232 - The Parable of the Unjust Steward#
232 - The Parable of the Unjust Steward
(JP Text Group - Grace Grass Compilation)
Luke 16:1-12
1 Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose steward was accused of wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be my steward.’
3 Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 So the master commended the unjust steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. 9 And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for helping us and leading us during this time, guiding every brother and sister to understand Your word with clarity. In this last days, let us be stewards that please You, and let our conduct be pleasing to both the Lord and to people. Help the brothers and sisters to be renewed by You, in Jesus Christ's name we pray, Amen!
Many people read this passage and do not understand it. Let’s take a look. Why do many people not understand? Clearly, the steward wasted the master's goods, yet in the end, the master commended him. What is the problem? Is wasting a good thing? Why would the master commend him? Actually, Jesus wants to tell us through this parable: everyone is His steward, managing the master's goods and affairs. Whether managing people or handling matters, we are all stewards of the Lord. If a steward does not act according to the master's will, it is considered wasteful, which is self-interest, and an unjust steward, which is displeasing to God. But if we correct ourselves, the Lord will commend us.
This passage also tells us another fact: even the unbelievers know how to use money to prepare for the future and to make friends. We are children of light, and we should be wiser than the world. What does it mean to be children of light? God is light, and you are children of God, so you should be wiser than the world, regardless of whether you can live it out now; you must know this fact. One more thing: the way you live should be liked by the world. If after believing in Jesus, the people around you start to dislike you, it is not the Lord's problem; it is your problem, it is a problem in your heart. We should be wiser, understand human relationships better, and plan and prepare for the heavenly inheritance.
So what should we do? Act according to God's will; the purpose of God giving us wealth is to help others. You can use wealth to share meals with others, make friends, and then share the gospel with them, Amen! Being with others often, integrating with them, frequently helping them, saying a simple word, often eating with them, they will also feel grateful to you. When one day you are in trouble, these people will help you because you have often helped them.
This is what Luke 6:31 says: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Jesus’ words are timeless; do not say, “Jesus spoke of the Old Testament.” Human relationships do not distinguish between the Old and New Testament; in ancient times, human relationships were the same as now. Cursing someone now has the same effect as it did in the past; the consequence is that others do not like it. This does not distinguish between the Old and New Testament, nor between the past and present. Therefore, in human relationships, we must learn the wisdom that Jesus gives us. Hallelujah!
Let’s take a look at what this story means. Jesus said to His disciples, and the audience of His preaching is the believers. Brothers and sisters, you must understand that it is very important to distinguish the audience of Jesus’ preaching. If it is directed at unbelievers, this passage cannot be explained clearly, so just set it aside. No, we must first understand that this is spoken to believers. Jesus said: There was a rich man whose steward was accused of wasting his master's goods. After the master learned about it, he said to him: “I have heard about this matter; this is a fact. Give an account of your stewardship; you can no longer be my steward.” The master wants to dismiss him. Brothers and sisters, what did this steward actually do? What do you think waste means?
Money was not utilized, and he was also charging high interest; let me analyze this for you. In the Old Testament, the Jewish people had laws, and in those laws, God told all the Jewish people, not the Gentiles, but the Jewish people: “You shall not charge interest to your brother.” This is a law, equivalent to our legal system.
Let’s look at this passage, Exodus 22:25-27
25 “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. 26 If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering; it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.”
Why did God write these laws? What is the purpose? God loves everyone, whether poor or rich. When the laws are published, it is God telling us: everyone may have difficulties. Emergencies may arise, and one may need help temporarily. What should be done then? Should one take advantage of the situation and say, “Finally, I have the opportunity to lend you money at high interest”? This is not in line with God’s will.
God said: If you lend money to your brother, you shall not charge interest; He said to the poor among you: You should lend to him without charging any interest. God wants to protect all the poor, and the reason is simple: because He is a gracious God, Hallelujah! Those who lend at high interest to their fellow countrymen do not understand what God’s law is. God cares for the poor and forbids people from exploiting them. God’s laws are good, but did the people really do this? No. This does not mean that once this law was enacted, there would be no such thing in Israel. Some people exploited the loopholes in the law and said, “Didn’t God also say that there are poor among My people? God did not specify what standard constitutes a poor person.”
At that time, the Jews, namely the Pharisees and scribes, defined a poor person as someone who has nothing. If you have some necessities in life, like having a garment to cover yourself at night, you are not considered poor. The Pharisees were quite stingy; according to this definition, there were no poor people. Who does not have a garment to cover their body? They said, “You are not poor; charging you interest is legitimate.”
Many people were doing this, including the scribes and Pharisees. If you had oil or wheat at home, you were almost on the verge of getting out of poverty. By defining it this way, they could find excuses to charge interest. Did these people obey God’s law or despise it? What is the essence of God’s law? It is love!
