydenies the care of God—and all to no effect. So thealternative is not to be “care-

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less” but “trust-full.” A littlebit of reflection helps us torecognize that most worry isabout things that can’t bechanged (the past), thingsthat can’t be controlled (thepresent), or things that mightnot happen (the future).How much better to entrustourselves to our God!

Third, worry is faithless(12:29-31). To be absorbedwith physical and personalneeds is ultimately to becaptured by unbelief. If thegospel is really true, ourlives should be differentqualitatively from the livesof pagans.

In his book Run Today’sRace, Oswald Chambersobserves that “all of our fretand worry is caused bycalculating without God.”Worry is the product of aninadequate understanding ofour Father. He is the Onewho knows, cares, and acts.The way we look at Goddetermines the way we willlook at life, and this will

determine what we worryabout.

Our great need is toworry about the right thing.What is that? “Seek Hiskingdom.” We do not refrainfrom worrying. We replaceconcern about secondarythings with concern aboutthe primary thing. Only Hiskingdom is worthy of ourultimate concern.

The Siamese twin ofanxiety is fear, and the Lordaddressed fear in verses 32-34. He told us to take drasticaction with our financialresources and personalpossessions. We are not tograsp them or trust them. Weare rather to dispose of themby investing them eternally.In fact, the only way we cantruly protect our treasures isto invest them in heaven.Our hearts follow ourtreasure, and if our treasureis in heaven, so will ourhearts be. As David Goodingwrites, “Heaven is scarcely areality to a man who is not

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prepared to invest hard cash in it and in its interests;but by that same token itbecomes more of a reality tothe man who is” (AccordingTo Luke, p.241).

The crucial issue in life is not the amount of ourtreasure but the location ofit. The rich man’s treasureswere on earth. He was a foolbecause he built his lifearound what couldn’t lastand what really didn’tmatter. Our call as a discipleis to be rich toward God andto have a treasure in heaventhat will not be exhausted.D. L. Moody once said, “Itdoes not take long to tellwhere a man’s treasure is. Ina 15-minute conversationwith most men, you can tellwhether their treasures areon earth or in heaven.”

No one wants to becalled a fool by God. Howdo we make sure thatdoesn’t happen? We canchoose limits, not luxury, soour treasure can be invested

in heaven. We can cultivate compassion, not greed. Most of all, wecan pursue confidence inGod, not money.

The slogan “In God We Trust” is printed on ourAmerican currency. Finewords—but do we trust Godon our money or with ourmoney? Writing of his slim

financial resources in a timeof escalating needs, a friendsaid, “If we find ourselvessinking, we will not cry‘uncle.’ Instead, we will cryout ‘Father’ to the One whoknows all our needs andpossesses all resources.”Such a person has learnedthe wisdom of God.

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Does the slogan “In God We Trust”mean that we trustGod on our moneyor with our money?


THE PARABLEOF THE SHREWDMANAGER

OOne of the mostcommon features

of our Lord’sparables is their shockvalue. They surprise andstartle. The “heroes” are themost unexpected people.That is particularly true of the parable of theunrighteous steward (Lk.16:1-13). It is a story thathas stirred controversy anddebate among interpreters.But despite the questions ithas raised, it confronts uswith an essential truthabout life as a disciple. The parable is given first inverses 1-8 and is followedby the Lord’s elaboration ofthe principles the story isintended to teach.

JESUS PRESENTSTHE PARABLE OFTHE SHREWDMANAGER

Jesus told His disciples:“There was a rich manwhose manager wasaccused of wasting hispossessions. So he calledhim in and asked him,‘What is this I hear aboutyou? Give an account ofyour management,because you cannot bemanager any longer.’ Themanager said to himself,‘What shall I do now? Mymaster is taking away myjob. I’m not strong enoughto dig, and I’m ashamed tobeg—I know what I’ll doso that, when I lose my jobhere, people will welcomeme into their houses.’ Sohe called in each one ofhis master’s debtors. Heasked the first, ‘How muchdo you owe my master?’‘Eight hundred gallons ofolive oil,’ he replied. Themanager told him, ‘Take

