Luke 16 - December 23, 2022

Today's Scripture: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/111/LUK.16.NIV

Welcome to the Daily SOAP from New Hope.  This is Paul Brooks, your guest host for today.  I hope you are having a good day.   

Today we will explore Luke 16.  If you haven’t read it yet, you might want to do so now.  I will be focusing on Luke 16:1-15 and, specifically, Luke 16:9 from the NIV version. 

Scripture – Luke 16:9: [Jesus said,] “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

I am drawing here a passage from The Parable of the Shrewd Manager.  Let me set the stage.  We learned in Luke 15:1-2 the following: 1Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus.  2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  We can surmise from a passage later in Luke 16 that The Parable of the Shrewd Manager was shared at this same time.  So, Jesus is speaking to the detestable tax collectors and other sinners (like us) and is teaching about “true” wealth versus “earthly” wealth while the Pharisees sneer at Him. 

Like some other parables, this one made me think twice.  In it, a rich man calls in the manager of his estate, accuses him of wasting his possessions, and summarily fires him.  The manager, worried about his future, then proceeds to contact his master’s debtors and forgive large portions of their debts.  He does this to curry favor, hoping that his future will be better for that favor.  These are debts owed to his master, not to him personally.  In our world, this would set off a string of police filings, lawsuits, legal expenses, social media rampaging, and overall ugliness.  Yet in this lesson, the master actually commends the manager for these actions because he had acted shrewdly.  Jesus goes on to say, “8For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.  9I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” 

What is Jesus saying to us here?  This sounds confusing.  I think he is contrasting our way of life as “People of the world” with the life we should lead as “People of the light”:

Our Earthly World – “People of the world”

Shrewdness often means figuring out how to get more out of others for our own benefit.

Take care of yourself at others’ expense. 

The Goal is to attain worldly wealth and other “valuables”. 

Jesus’s Perfect World – “People of the light”

Shrewdness is blessing others who, like us, have debts to pay – just as He blessed us and forgave our debts through his birth, death, and resurrection.

Take care of yourself by living like Jesus.   

The Goal is to follow His Commandments and Example, and so attain eternal life with Him.

On its face, this seems to be a money-related lesson.  Jesus ends this parable as follows: 13 “No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and money.”  But there is more to this lesson than simply money. 

Luke goes on to write in verses 14 and 15: 14The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.  15[Jesus] said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts.  What people value highly is detestable to God.”  This, in my opinion, goes well beyond money.  What did the Pharisees value, and what does our society still value, in addition to money?  We value respect.  We value status.  We value power.  We value consideration.  We value positive feedback.  We value like-mindedness.  We value things that build us up on the eyes of other human beings.  We lock them in the treasure chest of our souls.  Sometimes we count them.  And where we have been “slighted” or “shorted” or “affronted”, we write that down and track it as one of those worldly debts.  It’s all part of our personal “portfolio” … our “treasures.” 

But what does Jesus tell us to value?  The list is long, but it starts here, from Matthew 22:37-40: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like unto it, love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

In this season of Christmas, as we approach that glorious day after tomorrow when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, maybe we should take a minute and think about those “treasures.”  Who owes us a worldly “debt”.  Who do we hold accountable for any of those worldly assets?  How can we forgive them of that burden, thus unburdening ourselves in the process? Wouldn’t you treasure the gift of “forgiveness” by someone you had offended in some manner?  I know I would.  After all, God gave us the greatest gift of all – full free forgiveness and a welcome into “eternal dwellings” with Him.   

As Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

I invite you to pray this with me. 

Almighty and most merciful Father.  I am too quick to focus my attention on the treasures of this world.  I store them in the vault of my soul and pull them out and count them as valuable items.  These “assets” include the “debts” I perceive others “owe” me.  Like money or status, I pull them out from time to time and recount them, often to make myself feel better, or more “righteous” in some way.  But, in reality, they tear me down.  Doing so is not what you command of me – to love others as myself.  I am sorry and I want to do better.  Please forgive me and help me be more like you.  As you forgive me, let me also forgive others of these worldly things, and in doing so glorify you.  And, even more so, let me be a blessing to my neighbors in other ways.  Let me be part of your ministries, bringing your Gospel, your help, your love to all who need them.  As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, help me remember that you came to be with us that we might know you, to listen to us, to walk in our shoes, to care for us, to teach us, to die for us, and through your resurrection, to live with us now and through eternity.  I pray this in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

This has been the Daily SOAP from New Hope.  We hope you will join us to celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning or both.  But wherever you are, Celebrate!  God is with us!!  God is with you!!!  Rejoice!!!!

I’ll leave you with a poem by Phillips Brooks titled, Christmas Everywhere. 

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight! 

Christmas in the lands of the fir-tree and pine,

Christmas in the lands of the palm-tree and vine,

Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white,

Christmas where the cornfields stand sunny and bright. 

Christmas where children are hopeful and gay,

Christmas where old men are patient and gray,

Christmas where peace, like a dove in flight,

Broods o’er brave men in the thick of the fight; 

Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight!

For the Christ-child who comes is the master of all;

No palace too great, no cottage too small. 

Paul Brooks

. . . . . We hope you have a blessed Christmas! We invite you to worship with us this Christmas Eve at one of our Worship services, Saturday, December 24th at 3, 5, or 7 pm, in-person or online at https://www.findnewhope.com . And Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25th in English or Spanish at 11 am in-person or online. Go to findnewhope.com to plan your visit! Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study