Let’s look at Romans 13:8-10
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Under the New Testament, under grace, there is a central theme: the love of Jesus Christ. If you have the love of Jesus Christ in your heart, you will not lend to your brother at interest; instead, you will give freely. Those who have no love in their hearts will take advantage of others. The scribes and Pharisees at that time did not understand the purpose of God’s law; they were the ones who truly trampled on the law.
Owe no one anything, this is not against God. We have said that we do not owe God anything now; many people have this reversed. They say to God, “Lord, I owe You.” But when it comes to people, they do not feel indebted at all. In fact, it should be the other way around; do not feel that you owe God, but feel that you owe people. This means: “How wonderful it would be if I had the opportunity to share the gospel with him!” This is a sense of indebtedness.
This morning I saw a news report about a female PhD student from Peking University who, at 29, was diagnosed with ALS. When I saw this, my first thought was: “How wonderful it would be if I could meet her and share the gospel with her!” It is not that I have a particularly good relationship with this person; it is just that this thought suddenly came to my mind when I saw her. If there were Christians around her, how wonderful it would be if they could share the gospel with her; perhaps her life would be transformed. This is a sense of indebtedness. Otherwise, what does her life or death have to do with me? If that is the case, there is no connection between people at all. We must love one another and always feel indebted. Amen!
Loving one another and feeling indebted to one another should not be misused, especially for us who are under grace. If misused, people will become ungrateful. Why does God say to love one another and always feel indebted? It actually means that if one party does not feel: “You should love me; when you love me, you should feel that it is not enough; you should love me more; I lack food, you should feed me; I lack drink, you should give me drink; I now lack money, you should take all your money and give it to me; that is still not enough; whatever you have, bring it all to me…”
This is not feeling indebted to one another; he feels: “You all owe me; you should do this.” How many people think like this towards God? “Lord, You should bless me; You should do this for me; You should do that for me.” Does Jesus owe them anything? In fact, Jesus does these things out of love. Hallelujah! Jesus said you should love one another and feel indebted to one another because we are all receiving the grace of Jesus Christ. When we see brothers and sisters in this state, we should care for and love them, helping them through their difficulties. Thank the Lord! This is the true meaning of feeling indebted and loving one another.
This passage mentions the law, such as not committing adultery, not murdering, which are matters of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are actually all included in the saying of loving your neighbor as yourself. Jesus never said: “You must love Me more than you love yourself.” It is the world that says this, especially some men who confess to women, saying: “I love you more than I love myself.” This must be a lie; the highest love a person can have is to love like they love themselves; it cannot exceed that. Amen! The way you cherish yourself, use that love to love others, and it becomes easy to understand, right?
So after Jesus came, He interpreted the true meaning of the law. Love is an action; love is a verb. If some people talk every day about how much the Father loves them and how much they love you, yet have no action, when it gets cold, and you are freezing like that, and they say: “Jesus loves you; I love you.” That statement is useless; it is better not to say it. Love requires action. Amen! We are now a family; when your family has a problem, do not say: “I have done things for you; you must repay me in the future.” This kind of love will definitely cause conflict. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees exploited the loopholes in Moses’ law, which actually nullified the law.
Luke 16:17 says, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.”
Many people take this verse out of context and interpret it randomly, leading people to think of other places, which is incorrect. Jesus is telling them here: You have nullified the law; the purpose of God giving the law is love, but you no longer love people; you are taking interest from your brothers, which is very inappropriate. So Jesus told them this. Regardless of what is borrowed, you should not charge interest to your brother. This steward did such a thing; he was indeed profiting. Why did he waste the master's goods? He was using the master's goods to seek personal gain.
This steward knew the debts owed to his master, so he called each debtor to him,
asking the first, “How much do you owe my master?”
He said, “A hundred measures of oil.”
The steward said, “Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.”
One was a hundred, and one was fifty. The second said, “A hundred measures of wheat.”
The steward said, “Take your bill and write eighty.”
Why is the ratio different? Many people say, “That’s not right; why is the steward treating different things differently?” If you know how high-interest loans work, you will understand. The interest on oil is the highest, almost half the profit. Even today, the profit from Israeli olive oil is always the highest because every year, a lot of olive oil is used in Israel; besides in the temple, people also carry it when going out and use it for cooking at home. Therefore, the profit from oil is quite high; they added half the profit. You clearly borrowed fifty pounds from the master, and with interest, you should return a hundred pounds! For the poor, this is a huge burden.
Now this steward seems to have become merciful.
He said, “How much do you owe my master?”
He said, “A hundred measures of oil.”
He forgave fifty.