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your bill, sit down quickly,and make it four hundred.’Then he asked the second,‘And how much do youowe?’ ‘A thousand bushelsof wheat,’ he replied. He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ The mastercommended the dishonestmanager because he had acted shrewdly” (Lk. 16:1-8).This parable takes us into

the world of finance andresponsibility. The managerwas a steward. That is, hewas an employee, perhaps of an absentee landlord, who had been given controlover his master’s businessand assets. Clearly, hisresponsibility was to use thistrust to further his master’sinterests, not his own. Butthe temptation to divertfunds for his own purposesand pleasures proved toostrong. He wasted themoney, violating his trustand mishandling his master’s

possessions. News of hismisconduct reached hisemployer. And when he wasconfronted with the chargeof dereliction of duty, theman had no answer to give.

There is a great similarityin this story to the parable ofthe unforgiving servant inMatthew 18. The repetitionof these circumstancesshows that violation of trustwas just as common in theancient world as it is today.Certainly the man deservedto be fired from his job. Butit is important to notice themanager’s precise positionafter his master said, “Give an account of yourmanagement, because youcannot be manager anylonger” (v.2)

Modern companiesgenerally tell firedemployees to clean out theirdesks immediately, or theyhave it done for them. Butthis manager was given awindow of opportunity. Hisdismissal was inevitable, but

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it was not yet final or public.Until the account wasrendered, he had some roomfor movement. Still, timewas short, and immediateaction was imperative. Hehad no time to waste.

It is here that the man’sshrewdness is revealed. He knew his options werelimited. He was too weak formanual labor, and he wastoo proud to beg. Unless heacted quickly, one of thosemight be his fate. But heknew the adage, “Scratch myback, and I’ll scratch yours.”Perhaps he could do favorsfor a few people so that theywould be beholden to him.

His plan was very simple.He began to call in hismaster’s customers and altertheir bills. After all, he hadmanaged the accounts andstill had legal authority toact on his master’s behalf.

• “How much do youowe?” “Eight hundredgallons of olive oil.”“Here’s your old I.O.U.

Rewrite it, put downfour hundred gallons,and I’ll sign it.”

• “How much do youowe?” “A thousandbushels of wheat.”“Here, make it eighthundred and I’ll signit.”

We don’t know enoughabout first-century businesspractices to be certain ofwhat was going on here.Some commentators areconvinced that the wholebusiness was fraudulent andthat he was implicatingthese people in cheating hisboss. That is possible, butsince these people wouldpresumably continue to dobusiness with the rich man,it seems rather unlikely. It is more likely that thetransaction was subtle and semi-legal.

According to Mosaic law,Jewish businessmen werenot allowed to chargeinterest to fellow Jews. But that made commercial

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transactions difficult. So a subterfuge was oftenfollowed. When money wasloaned, it was illegal to writea bill stating any interest. So written bills generallyshowed only one amount:the principal loaned plus theinterest and the manager’sfees. This amount was often stated in terms ofcommodities (oil, wheat)rather than money. In thisway, it would appear thatthe law was being followed.

If this was so, thesteward was probablydiscounting the face value of the notes by suspendingthe interest charges. Sincethese charges were not legalwithin Jewish law, his masterhad no ground of actionagainst him. Presumably, thedebtors would be suspiciousof the reasons but wouldaccept the offer gladly. Hehad therefore tied hismaster’s hands effectively,stayed within the bounds of legality, and ingratiated

himself to people who wouldremember him kindly.

The parable closes withthe statement, “The mastercommended the dishonestmanager because he hadacted shrewdly” (v.8). It’simportant to see what wasand what was not said. Themaster did not say that he

was pleased by his steward’sactions, but he did say hewas impressed. The managerhad tied his employer’shands and achieved his ownends. The master certainlydid not commend themanager’s earlier dishonesty,but, like a defeated athletecommenting wryly on his

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The master did notsay that he waspleased by his

steward’s actions,but he did say hewas impressed.


opponent’s skill and strategy,he was compelled toacknowledge the man’ssuccess.

