Serving Two Masters

Introduction

The new year brings a clean slate. There is a feeling of being able to start over again and of trying to make things better. We try to refocus our energies onto things which are more important to us. We try with a new year to plan for the future. We, however briefly, think about what this new year may bring and where we want to be at this time next year. Our intent is not to be distracted. We want to maintain our focus on the important. We don’t want to be like the members of the Procrastinators Club of America. We want our lives to be focused especially when it comes to our walk with God.

A Difficult Text

Luke 16 is a difficult text. Coming on the heels of Jesus’s words about the cost of discipleship and how much heaven rejoices when one who is lost returns to the Father, Jesus tells a story about a manager who gets fired. We are told that he was accused of wasting possessions. A manager is a person who takes care of his master’s property. In this case, it was the manager’s job to dispense his master’s possessions so that the master benefitted. The manager was fired.

Being afraid of the future, the manager devised an interesting plan. One by one each of those who owed the master were called in. The manager then would reduce the debt that each owed. Why? The manager was hoping that when all those who were indebted to the rich man saw what the manager did and how they benefitted each one, then one of these men would hire this manager. The manager was looking for future employment. He did what was necessary to secure the future.

We should not assume that the manager did anything wrong or illegal. What he could have been doing is cutting his profit. It was not uncommon in those days for a manager to charge a fee on top of the actual amount of a bill. In this way the manager would make money for himself as well as for the master. The point of this story is that the manager was planning for the future and was being generous in planning for his future. He was demonstrating that he was thinking. Jesus commends him for thinking in such a shrewd way. Jesus praises his cleverness for thinking about the future and planning for the future. This manager was doing all he could do to secure his financial future. If we understand that he was cutting his own profit for the future, then he was being generous with his own money. Jesus applauds his cleverness in preparing for the future. But Jesus doesn’t tell a story without some kind of spiritual point. And such is the case with this story. As difficult as it is to understand, there is a spiritual point to the text. Let’s sing songs about planning to be with God in the future.

Preparing for the Future

Jesus applauds the cleverness of the manager in securing his future. His applause must not be allowed to be taken as license for misappropriating funds. Jesus sets up a contrast between those who act cleverly in this world and those who act cleverly in preparing for the next world. Because we are people of the light then a certain unfamiliarity with financial scheming will be a part of our lives. That is not to say that Christians are to be unwise in money matters. Rather, Christians do not sit and think about how to devise a plan to profit at another’s expense. The Christian’s focus is not on what this world can offer. That is the point Jesus is making.

People of the light do not think about this world and how to plan best for this world. Our thinking turns to the next world. Our planning and preparing is for the life we will have in eternal dwellings. In verse 9, Jesus tells his disciples to give away your worldly wealth so that you can have lots of friends. But realize this truth—in time the money will be gone and eternal life with God will be your reward. We can give away our wealth now because that is not what is important. The important thing is to be with God in his eternal dwellings.

So what are you doing to prepare for the future that really matters? Jesus says the way to tell if you are preparing for the future depends on who your master is: God or money. While money is a good translation for the word used in verse 13 it includes more than just dollars. It includes wealth especially that which is gained at the expense of others. To prepare for the future means to move from thinking about this world to thinking about the world to come. It means to keep our eyes focused on what truly matters and not on this life. It is a constant struggle to make sure that we are not tied into this world rather than looking forward to the one which is to come.

Is it possible for us to learn this truth as Jesus states in verse 14? What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. What is it that people in this world value? Whatever answer you give; it is detestable to God. This world values wealth—detestable. Power—detestable. Position—detestable. Control—detestable. Those things which this world tries to secure are detestable to God. Jesus applauds the manager for his cleverness because he secured his future in the ways that he needed to. Jesus turns to his disciples and says that as people of light we are to secure our future as well by turning away from what this world treasures and plan for our future with God. So what are you doing to prepare for the future?

Some start out with a good plan and then over time the plan slowly loses its appeal or other things block out our good intentions. This is the basis for New Year’s Resolutions. We get in our minds a good thing and over the course of the year it takes a lot of effort to maintain our focus. It takes a lot of focus to keep our plans intact. This is even more true with our walk with Jesus. Jesus instructs us to plan for the future with God. Don’t get caught up in the things of this world. Have a spirit of generosity; do not desire the things of this world; look for ways to make a clear contrast between what God values and what this world values. Keep your focus on what our ultimate goal is—an eternity with God. Demonstrate that you can be trusted with what God has given you and he will give you even more. What are you doing to prepare for the future?

Follow Jesus

If you’d like to respond to this message or learn more about following Jesus, please reach out.