“How much wheat do you owe?” The profit on wheat is a little smaller; clearly, he borrowed eighty measures of wheat, but when writing, it became a hundred measures. Now he says to write eighty, which also forgives the interest portion. Do you understand now?
In this matter, the master did not suffer a loss; now you understand why the master commended him, right? You should have done this; who told you to add on? Just write how much you borrowed; why charge high interest? So the master said: “You did right now.” He forgave the part of personal gain, Amen! Thank and praise the Lord!
The different profits and added interests are different; the profit on oil is the highest, almost added to half. The bills written are the payable amounts, which are the total amounts of oil or wheat. Such transactions are high-interest loans, but the bills do not show it at all. The master does not know this; one account book has two sides; when you look at it, you cannot see it, but in reality, it is not going this way; the master does not know this at all, and the account ultimately falls on the steward.
This is an unjust steward, very unjust, exploiting the poor. After the master learned about this, he called the steward to question him about this matter, proving that the master is just. If the master knew about this, would it be useful to report it to him? It would not be useful. If the master knew about this, there would be no need to question the steward; it is clear that the master did not know about this; it was the steward who did it himself. So after someone reported it, the master found this steward and said: “What have you done? Who told you to do this?”
We seem to understand some things. Although Jesus is talking about this, He is actually telling us: Everyone is the steward of the Lord Jesus, the steward of the Father in heaven. But there are two types of stewards: one is just, and the other is unjust. The unjust does not mean he cannot be saved; as I said earlier, this is spoken to believers. What happened to the unjust steward? I will explain this passage spiritually, and you will understand.
He placed the master’s will below and added his own will; this way, it becomes a burden for the hearers. Do you understand? If he had not added high interest, it would not have been so difficult to repay; it could even help his family through difficulties. But if it is high interest, the borrowed money becomes a burden for the borrower. If there were no interest, it could genuinely help them through difficulties; that was the meaning at that time. I am now telling you the spiritual meaning; many people, when serving others, add burdens, and this becomes a problem. Not only can they not help others, but they also become a heavier burden for others.
When this steward saw that he was facing dismissal, in order to secure his future, he called the debtors and rewrote the bills so that they would not have to pay interest, hoping that they would express their gratitude and take him into their houses. Isn’t this the meaning of the story? Do you really think this steward repented? He did not repent; he was planning for his future; in fact, he was still thinking of himself, just in a different way. When he did this, the master commended him because he expressed the master’s image; the master’s original intention was this. The master praised him for being wise because he restored the master’s original image.
In the modern translation, Luke 16:8 says that the master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness because in dealing with worldly affairs, the worldly people are indeed more shrewd than the children of light.
We have believed in Jesus and possess the wisdom of Jesus. You hold the Bible, which is the book written by the wisest person in the world, but now, looking around, how many Christians are truly wiser than the world? Instead, many Christians live less shrewdly than the world. The world knows to work diligently, do business, and everything may improve. But some Christians say: “We don’t need to do anything; we pray, and we can solve all problems.” It sounds very spiritual, but in reality, they have nothing. I have seen many such Christians who do not work, stay at home praying and reading the Bible. This is good, but what if they need to eat? What if they have no living expenses? They take out their bank card, and there is not a penny in it, praying every day, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, money come.” Is this approach feasible?
If you say this approach is feasible, do you still need to get up early and work? In this matter, they seem to be shrewder than the world, but in fact, this is the greatest foolishness. The Bible tells us: Be diligent in doing serious matters. Proverbs is a book about life and wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, there is an encouragement for the lazy: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.”
The ant has no captain, overseer, or ruler, yet it knows to dig deep and gather food.
Now, the person standing on the stage often urges you: Be diligent in doing serious matters; God wants to bless you through what you do. Do not think that I am saying too much and that it is not spiritual at all. Who is not spiritual? So, those who say this should go and look at the ant; see how the ant does things. There is no commander, yet it can do things on its own; this is a self-restraint that we should have.
The ant does this for itself, to have food in winter, so it starts preparing in advance. Don’t we know to prepare in advance? Many Christians, after believing in the Lord, become less insightful, losing even basic human relationships. Some even ask: “Teacher Ren, my family member died; can I cry?” Is this something to ask? I want to ask: Why can’t you cry? After believing in Jesus, have we thrown human relationships aside?
A Christian’s father died, and what the sons did was truly shocking; the whole village and surrounding areas knew about this family. They specifically hired a band, the church band, and sang for three whole days. The people in that village and surrounding villages said: “Look at this person who believes in Jesus; his father died, and he is so happy, singing for three days!” Where did human relationships go? Can’t you cry a little? Singing praises from beginning to end requires moderation!