Since the word shrewdis the key to the story, it isimportant to consider itsmeaning carefully. The Greekword means “to act withforesight,” and is illustratedin Jesus’ discourse by thewise man (literally, theshrewd man) who built hishouse on the rock inanticipation of a comingstorm (Mt. 7:24). It alsodescribes the five “wise”(shrewd) virgins who broughtextra oil anticipating futureneed (Mt. 25:1-13). This was the dishonest manager’squality. He acted decisivelyin the present to positionhimself for the future. Hisbehavior was consistent with his circumstances. Herecognized his crisis andseized his opportunitybecause he had his eye on the future, not just thepresent. He was astute

enough to act with practicalcleverness and judgment.

The story is troubling.Even though this shrewdmanager may seem to be a hero, he’s not. But in hisactions, dubious as they are, we can see a qualitydemonstrated that disciplesof the Lord are required todemonstrate if they are tolive effectively in the world.That quality is elaborated in the Lord’s continuingdiscussion.

JESUS DISCUSSESTHE PRINCIPLES OF SHREWDDISCIPLESHIP

The people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their ownkind than are the peopleof the light. I tell you, useworldly wealth to gainfriends for yourselves, so that when it is gone,you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.Whoever can be trusted

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with very little can alsobe trusted with much,and whoever is dishonestwith very little will alsobe dishonest with much.So if you have not beentrustworthy in handlingworldly wealth, who willtrust you with true riches?And if you have not beentrustworthy with someoneelse’s property, who willgive you property of yourown? No servant canserve two masters. Eitherhe will hate the one andlove the other, or he willbe devoted to the one anddespise the other. Youcannot serve both Godand Money (Lk. 16:8-13).Shrewd Disciples

Use Money To AchieveEternal Goals. The Lord’sfirst message in Luke 16:8-13 is that shrewdness withmoney can achieve eternalgoals. In verse 9 He said,“Use worldly wealth to gainfriends for yourselves.” Thephrase “worldly wealth”

weakens what Jesus actuallysaid, which should betranslated “the mammon ofunrighteousness.” Mammonis an interesting term thatincludes not only money butalso possessions. The Lordmade it clear that mammonhas enormous power. It isnot simply neutral. When it is not placed under theauthority of Christ, itbecomes a rival god andleads to evil. Thus, it is notsimply “worldly wealth” but“unrighteous mammon.”

The Lord called us torecognize the limits ofwealth. “So that when it isgone” (v.9) means literally“when it fails,” a reference to death, not debt. Paul putit this way: “We broughtnothing into the world, andwe can take nothing out ofit” (1 Tim. 6:7). Shrewdnessforces us to recognize thatmoney is powerful butlimited, temporary, andtemporal. Part of itscharacter is that it will

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always fail. As Bernard ofClairvaux wrote centuriesago, “Money no moresatisfies the hunger of themind than air supplies thebody’s need for bread.”Certainly that is true at the time of death. No one takes it with him.

Shrewdness with moneyalso focuses on how it canbe used for eternal purposes.Jesus said, “Gain friends foryourselves, so that . . . youwill be welcomed [by them]into eternal dwellings” (v.9).Every believer will bewelcomed into heaven, but not all will have thesame number of friends towelcome them. When ourmoney is used to meet theneeds of fellow believers and when money is used to spread the gospel, we canbe sure that there will beeternal consequences. Ourgracious Father will reveal to our fellow-saints how our use of money wasinstrumental in their

conversion or in meetingtheir needs.

Few experiences are assatisfying as visiting an areawhere you once lived andministered, and havingpeople line up to tell you ofyour influence in their lives,much of it totally unguessedor unrecognized. Imaginethat kind of reception inheaven!

The Lord calls us to usemoney shrewdly for eternalreasons. Yet statistics tell usthat as the rate of disposableincome (adjusted forinflation) increased 31percent among members of31 Protestant denominationsbetween 1968 and 1985,only 2 percent of thatdisposable income wasgiven to churches andChristian organizations(Chicago Tribune, July 31,1988). In other words, 98percent of the increase wentto support people’s lifestyles.In a world of escalatingneeds and exciting

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opportunities, this is hardlyshrewdness with money.

