Making Friends with the Unrighteous Mammon
"You don't talk about money, you just have it," as the saying goes. Interestingly, the Lord talks about money and how we should deal with it in many places. The 16th chapter of Luke, where the Lord tells the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... of the unjust steward, is just one example.
Who is meant?
In chapter 15 the Lord was speaking to tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1). They were lost and needed to be found in order to be saved. In the following three parables, the Lord makes it clear that all three persons of the Godhead are seeking to save lost sinners:
1. the Lord Jesus seeks,
2. the Holy SpiritThe Holy Spirit is God, a divine person in the Trinity of God; in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit works, for example, in creation or on individuals. The Holy... seeks
3. and the Father receives.
In the parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... of the unjust steward, the Lord turns to his disciples (Luke 16:1). He is speaking to those who have already been found and who must live for him who has found them. In this parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people..., the Lord makes it clear to them, and to us, how we should think about money and what behavior is valuable in His eyes.
The unjust steward
The parableA parable is a pictorial representation of messages that are not directly stated and require interpretation. God already used parables in the Old Testament to convey messages to his people... itself is not difficult: a rich man has a steward. But instead of managing his master's property for him, he squanders it and is therefore dismissed as a steward. Fearing for his future security, the unjust steward devises a clever plan: because he can't dig and is ashamed to beg, he goes and generously forgives some of his master's debtors' debts. In this way he makes them his friends, hoping that they will take him into their homes when he is no longer a steward.
We too have been entrusted with a possession over which we have been placed as stewards. This includes our skills, our time, and our energy, as well as our material possessions, our money, our houses, our cars, etc. (cf. Luke 15:12). The question is: what do we do with it?
Thinking about the future
The calling of the Church is heavenly, not earthly. The blessings we can already enjoy are of a heavenly nature (Eph 1:4,5). Our citizenship is not on this earth, but in heaven, "from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is..." (Phil 3:20). When he comes, he will bring us into the eternal glory of the Father's house. But even now, while we are still on earth, our thoughts and efforts should be directed upward (Col 3:1, 2). This should then be seen in our actions by the people around us. What do people see in us? What distinguishes us from those around us who do not believe in a living God? Is our behavior an obstacle to their faith? A brother writes: "What is it that so spoils the witness of the disciples today? That believers live mainly for the present moment! Such behavior ruins not only the sinner but also the disciple because he lives only for himself and his circumstances. It is impossible to glorify the Lord in this way".
The unrighteous mammon
In the following verses (Lk 16:9-12) the Lord speaks of "unrighteous mammon". He uses an Aramaic term that refers to possessions, especially money, in a derogatory way. Apart from the fact that this money is described as "unrighteous", the Lord tells us three other things about money:
- It will one day come to an end (Luke 16:9). This may be in our lifetime, through whatever circumstances, or at the latest at the end of our life. Money and everything else we have here on earth is temporary. "For we brought nothing into this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed..., and we can certainly carry nothing out" (1 Timothy 6:7). But the finite is contrasted with the infinite, or what remains. When we think of the heavenly future, we ask ourselves how we can use what the Lord has entrusted to us here on earth in such a way that it has value for heavenly eternity.
- It is a stranger (Luke 16:12), that is, it does not belong to us. We may find it very difficult to accept this perspective. Isn't it my salary that I get for my work? We treat our hard-earned money as such. Well, we probably find it relatively easy to be generous with other people's money. Too often we run the risk of thinking of what we own as our own. But that only seems to be the case. The wisdom of a discipleDisciples are students and followers. Examples are disciples of the Lord (Mt 8:23), of John (Mt 11:2), and of the Pharisees (Mt 22:16). A disciple learns from his teacher, abides... lies in seeing it as his master's. When we do this, we can act in faith with the greatest possible freedom towards the future. We can deal with it as freely as the unjust steward did with his master's goods. Of course, we do not do this independently of our Lord, but ask him what he wants in both small and large matters.
It is certainly not difficult for us to understand the Lord's mind. However, it is certainly not possible to generalize about what this should look like in our lives. Do we want to support other brethren or the Lord's work financially? Then we ask ourselves whether we can live more frugally or, if necessary, give up things in order to give more money to the Lord. Do we want to be able to build up and encourage others spiritually? Then let us ask ourselves if there are activities in our lives that are unnecessarily taking up energy and time that could be better spent elsewhere. Let's ask our Lord to give us guidance and wisdom to walk in a way that pleases Him.
Make friends
We should make friends with unrighteous mammon. Why? Because one day it will come to an end. But what we should set our minds on are the imperishable things. Where should we make friends? In the eternal tabernacles – and that undoubtedly means heaven. How can we do this? By using the possessions God has entrusted to us in His way – responsibly and with an eye to eternity.
Then, above all, we make the Lord Jesus our friend. He makes himself one with the worries, needs, and demands of his disciples. Whatever we do for a person here, we do for the Lord (cf. Mt 25:40). He sees it when we sacrificeA sacrifice/offering to God (or deities in pagan religions) that differed in occasion, purpose, and form. The most important sacrifices required by the Old Testament law include burnt offerings, grain... present advantages for eternity – whether it is our time that we do not spend on ourselves or our money that we do not spend on ourselves. What will it be like at the Judgment Seat of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is..., when He shows us the effects of what we have done for Him here, but whose fruits we have not seen? We can be sure that we will be pleasing to him. "Well done, good and faithful servant; you werefaithful over a few things,I will make you ruler over many things. Enter intothe joy of your lord" (Mt 25:21). And what a joy it will be for us to hear these words! But what a joy it will also be to see those for whom our work and sacrifices have been offered!