We should bear good witness for the unbelievers. From a spiritual perspective, we should understand this, right? Perhaps some will say: “Teacher Ren, they are singing praises; what’s wrong with that?” One day we will meet again! After all, he believes in Jesus. We can understand, but the world cannot understand; we are to bear witness for the world. We, under grace, should have a better witness. Amen!
The children of this world refer to those who are extremely fame and fortune-driven; they show off in front of others based on their own understanding. Can’t we also show off a little in front of the world? Why must it be so abnormal? The children of light refer to the children of God; those who have something to gain lack true wisdom. They all know to prepare for their future; we are even less wise than them, and this is where we go wrong.
In this article, there are actually several stories. Jesus uses these stories to tell us one thing, and I will explain the spiritual meaning. There was a rich man whose steward represents Jesus or our Father in heaven, our God. We are stewards of God; there are two types of stewards: one adds their own will to God’s will, becoming a high-interest lender; the other manages according to God’s will. You should know that you are also a steward; I hope you all are good stewards.
1 Peter 4:10-11:
10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
What does this passage mean? Each one should minister to one another according to the gift received, which proves that after everyone believes in Jesus, they are stewards of God, of various kinds. Some may say: “Why do I not look like a steward?” Your children, your husband, you are the steward; in business, the whole company, you are the steward; as a school principal, the whole school, you are the steward. In the church, if you serve, it is even clearer; you are the steward of the whole church. What should we stewards do? We should serve one another, using what to serve one another? Serving one another refers to mutual service between people; I serve you, you serve me, not that you all come to serve me alone; that is incorrect.
It clearly tells us: If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. It does not say to talk about your trivial matters; many churches, when they get on the platform, start with: “You don’t know what happened last week? How, how, how…” It is all about their trivial matters. Last time I went to a place, a sister told me: “I can’t stay here anymore.” I asked, “What happened?” She said: “There is a sister who insists on giving a testimony before the sermon. She said she wants to tell God something. Everyone said, ‘Okay, you come and share.’ She said, ‘This morning, just as my husband and I were about to leave, his hand got caught in the door, and he bled a lot…’ That’s it! What kind of testimony is this? Does this testimony have anything to do with God? This is just something that just happened; it absolutely cannot be called a testimony. Amen! Such things should not be spoken in the church; they have no relation to God.
You can say something that just happened; this is okay, but you cannot say, “I am bearing witness for God.” What I mean by steward is actually this. Through this little story, you can see that many people, when teaching others, also talk about such trivial matters. “I did this, that happened at home…” Just say Jesus, or you can go aside. It says here that it should be spoken according to the word of God; you come here not to hear marketing strategies, not to hear how to make money, not to hear the world’s profound wisdom. You come to know more about Jesus, to let God’s word become strength, applied in your life, and then you will have living life. Amen!
If anyone serves, let him do it with the ability which God supplies. This proves that you should not serve according to your own strength; you cannot serve people. Serving will ultimately have a result, which is to glorify God in all things through Jesus Christ. If you serve to the end and it becomes your glory, you may be able to do everything, but that service is a failure. The unjust steward refers to one who adds their own will to God’s word, which instead becomes a burden for others. Many teachings given to you actually have no biblical basis; such teachings will burden you.
For example, some say you cannot eat blood; eating blood will send you to hell. Who told you that eating blood will send you to hell? When a family member dies, you absolutely cannot kneel or cry; if you cry, a ghost will come upon you. Who told you this? How can a ghost be so powerful? Can’t the Holy Spirit inside you protect you from ghosts? Many people have been wrongly taught and mixed teachings. Believers are stewards of the Lord of all; God entrusts His inheritance to us to manage. We are also stewards in God’s church. Not only should we make good use of God’s property, but we should also wisely utilize the gifts, positions, and influence that God has entrusted to us, with the purpose of glorifying God in all things through Jesus Christ.
Here, waste refers to: squandering, scattering, or adding one’s own things to God’s will; all of this is called waste. This steward, because he was not satisfied with what his master had given him, greedily sought more, which led to high-interest lending. Many people ask me: “Teacher Ren, can I lend at high interest?” I want to ask you: Is it permissible? Why not? The underlying issue here is one word: greed.
There was an elderly lady who believed in the Lord; her son had been in the army for many years and saved four hundred thousand. A friend of his said: “Can you lend me some money? I will give you a high interest.” He calculated that just lending for one week could earn him around forty to fifty thousand, so he lent all his savings to him. A week later, not only did he not get the principal back, but that person also disappeared. Later, it was discovered that this person not only borrowed from him but also borrowed from many others and ultimately ran away. He cried and shouted to his mother: “You pray to Jesus and ask Him to get my money back.”
