September 2016 Messenger Newsletter

"Who will entrust to you the real riches?"
(Luke 16:11)

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

Luke 16:1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
Luke 16:2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
Luke 16:3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg--
Luke 16:4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
Luke 16:5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
Luke 16:6 "'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
Luke 16:7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' "'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
Luke 16:8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.
Luke 16:9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
Luke 16:10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.
Luke 16:11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?
Luke 16:12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

[Luke 16:3] "I cannot dig" indicates the steward is unprepared for physical labor, having been trained for a "white-collar" job.

[Luke 16:5] Though interest is not specifically mentioned in this passage, the unjust steward may have charged excessive interest anyway. Such action would be consistent with his character. The Pharisees do not permit religious principles to interfere with business. Moses forbids the taking of usury from Jews on loans of any kind (Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 23:19, 20). The debtor simply agrees to repay a certain amount, which includes principal and interest. The Pharisees argue that this law is for the protection of the destitute and does not apply otherwise. A man is not destitute, in their judgment, if he possesses some of the commodity he seeks to borrow. It is not usury then to take interest.

[16:6] The reduction of the payment was unauthorized by the lender. Consequently, the steward has made friends for himself while taking advantage of his responsible position with the rich man.

[16:8] In praising the steward, the landlord may even be seeking to acquire the benefit of the wily steward's action. Since he is losing the interest, the landlord might as well acquire the reputation of obeying the law.

[16:9] (vv. 9-11) "Unrighteous mammon" (wealth) to the Pharisees is money acquired legally, but tainted in the sight of God. Jesus, however, uses the term to refer to all material resources not used according to the will of God. "They" is a circumlocution for "God" and does not refer to the "friends." "Everlasting home" is a circumlocution for "heaven." "Mammon" is an Anglicized form of an Aramaic word that signifies "that in which one trusts"; hence, frequently in the Targums (early Aramaic translations of portions of the O.T.) it is a term for "money."

NSRV & Believer's Study Bible (BSB) Notes

Readings for the week of September 25th
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
First : Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Psalm: 146
Second: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31

Sunday Worship Services at 10:00am
Sunday School at 9:00am

Wednesday Bible Study (Library) 10:30 am
Holy Communion Service (Sanctuary) Noon