Believers also need tolive shrewdly—to strategize,to plan, to dream, and touse ingenuity and creativity.Radical times require radicalsolutions, as the parable ofthe dishonest managerillustrated. The Lord is notcalling us to business asusual. The shrewd discipleneeds to ask, “How can Imaximize my money foreternity?” We must becareful not to spend or givecarelessly, sentimentally, orimpulsively. The Lord callsus to be hard-nosed, clear-eyed, forward-looking, astute people.

Shrewd DisciplesUse Money In Light Of EternalConsequences. There are three primary messagesin Luke 16:8-13. The first isthat shrewdness with moneycan achieve eternal goals.The second is this:Stewardship of money

has eternal consequences(vv.10-12). The principles ofstewardship are very simple.The first principle is themain requirement: “It isrequired that those whohave been given a trust mustprove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2).The second principle is thereward, explained here in verse 10 by the Lord:“Whoever can be trustedwith very little can also betrusted with much, andwhoever is dishonest withvery little will also bedishonest with much.”

It is in the little thingsthat we prove ourselves. Asthe great missionary HudsonTaylor once observed, “Alittle thing is a little thing;but faithfulness in a littlething is a great thing.”

Faithfulness with money is primarily an issue of character. A modernbiographer explained with avery perceptive commentwhy he was adding yetanother biography to the

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literature about the Duke of Wellington: “I had anadvantage over earlierbiographers. I found an oldaccount ledger that showedhow the Duke spent hismoney. It was a far betterclue to what he thought was really important thanthe reading of his letters orspeeches.” This is even more true of the account of a disciple.

Shrewdness causes us to view “mammon” in an interesting way. Theparallelism of verses 10-12equates “very little” (v.10),“worldly wealth” (v.11), and“someone else’s property”(v.12). At the same time itequates “much” (v.10), “trueriches” (v.11), and “propertyof your own” (v.12). Presentwealth, said the Lord, isreally a very little thing. In fact, it is not ours at all.We are stewards, notowners. If we use ourpresent possessions as ifthey belong to us, not the

Lord, we are acting exactlylike the dishonest manager.We are owners of nothing,stewards of everything.What we possess is to beused to further the Master’spurposes and goals. Theprimary value of earthlywealth is that it is a tool totrain us to handle “trueriches,” which refers to theaffairs of the kingdom.

Shrewd people, then, usemoney in the light of eternalconsequences. This includesopportunities to serve theLord Jesus in furthering Hispurposes on earth as well asthe privileges of service wewill enjoy in heaven.

Shrewd DisciplesRecognize ThatStewardship Of MoneyPrevents Bondage ToMoney. The third messagein Luke 16:8-13 is found inverse 13: “You cannot serveboth God and Money.” In other words, shrewddisciples recognize thatstewardship of money

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prevents bondage to money.We can serve God withmoney, but we can neverserve God and money. A choice is inescapable. We can have only onemaster. Jesus wants us tounderstand that we do nothave the option of being themasters of mammon. Wecan be stewards of it or wecan be servants of it, butthose are our only options.Mammon always strives totake the place of God.

The Lord used a vividpersonification in thisdiscussion to force us torecognize the absence of

middle ground. Either Godowns our wealth or it ownsus. As Henry Fielding oncewrote, “Make money yourgod and it will plague youlike the devil.”

We all serve somethingor someone. There is nopartial discipleship to Jesus,and there is no part-timeemployment by mammon.We must choose ourultimate loyalty. When wechoose the Lord as our solemaster, He does not removeour money. In fact, He takesthe money and transforms itinto an ally. The same dollarthat places a bet, pays aprostitute, or purchases“crack” cocaine also buys a Bible, digs a well, orsupports a missionary. Thesame dollar the shrewdmanager uses to pave hisway into a golden future, a shrewd disciple uses toinvest in eternal friendships.But the difference is theproduct of a choice ofmasters.