Every time I encounter such situations, it is hard to make a decision; I do not know how to pray for him. I initially said: “Do not do such things; it is inherently greedy.” If he were not greedy, this situation would not have happened to him. This is wisdom spoken to believers. Even if one is an unbeliever, they should have this wisdom: do not be greedy, and there will be no such problems. Jesus does not wish for us to have money; He does not want us to be greedy because that can be fatal. This steward, precisely because he was not satisfied with what the master gave him, greedily sought more, which ultimately led to problems, and in the end, he could not even keep his job. Does the Bible have such examples?
2 Peter 2:15 says, “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
Do you know the story of Balaam? Let me briefly share it. Balaam was a prophet; at that time, the king who sought him said: “The people of Israel are a thorn in my side; if you have the ability, curse the people of Israel.” At that time, Balaam said one thing: “Wait a moment; let me seek God.” Did this matter need to be sought from God? No! Why did he want to seek God? It was because he wanted to, so he sought God, and God said: “Do not go.” This was God’s first answer.
He came out and pretended to say: “God has spoken to me; no matter how much you give me, I will not go.” Do you know what this statement means? It means: “You only offer this little money; do you think I will go?” This was the implication. The second time, they offered him more money, and he came over. If Balaam truly meant that no matter how much you give him, he would not go, he would have said: “Go back; I have already told you that I will not go for any amount.” But when he saw so much money and the beautiful promises, perhaps half of the kingdom would be mine, he said: “You wait a moment; let me seek God again.”
Why did he seek God again? Was he genuinely seeking God? He was trying to hear the answer that would allow him to go. When a person is filled with selfish desires, what they hear may not be God’s true intention; do you understand? Even if God does not speak, he will come out and say he will go. When filled with selfish desires, one cannot hear God’s voice; what they hear is merely the voice of their own soul, the meaning they originally wanted.
So when he went the second time, God said: “Go!” Balaam was delighted: “God has agreed.” So he went. Many people say: “Teacher Ren, God agreed to the high-interest lending.” What can I say? I say: “Okay, then you go do it!” I can only say that; God has agreed, can I not agree? As a result, he lost and said: “Why did God treat me this way?” I said: “When did God say this to you?” So Balaam went, and on the way, even the donkey could see the situation, but he could not see it. Why was he determined to go? In the end, the donkey even spoke: “Am I not the donkey that has served you from the beginning?” Balaam said: “Yes, but you blocked my path; I would rather kill you than lose you; if I lose you, I will gain many donkeys.” At that moment, the angel appeared, saying: “If it were not for the donkey, I would have killed you long ago.” This proves that Balaam’s heart, filled with the desire for wealth, was actually more stubborn than the donkey.
Let me tell you something serious: If one is filled with selfish desires and interests, the same outcome will occur; you cannot hear God’s voice and will instead walk further down a dangerous path. Later, Balaam indeed thought of some crooked ideas that caused the people of Israel to stumble, but what was Balaam’s end? He was killed. Now I want to tell you: This is waste. If you seek God’s will with greed, I suggest you hold off for a while because when seeking with greed, you cannot hear God’s voice. Even if God gives you the correct voice, you will think it is not; you will continue to pray and pray until God gives you the words you want to hear.
Many times, someone asks me: “Teacher Ren, can I do this?”
I say: “Do not do it.”
A few days later, they ask again: “Can I do it?”
I say: “Yes.”
Later, when they fail, they say: “You said I could do it!”
I say: “I told you not to do it the first time.”
They say: “But you said I could the second time.”
I say: “The second time, I said what was in your heart; you were always wanting that outcome, right? So I told you.”
God is an unchanging God; we should not waste what is holy. Let me share some matters about the church. The previous passage itself is what Jesus told His disciples. There is a kind of wastefulness; you see, all these things in our church are already set apart as holy, whether it is this table or the sound equipment; everything is set apart as holy. This projector is always used for church ministry. If we use it outside of gatherings, this is a warning for everyone: if we use it to watch romantic dramas or secular TV shows, this is a standard waste; do you understand? Everything in the church is contributed by brothers and sisters, and using it for personal matters is wasteful. Some may say: “The money was contributed by everyone.” Your own things should be separated from the church’s things.
When I first started pastoring, I lived in the church for half a year. I knew that was the church’s intention. Later, when the situation improved a little, I took the initiative to propose leaving because there are many believers with weak faith. They may not understand why you are living in the church. So, your own things are your own, and the church’s things must be the church’s; this must be separated. If not separated, it may become wasteful when used.
After Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand, He said to His disciples: “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Brothers and sisters, is this something that God created? But Jesus did not waste. Therefore, everything in the church must be cherished and protected; do not waste it privately. Do not say that this food comes too easily; throwing it away does not matter. In this matter, our sister Sun does very well; she keeps everything well organized, and some things are continuously utilized; this is what we should learn. In this regard, we should be better than the world. I saw a news report about food waste in China; the amount wasted in a year could feed 1.2 billion people for a year; the waste is particularly severe. We should not be wasteful people; although everything is freely given to us by God, we should not waste.
