May 24, 2016

The Unrighteous and the Rich

By: Anthony Mathenia Topics: Uncategorized Scripture: Luke 16

The Unrighteous and the Rich (Luke 16)
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The Unrighteous Steward (verses 1-13)

Knowing that he is without strength and being too prideful to beg, this unrighteous steward devises a dishonest and deceitful design to make future friends through his bosses finances. When his boss finds out, he commends him, not because of the dishonesty itself, but because of the ingenuity and skill with which he operated. In this story, Jesus is not giving a pattern for morality or promoting cheating and dishonesty. The point of the story is to show that the diligence of worldly men for temporal things often shames Christians and their cool passivity about eternal things.

Jesus lays out three points of application from the story. First, he says to make friends by means of the wealth of unrighteousness (verse 9). He is encouraging us to use our worldly wealth for spiritual gain. The right use of money and possessions in this life befriends our souls in the next. Second, he reminds us that we are to be faithful, even in a very little thing (verse 10). While unfaithfulness in the little things exposes a bad heart, people who are trustworthy with small responsibilities can also be trusted with big responsibilities. Whatever God has called you to do, even if it seems insignificant (which is impossible if God called you to it!), do it well, as unto God for Christ’s sake. Third, He reminds us that we must serve God first, above all else (verse 13). Our hearts have the capacity for a single dominating love. We are to use all that we have to serve Christ and honor God.

The Scoffing Pharisees (verses 14-15)

The Pharisees scoffed at the notion that money and God could not both be worshiped or served, because they were confident that they were successfully accomplishing that very thing! Not only did they love their wealth and authority, but they were also using them to justify their sinful lifestyles. Jesus reminded them that God was neither impressed with their wealth nor with their deception (verse 15).

Being Right with God (verses 16-18)

The preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God did not do away with the Law of God. Many wrongly assume that though the Law of God is binding, the gospel has somehow lowered its requirements. However, the Law, like God Himself, cannot change. Jesus makes this clear by showing that the Law’s standard remains the same with regard to divorce or adultery. With the arrival of the long awaited Messiah and the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom, there is a new urgency introduced, but not a new message. The gates to the Kingdom have now been flung wide open, and when people actually understand the good news of the gospel they do whatever it takes to come to Jesus.

The Rich Man and Lazarus (verses 19-31)

This story illustrates the point that Jesus has been pressing home regarding the right use of possessions, and it is the only place in Scriptures were we see some of what the unconverted feel after death. On earth, while the rich man wallowed in extravagance on a daily basis, the poor man wallowed outside the gate, hungry and sick. However, both of them eventually meet death, the ultimate leveling factor and the great equalizer. The rich man likely had a lavish funeral ceremony, while the poor man was probably carried unceremoniously outside the city and dumped somewhere. After death, the rich man finds himself far away from the saints, tormented and in agony, separated by a great chasm from heaven and with no way of escape. (verses 23-26). But for the poor man, nothing now remains of his former sorrows, except their sanctifying influence on his soul. For years Lazarus had been on the outside looking in, and now the situation is reversed for eternity, and the rich man is left looking in from afar. The rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus to his family, but Abraham assures Him that if they do not believe the Scriptures, they will not believe even a man that rises from the dead. The Scriptures are completely sufficient and nothing can add to their credibility.

– What are the small things that you have been entrusted with? Are you being faithful in them? Are you reminding yourself that they are significant because they are assigned to you by God?

– Is there anything competing for the single dominating love in your heart that only God ought to possess?

– Are you living daily before the reality of eternity? Are you seeking to live lavishly now, or storing up treasures in heaven by using your possessions for spiritual benefits? What are some specific ways that you are using, or could begin using, your possessions as a means of making friends for eternity?