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Stewardship ofmoney prevents

bondage to money.We can serve Godwith money, but

we can never serveGod and money.


How do we acquire ourmoney? What do we want topurchase with our money?When and how do we giveour money? Where shouldwe employ our resources?These are the questions ashrewd disciple asks as heemulates this strange “hero,”a man who acted decisivelywith his resources in thepresent to maximize hisopportunities in the future.

The story is told of a manshipwrecked on a lonely,unknown island. To hissurprise, he found that hewas not alone. A large tribeof people shared his island.To his pleasure, hediscovered that they treatedhim very well. In fact, theyplaced him on a throne andcatered to his every desire.He was delighted butperplexed. Why such royaltreatment? As his ability tocommunicate increased, hediscovered that the tribalcustom was to choose a kingfor a year. Then, when his

term was finished, he wouldbe transported to a particularisland and abandoned.

His delight was replaced with distress. Then he devised a shrewdplan. Over the next monthshe sent members of the tribeto clear and till the otherisland. He had them build a beautiful house, furnish it,and plant crops. He sentsome chosen friends to livethere and wait for him.Then, when his time of exilecame, he was put in a placethat was carefully preparedand full of friends who weredelighted to receive him.

Disciples are not headedto a desert island. Ourdestination is the Father’shome. Yet the preparationswe make here follow usthere. If we are shrewd,there will be eternal friendsand eternal rewards to greetus. Fools serve money andleave it all behind. Shrewdbelievers serve God andinvest in eternity.

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THE PARABLEOF THECOMPLAININGWORKERS

BBill Borden was born a blue blood andbrought up with a

silver spoon in his mouth.His parents were bothdescended from Britisharistocracy, and his fatherhad made a fortune in realestate in Chicago and insilver mining in Colorado.Bill was already worth amillion dollars by the age of 21, an amount in 1908equivalent to about 40million dollars today. He wasalso handsome, intelligent,well-educated, and popular.

But in 1912, at the age of 25, Bill Borden did twothings that made headlines.First, he gave away hisentire fortune, half to God’s work in the UnitedStates and half to missionsoverseas. Second, he chose

to set sail for missionarywork among the Muslims,first in Egypt to learn Arabicand then, ultimately, to aremote part of China.

To the public and themedia, and even to many ofhis Christian friends, Borden’sactions seemed incrediblywasteful, especially when he died of cerebrospinalmeningitis shortly afterreaching Cairo. He hadapparently thrown away hismoney, his career, and evenhis life. To what end?

What makes a Bill Bordentick? What makes a personturn his back on virtuallyeverything most people valueto live in obedience to whathe believes to be the will ofGod? What’s in it for him?What are the returns on that kind of investment?

Why do we serve theLord Jesus? This brings us to an interesting discussionbetween the Lord and Hisdisciples in which Headdressed the question of

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rewards posed by Peter and then used a parable to provoke them and us into deeper thought aboutspiritual motivation. AsMatthew recounted the story,the discussion followed theLord’s encounter with therich young ruler (19:16-26).

THE PROMISE OF REWARDS:The Blessing OfDiscipleshipA study in Psychology Todayin May 1981 probed theinfluence of money onpeople’s lives. One of itsconclusions was that peoplewho are the most money-conscious are much lesslikely to be involved in asatisfactory love relationshipand tend to be troubled byconstant worry, anxiety, andloneliness. The story of therich young ruler sadly buteloquently reveals the powerof money to control one’s life.The young man’s tragedy wasnot that he possessed wealth

but that wealth possessedhim. He would not let go ofwealth to take hold of theeternal life offered by the Sonof God. His trust was in hiswealth, not in his God.

In a society where wealthwas often seen to be a signof divine approval andacceptance, the Lord made a statement that startled thedisciples: “It is easier for acamel to go through the eyeof a needle than for a richman to enter the kingdom ofGod” (Mt. 19:24). Salvationis not the attainment of therich or successful. It is a giftof God’s grace, freely givenand humbly received.