Now I will talk about matters regarding gifts, the church, and interpersonal relationships.
In verse three, the steward said within himself: “My master is taking the stewardship away from me. What will I do? I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.”
What does this mean? Does he not want to work? There is a spiritual meaning here: digging represents that when we leave the Lord, we have no strength in this world; begging refers to having no dignity in front of people. In other words, the one who truly gives you strength and dignity is Jesus. Without Jesus, where does your strength come from? Begging refers to the issue of dignity; even if everyone looks down on you, Jesus always looks up to you. The fear is that since Jesus always looks up to me, I do not need to look up to others. This is wrong; we should look up to others. Paul tells us: You must consider others better than yourself and emulate others’ diligence. Some worldly people are also quite successful; their conduct is also something we need to learn.
When this steward learned about this matter, he changed his original way of handling things and graciously forgave those added burdens. Just like what is now spoken of as the grace of Jesus Christ, it is not that we invented some new gospel; it is merely removing the burdens that people added in the past. This is what pleases the Lord, and this becomes good news for the debtor. If hearing the gospel makes you feel more burdened, the gospel must have been added with something; remove the part of high interest, and you will have help. Every person is a steward; sharing the gospel, sharing Jesus Christ is sufficient. Use God’s things wisely and do not waste.
Waste also refers to what? For example, some people receive God’s gifts but use those gifts to charge money. Why do so many people particularly want to receive the gift of healing? It is because of fame and the ability to charge money. Someone once did such a thing; this is something that God does not delight in. This is adding something else to the gifts God has given you, becoming high-interest lending. Originally, they were poor; how many people who are sick are wealthy? Why must they be tormented like this? Jesus never did such things; this is what we need to mention. Therefore, Jesus said: “If you are not faithful in unrighteous money, God will not let you do other things.”
We are all stewards of God; the meaning of steward is to manage according to the master’s will, and absolutely do not add your own will. Once you add your own will, others will feel that your master is harsh and severe, but in reality, what kind of master do we have? Let’s see how God describes Himself. The hymn we just sang said that our Lord is a God full of love, a God full of grace; let’s see how God describes Himself.
Exodus 34:5-6
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”
This is how God describes Himself; He is a God of mercy, grace, and not easily angered, a God of abundant love and truth. But today there are different voices; they say: “You always talk about God’s love and mercy; God is also a consuming fire!” They particularly want to try the taste of the consuming fire. Is there anyone who believes in Jesus and wants to try the taste of the consuming fire?
What is the purpose of believing in Jesus? It is to avoid tasting the consuming fire. As long as you do not believe in Jesus, you will eventually taste the consuming fire. Because the Bible clearly states: The wrath of God is upon those who do not believe. After believing in Jesus, mercy, grace, truth, and love are upon us, confirming that what you believe is correct. If we add something else to God’s word, it makes people feel that God is not good; if they feel that God is hard to approach, just provoking Him will have very serious consequences; you have believed incorrectly; God is not like that. Amen!
So the steward changed his way of life, and later the master commended the unjust steward. Here it does not mean that the Lord Jesus is commending him; in fact, the master is not praising his deceitful behavior; it is not that he added something else to his own words, but rather that he was wise in forgiving the part after he forgave the people. Amen!
The message we convey to others is that everything Jesus did on the cross has already forgiven all your sins. This should be the message we share with others. Thank and praise the Lord! This tells us that even the worldly people know to grasp the reality; this is actually Jesus’ evaluation, striving for security for themselves. Shouldn’t believers use wisdom to accumulate security and rewards for their future? Wise worldly people know to use the present opportunity to lay a foundation for the future; we are wise believers and should invest this life into the future.
Luke 12:33-34
33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
How should this passage be understood? Do not say: “After returning home, sell everything and give it to the poor.” Then you will have nothing and return to heaven with a lot of wealth! This passage, along with another passage, “If anyone is not willing to leave his house, children for My sake, he is not worthy of Me,” has the same meaning.
What Jesus means is: Do not put these things first; you should put Jesus first. If anyone is willing to give up everything for My sake, he will receive a hundredfold in this life, including parents, children, and fields; isn’t that a hundredfold? In the age to come, there will be eternal life. If you can truly let go of all these things in your heart and are willing to help the poor, God will not let you lose everything you currently have; instead, He will give you a hundredfold return. You will not only have a hundredfold return in this world but also eternal rewards in heaven.
If misunderstood, it could be troublesome. Because doing this prepares an everlasting money bag in heaven, that is why Jesus said: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This actually tells us: Place your focus on Jesus; He is the most precious and valuable treasure. If you take Jesus away, what use is it to have any treasure? Jesus Himself also said: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” This proves that your life is the most important.
