Using Wealth

Jesus told a story in Luke 16, about a Manager who was given charge of his master’s affairs. The Manager was wasting his master’s money and the master found out about it. He told the Manager to get his report in order because he was going to be fired. The Manager considered his options as he was too proud to beg and did not have the strength to dig ditches. “Ah, I know how to ensure that I’ll have plenty of friends who will give me a home when I am fired” (Luke 16:4). He called all the people who owed his master to discuss their bills and negotiated their repayment. For each person he reduced the amount that they owed the master. The master admired the dishonest Manager for being so shrewd.

Jesus stated that the children of the world are more shrewd (clever) at dealing with the world around them, than the children of light. The lesson that Jesus wanted us to draw from this story, is to use our worldly resources to benefit others and to make friends. After your resources are gone, then they will welcome you into an eternal home. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10). If you are untrustworthy with worldly wealth, who then would trust you with the riches of heaven? If a person isn’t faithful with what belongs to others, how can they be trusted with their own?

No one can serve two masters, because they are likely to hate one and love the other. In the same way, we cannot truly serve God and be a slave to money. Jesus also shared the parable about the rich man and Lazarus who was a beggar. The rich man was generally well dressed and lived in luxury while Lazarus laid at his gate, covered in soars. He ate the left overs from the rich man until one day they both died. Lazarus was carried to sit at Abraham’s side in the heavenly banquet, while the rich man was taken to everlasting torment. The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to drip water on his tongue. Abraham reminded the man of how he once lived in luxury while Lazarus lived in poverty.

In the first parable, Jesus wanted people to consider how to use wealth to establish his kingdom. This was in order to gain eternal life. In the second parable, Jesus showed the end result for a rich man who didn’t consider the poor man Lazarus. It was while he was in hell that he wanted Lazarus to come to his aid. His earthly wealth blinded his eyes to the eternal life in torment. God wants us to have wealth and prosperity. Our perspective has to remain on our eternal existence and the life that we will live after eternity. Wealth is to be used to help us and to help others. The balance is to never become a slave to money because then it has become a god. “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul” (Mark 8:36-37)?

A.P.-Y.