Peter was not affected bythe drama of salvation beingenacted before him so muchas by the Lord’s promise tothe rich young man: “Go,sell your possessions andgive to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.Then come, follow Me”(v.21). Peter’s mind had beenriveted by the implications of

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“treasure in heaven. . . .follow Me.” “If that is truefor him, what about us?” hemust have mused. “I left mynets and followed Jesus.What about my treasure?”Finally Peter blurted out hisconcern: “We have lefteverything to follow You!What then will there be forus?” (v.27).

Only a person who isbadly self-deceived is hard onPeter. We may not be veryproud of the “what’s-in-it-for-me?” feeling, but it bubbles inall of us, sometimes closer tothe surface than at othertimes. We sing, “It pays toserve Jesus, it pays every day. It pays every step of theway.” But sometimes the payseems long overdue. We facefatigue, frustration, failure, orphysical illness instead ofblessing, joy, and fulfillment.“What’s in it for me? Whenand how do I get some of thistreasure?”

The Lord’s response toPeter was not one of rebuke

but of reaffirmation. It is notwrong to focus on rewardsand eternal blessings, or todesire “treasure in heaven.”The Lord often extends thepromise of rewards in theGospels (Mt. 5:10-12; 6:19-21; 10:41-42; 24:45-47;25:20-23). These are notdemeaning bribes or theincentive programs of a salesorganization. They are ratherthe appropriate results of alife pleasing to the God who“rewards those who earnestlyseek Him” (Heb. 11:6).

So the Lord directedPeter’s attention to themillennial kingdom, “therenewal of all things, whenthe Son of Man sits on Hisglorious throne” (Mt. 19:28).This is the time prophesiedthroughout the OldTestament, when God willestablish the kingdom ofMessiah on the earth inpower and glory (Dan. 7:13-22), and creation itself willbecome “new heavens and a new earth” (Isa. 65:17;

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66:22). This is the time allthe disciples longed for.

Not only will the LordJesus sit on the throne ofglory in the new earth, butthe apostles will share Hisglory. “You who havefollowed Me will also sit ontwelve thrones, judging thetwelve tribes of Israel” (Mt.19:28). It’s impossible todescribe how the Twelvemight have received thisnews. As Jews, they hadlonged for Messiah and hadstaked everything on Jesusbeing the Promised One.Their reward would gobeyond their wildest dreams:When Israel was the greatestnation on earth, they wouldrule over it, as subordinatesof King Jesus Himself!

The promise made inMatthew 19:28 is a veryspecific one, made to thetwelve apostles. But there isan extension of this promiseto all believers. When Jesusreturns, we who are His co-heirs (Rom. 8:17) will share

in His glory, reigning withHim on the earth (Rev. 5:10).In fact, we will not only judgethe world, we will exercisejudgment over the angels (1 Cor. 6:1-3). I don’t knowall that this entails, but thepromise is clear. Believers inChrist are the royal family ofMessiah’s kingdom, and partof our “treasure in heaven”will be to share in His regalauthority and splendor.

But on what basis will thisprivilege be granted? In verse29 the Lord established theprinciple of rewards. Presentsacrifice produces eternalprivilege. “Everyone who has left houses or brothers orsisters or father or mother orchildren or fields for My sakewill receive a hundred timesas much and will inheriteternal life.” Mark, in hisaccount, adds that we will“receive a hundred times asmuch in this present age”(Mk. 10:30). Obviously, thisequation is not to be pressedliterally. After all, who wants

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to receive a hundred wives or two hundred brothers? We could try to twist thestatement into a formula formaterialistic gain: “I give$100, I get $10,000.” On thatbasis, we would be worsethan the rich young ruler,and his tragedy would not be that he loved money morethan God but that he didn’tknow a good investmentwhen he saw one!

No, the Lord’s point is tosay that there is a blessingboth now and in eternity that is all out of proportionto the cost of discipleship.Whatever losses followingChrist entails (and there arelosses—we leave thingsbehind), the Savior Himselfwill repay richly. Followingmay not feel like it pays, but in God’s time and way it certainly does.