Jesus tells us to put Him first. If Christians place money first, they will become unscrupulous, unkind, and unrecognizing of their own kin. The world has already become this way; only money is relied upon; is there any family or friendship? Because of greed, one can become unscrupulous. There is a saying in the book of Proverbs that I do not know if you understand: “The violent man gains wealth.” It is too easy to earn a lot of money; there is one method: be able to disregard your own kin, and you can definitely make money. Anyone who can use others as tools is a violent man who can gain wealth.
Do you want to become such a person? In fact, the Bible has a lot of wisdom that we need to understand. The world is like this, but we should know that the best treasure is Jesus Christ. Jesus does not want your money; instead, He hopes to give you more blessings. Hallelujah! Jesus hopes that we use money to make friends; the passage we just read tells us to use unrighteous money to make friends, so that when money fails, they may receive you into everlasting homes. It has already given us the conclusion. Unrighteous money here does not refer to money obtained through unrighteous means but refers to how worldly people turn money into God; we call it the god of wealth, which in Jesus’ time was called Mammon.
That is why Jesus said: “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” This matter is impossible. God hopes that we use money to make friends, so money is for you to use. The Jews know this very well; they never leave their children with much money or inheritance; instead, they give their children skills, give them God, and let their children know God, becoming wiser generation after generation, and the inheritance becomes greater. Chinese people are relatively kind; the previous generation works hard for many years and then gives their children wealth. How many rich second-generation people are willing to work honestly? Young people drive luxury cars; it is not that this is bad; in fact, it is not their own ability to show off; from our perspective, this is a shame. If your father does not earn money, what will you do? Or what if he has nothing? You will immediately fall to the bottom; God does not want us to be like this; He hopes we use money to make friends. Amen!
During the three and a half years of Jesus’ ministry, He often ate and drank; you can check the four gospels; I am not talking about a few instances, but many truths were spoken at the dining table. Do you know why Jesus preached this way? We hope to lead a person to believe in Jesus by bringing them into the church; this is just one way; this method is not the best. What is the best way?
For example, when men are chatting together, you cannot bring them here; it is very difficult for them to sit down and listen to a sermon for an hour. But there is one way: put two bottles of wine on the dining table, and two hours are no problem. I am not encouraging everyone to drink; I am just saying that what is your purpose in doing these things? This is a kind of wisdom. If after believing in Jesus, you no longer touch a drop of alcohol, your drinking buddies will no longer have the opportunity to be saved. Do not misunderstand my meaning; what I mean is, you can invite your friends over to drink together and share the truth of Jesus Christ at the dining table.
Many people are unwilling to believe in Jesus because their understanding of Jesus is incorrect. They say that believing in Jesus means not cursing, not hitting people; if others curse you, you cannot retaliate; do not smoke, do not drink, do not eat meat… In short, they have created many strange things, becoming outsiders, not partaking in human affairs. Many people also invite me to drink.
I say: “This time I will pay the bill,”
They are very happy and willing to listen. They offer me a glass of wine to express their gratitude.
I say: “Cheers,”
They say: “Believing in Jesus can also drink wine?”
I say: “Who told you that you cannot drink?”
They say: “Oh!”
Then can we chat?
We should use money to make friends; the meaning here is: first, you must integrate with them; then what you say, they will be willing to listen. You understand more than they do; they do not understand now, but you are willing to do this, using money to help them. At first, the world does not know who Jesus is; they think God is in heaven; what does Jesus have to do with them? They feel that God is up there, and what Jesus does has nothing to do with them. But when they see you, you invite them to eat, they feel grateful to you, and you say: “No need to thank me; you do not need to repay me; I believe in Jesus; I am willing to do this.” Then people will be willing to get close to you.
There is a strange phenomenon in many churches that I want to share. Many people, as their time believing in the Lord increases, have fewer and fewer non-believers around them. This kind of life is extremely dangerous; it becomes disconnected from reality. You should have many non-believers around you to have the opportunity to share the gospel and spread the word you have heard. If all the people around you are believers, your life will not improve much. Today’s message hopes that everyone can understand this. Amen!
Those who think about lending at high interest are thinking about how to make money. In the Lord, we may not understand why God wants us to do this: “I am clearly inviting others to eat, and the money is getting less and less.” Do not forget that if you are saving their souls and helping them, you are paying, and God will give to you. Some say: “I do not have much money; Lord, first give me some money, and then I can do this.” Remember: this statement is something a liar would say.