So the Lord summarizedwith two points. “Many whoare first will be last” (Mt.19:30). From an earthlyperspective, the rich young

man was one of the first. Helooked like a winner. But inthe crucible of decisionabout Christ, he made achoice that excluded himfrom true wealth. Those wholook like winners from ahuman perspective are oftenlife’s losers. Conversely,“many who are last will befirst.” The disciples representthe “last.” Uprooted fromfamily and vocation, theywandered as the vagabondfollowers of a rejected leader.Like Bill Borden, they hadtaken a huge risk andapparently had come upempty. But appearances canbe deceiving. When they areseated on their millennialthrones alongside King Jesus,they will be revealed asGod’s first on the earth.

Peter’s question, “Lord,what’s in it for us?” has beenanswered. In essence, Jesustold him, “More, Peter, thanyou can ever imagine. You have given what youcouldn’t keep; you will gain

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what you can never lose.”And that answer should besufficient for every one of us.Although we do not seethem all now, there areblessings and rewards.

There is a troubling noteto Peter’s question that muststill be dealt with. Behind“What’s in it for me?” therelurks a commercial spiritthat misses the essence ofChristian living. It is thatunderlying attitude, presentnot only in Peter but also inus, that the Lord addressesin the parable of the workersin the vineyard, recorded inMatthew 20:1-16. The linewith which the parable endslinks it closely to the lastphrase of chapter 19, whichwe have just discussed.

THE PARABLE OFTHE COMPLAININGWORKERS:The Motivation For DiscipleshipLike so many of the Lord’sstories, this parable in

Matthew 20:1-16 plunges us into daily life in ancientIsrael. It is worth noting thatthe Lord was an astuteobserver of life. His storieshave the ring of authenticitybecause they happen wherepeople live. We shouldnotice that this story is notdesigned to teach us aboutlabor-management relationsor about salvation or evenabout rewards. The Lordwants us to think about theattitude of heart with whicha disciple should serve Him.

Day laborers were acommon fact of life in the Lord’s time. In thisagricultural society, therewere no labor unions andfew contract employees. Men looking for work wouldgather at a convenient spotin the town’s marketplace,and those requiring helpwould recruit the men theyneeded. A rate of pay would be arranged, the work would be done, andworkers would be paid at

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day’s end, in accordancewith Old Testament law (Lev. 19:13; Dt. 24:14-15).

The story itself isstraightforward. At 6:00 a.m.a vineyard owner went intothe marketplace to hireworkers. They agreed to a fairwage and set off to do thework. There is no suggestionthat they possessed anyparticular skills or abilitiesthat made them moredesirable employees than theothers. They were available,agreed to terms, and setabout their task.

But for some reason thelandowner felt the need formore workers. Perhaps badweather threatened the crop or a contract requiredimmediate harvesting. More likely, he saw theunemployed workers anddesired to help them. Forwhatever reason, he returnedat 9:00 a.m. and saw menwho were willing to work butunemployed. He made thema simple offer: “Go and work

. . . and I will pay youwhatever is right” (v.4). Theyagreed and went with nocontractual agreement, butsimply with an opportunityto trust the landowner’spromise and character. Threemore times the process wasrepeated—at noon, at 3:00p.m. and at 5:00 p.m.

When the day was done,the owner ordered hisforeman to pay the workers,beginning with those whohad worked for only onehour and continuing to thosewho had worked for a fullday. When the 1-hourworkers were paid, they wereastonished to discover thatthey had received a full day’swage, a denarius. Obviously,they hadn’t earned thatmuch. But a family could notlive on less than a denariusa day, so the owner hadgenerously paid them notwhat they deserved but whatthey needed. Apparently inhis view, people matteredmore than profits.

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News of their goodfortune quickly spread downthrough the line, and the 12-hour workers excitedlyanticipated receiving abonanza. “If they got onedenarius, we should gettwelve!” By the time theyreached the front, they hadalready spent their bonusesin their minds. Imagine theirchagrin to discover their payto be one denarius! This was exactly what they hadcontracted for (20:2), but ithardly seemed fair. “Theyonly worked 1 hour andwe’ve put in 12 full hours inthe burning heat of the day.How can you call that fair?”