I once said this; I was deceiving God, but God already knew. At that time, I had a prejudice against preachers; in my impression, preachers were short, poor, and ugly. I said that I would rather die than become a preacher. Later, I discussed with God: “Lord, how about this? You give me wisdom to make money, and I will donate one-tenth to the church for them to do; I am willing to do this.” At that time, God really opened a way for me to do business. With one hundred dollars, if you take one-tenth, it is ten dollars. Is it difficult to persist in doing this?
It is difficult; do not say it is easy. I am talking about persisting in doing it once; anyone can do it. Persisting in doing it continuously is difficult. At that time, I did persist for two months. Later, I said: “Lord, donating every week is a bit much; can we do it once a month?” Isn’t this self-talk? God did not speak to me, so I took it as His agreement and started donating once a month. Later, I said: “Lord, one-tenth is a bit much; can we do one percent?” Do you know why I reduced it? Because the money was increasing. If you take ten dollars from one hundred dollars, you do not feel any pain; but what if it is ten thousand dollars? Then you will start to feel the pain.
Do not say you have no money; just start doing it from the least you have, develop a habit, and you will see God’s abundant blessings upon you. Earlier, I used the example of tithing; if you receive one hundred dollars and are willing to offer ten dollars, develop a habit of helping others without seeking return. **Do not say: “I treated you to lunch in the morning; you should treat me in the afternoon.” Just give to them, and God will give you more seeds. If you say: “I feel pain offering ten dollars from one hundred dollars!” If God gives you more, gives you ten thousand or even a billion, you will feel pain all over, so God will not give you that.
Why do many Christians who have believed for many years not see a turnaround in their finances? Now you know the reason. In this area, their faith is too great; they always hope to go from nothing to something, but God’s principle is: You sow, and I will give you thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold blessing. We should use money to help more people, willingly do it. It requires us to give; when we serve, we first give without seeking return. If you are calculating when serving, do not serve God; you cannot do it.
So God says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” What does faithfulness mean? It means doing as the master commands; do not have any other thoughts. Just believe; the Lord told me to do this, so I will do it. **In great things, you will also be faithful; in the least, you will be unjust. This refers to matters of money; if you are unjust in small amounts, you will be even more unjust in large amounts. Many people always hope to have more money; this actually speaks of the Pharisees, who are greedy for money and are unfaithful in money; they do not use money correctly.
You should meditate and not complain: “Why doesn’t God give me more?” There is a reason; even worldly people know to plan for the future. For example, they want to please you, hoping that when they have difficulties in the future, you will help them. They send you some small gifts, invite you to dinner, with the purpose that one day when they are in trouble, you will give them more. The world knows to give first, but some of us have particularly large faith in this area, knowing that you will help me in the future, but now I do not even acknowledge you. When I truly have difficulties, I look for you, and you say: “I do not know you.” Isn’t that pitiful?
This relationship must be established regularly. This is what Jesus tells us: we should be wiser than the world; the world knows to do these things. Do we not know to store up some inheritance for the heavenly kingdom? How to store it? As I said earlier, eating and drinking are things you enjoy, right? Is there a better job than this in the world? The Lord Jesus said: Use the money I give you to make friends; share the gospel with them, and you will be able to store treasures in heaven, accumulating a rich inheritance in heaven. God says: If you do this, I will give you more to do. What a wonderful job this is!
Many people are unwilling to take this step and cannot see what is behind it. I hope everyone can practice from small matters, experience God, live according to God’s will, and help people. Act within your means; do not do what you cannot do. Believers are to use money, not to be money hoarders, but to be good at using wealth, not wasting it. We are willing to use such wealth to make more friends; this is how we store treasures in heaven.
In the last two verses, “If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”
The original text does not have the meaning of money; it is: Who will commit the true things to you? This means starting with small matters, such as serving God. God does not want you to do more; first, start with finances, testing how much faith and faithfulness you have. Because a person’s performance in small matters is enough to reflect their attitude and ability to handle great matters. Can a person who cannot do small matters do great matters? Surely not.
The next sentence, “If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”
Now can you understand? This steward was unfaithful in his master’s matters; is he not also unfaithful in others’ matters? If you think he goes out, who would dare to give him their own things? Serving in the church is the same; if you are unfaithful in God’s matters, the world will certainly think you are unreliable. This is what we call wisdom; it is about how we conduct ourselves. Wherever Jesus went, He was always liked by people; may you go out and conduct yourselves in a way that is pleasing to the world; this is also what God delights in you doing. God bless you.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for helping every brother and sister through such words, knowing that we are all good stewards of Your manifold grace, managing all matters with the gifts of the Lord. Help us to use wisdom to handle matters; Lord Jesus is the most precious treasure. Help every brother and sister to use wealth to love others, to help more people, to sow seeds in heaven, and to accumulate a rich harvest in heaven. Thank and praise You! Bless every brother and sister; in Jesus Christ's name we pray, Amen!