The owner’s answer wasstraightforward. He toldthem that their pay was fairbecause it was exactly whatthey contracted for. Butthose who didn’t work aslong were being paidgenerously, not fairly.

In the landowner’s voicewe hear our Lord’s gentlerebuke of Peter. It is a

warning against threedangers in the service of a disciple.

The Danger Of ACommercial Spirit. Anold rabbinic story is verysimilar to the Lord’s parable,but the punch line is entirelydifferent. When the protest ismade, the answer silencesthe objectors: “This man has done more in 2 hoursthan you did all day.” Weunderstand that response. It is fair that wages earnedshould correspond to workdone. Unions may protest,but we understand theequity principle—pay equal to work done.

But kingdom economicsare very different. If we workfor wages, we will get exactlywhat we desire, no more and no less. We becomehirelings, dependent uponour bargaining skills. Howmuch better to be children,dependent upon our Father’sgenerosity. Our service doesnot put us in His debt. If we

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leave the reward to Him, wewill be overwhelmed by Hisgenerosity.

The Danger Of ACompetitive Spirit.When the 12-hour workerssaw the 1-hour workers andcompared themselves tothem, “they expected toreceive more” (v.10). Whentheir eyes focused on whatothers had received, theywere unable to receive theirown wages with joy. Sauldelighted in his victory overthe Philistines, but when heheard David praised morehighly than he had been, hisheart turned to stone (1 Sam.18:1-16). Nothing is lessappropriate in disciples thancomparison and competition.

The Danger Of AComplaining Spirit.“They began to grumbleagainst the landowner” (Mt.20:11). Such grumbling, theLord revealed, is an attack onthe goodness and generosityof God Himself. Furthermore,it exposes the corruption of

our hearts. “Are you enviousbecause I am generous?”(v.15). Who do we think weare to complain about theeternally holy, righteousGod? It was the continualmurmuring and complainingof Israel in the wildernessthat aroused God’s anger.Murmuring is an infectioussocial disease that robs usand all those around us ofjoy. Those who focus on theirsupposed deprivation andwho lament the cost of theirdiscipleship have missed thewonder of the grace andgenerosity of our God.

The Lord concluded Hisparable with a statementreminiscent of Matthew19:30, “So the last will befirst, and the first will belast” (v.16). Here, however,the contrast is not betweendisciples and nondisciples. Itis a reminder that externalcircumstances are not thekey to eternal rewards. The“first,” here, are the 6:00a.m. workers.

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I was saved as a child,brought up to love Christ,and given the privilege ofministry at an early age. I am much like those “first”people. Friends of mine werenot saved until much later in life than I, and theiropportunities for Christianministry are sometimessmaller than mine. Will those circumstances of lifequalify them only for a lesserreward? No. God rewards thefaithful heart, and generositytouches all He does.

On December 4, 1857, onthe threshold of his return toAfrica, David Livingstonetried to put into words themotives that shaped his life:“I personally have neverceased to rejoice that Godhas entrusted me with Hisservice. People talk a lotabout the sacrifice involvedin devoting my life to Africa.But can this be called asacrifice at all if we give backto God a ‘little of what weowe Him’? And we owe Him

so much that we shall neverbe able to pay off our debt.Can that be called sacrificewhich gives us the deepestsatisfaction, which developsour best powers, and givesus the greatest hopes andexpectations? Away with this word. It is anything buta sacrifice. Rather, call it a‘privilege’!”

The apostle Peter’s greatmistake was that he countedthe cost and computed thereward without consideringthe privilege of service (Mt. 19:27).

Why do we serve theLord? Fear? Duty? Prestige?Reward? Motives are neverentirely pure, and a varietyof factors propel us. But wecertainly aren’t hirelings,serving for wages. We areGod’s children, delighting in His work and trusting in His generosity.

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Author Gary Inrig is a graduate ofDallas Theological Seminary andcurrently pastors Trinity EvangelicalFree Church in Redlands, California.

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