Monday, 8 April Luke 16:1-31
Written by Dr Graham Leo. ©2019.
This chapter – quite a long reading, but we have to get through the whole of Luke, remember – deals with the question of money, wealth, riches. In my NIV Bible, you would easily miss this if you relied on the section headings. Again, they are quite distracting.
Jesus tells two stories, each beginning with the same phrase: There was a rich man… (v1 and v19). Knowing Luke’s careful composition, we must say this is not accidental – especially when we realise that in between the two, there is that short sentence (v14): ‘The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.’ Clearly the point of the first story is against the love of money for its own sake. Otherwise the Pharisees would not have been sneering.
Some people struggle with this first parable, wondering why Jesus would condone fraudulent behaviour. Well, of course, he wouldn’t. The shrewd manager is just a character in a story. The rich man, who had been cheated by his manager, nevertheless recognised the man’s cleverness. He had used his master’s money to ensure that he had made some good friends who would look after him after he was dismissed.
It is this point that Jesus picks up on – not the immorality of the deed. He advises the disciples to also use money – the currency of this world – to gain influence in the coming (or the parallel) kingdom. Money is useful, but it is a terrible master. Unless we own our money and manage it, it will own us and manage us.
In fact, says Jesus, money is so powerful it is like a god. In v 13, Jesus clarifies his thoughts for us. We can either serve money or serve God. But you can't serve both. Please note! Jesus is not saying that money is bad. He is merely saying that it is powerful.
Money is not the problem; people are. And this is the point where Luke tells us that the Pharisees sneered. Why? Because they loved money. And according to Jesus’ previous comment, they cannot therefore love God. You simply can’t love both, he says. You can love God and use money, but you can’t love money and love God.
Then he says, in a continuing comment, that the reason for this is that the Law and Prophets won't pass away. The least stroke of a pen will not be removed from the law. Now, my NIV Bible puts this under the heading of “Additional Teachings”. I think this means the editors didn't know what to do with it and think it probably doesn't belong here. But if we allow Luke the respect due to him as a scholar, (not to mention the Holy Spirit’s inspiration) we can see that this comment neatly binds both parables together.
There is a great deal to be said about money in the Old Testament. I don't have space for a full examination of that here, but in the barest of terms, wealth was always used well in the Old Testament when it was used generously for the sake of the poor.
If there is a poor man among your brothers… do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward him. Rather be open-handed and freely lend him whatever he needs. … Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart. … Deuteronomy 15:7-11
The same passage goes on to talk about how to treat indentured servants who have served out their time. When you release him, don't send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing-floor and your winepress. (15:13-14)
The thrust of the Torah, the Old Testament law, was that riches were there to do everyone good, not to line the pockets of a few. Unless we read this paragraph of Jesus in its context with both the parables in this section, we miss his point entirely.
The second parable is another well-known one, the story of the beggar Lazarus. We should not use it to try to build a theology of what Jesus thought heaven and hell were like. It’s a story, not a primer on the after-life.
What we must take from it, though, is the theme that is consistent with the first parable and Jesus’ comments in the middle. Anyone who heaps up wealth for himself, and does not actively care for and help the poor is in deep trouble. The rich man could have used his money ‘to make friends for himself in the next life’. He could have lived generously.
Please note, this is not a new teaching that Jesus introduced. We have absolutely no warrant for saying that Jesus taught us a new ethic, to care for the poor and oppressed. In his own words, when the rich man begged to let his brothers know about this novel idea that he should have been kind to the poor, Jesus says: ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ (v29)
There is nothing in the words of Jesus regarding the poor, and our obligations to the needy, that was new. If you wonder why we should read the Old Testament, here’s the reason. If you're not familiar with the teaching of Moses and the Prophets, you're likely to not make it to heaven! If that’s not a good enough reason to include Old Testament readings in every church service, and in our daily reading, I don't know what would be.
Jesus then puts in the absolute clincher to this argument, especially for us who live this side of the resurrection. If you can't be bothered with Moses and the Prophets, he says, you won't be bothered with the words of someone who rose from the dead.
Ouch! Old Testament reading time, anyone? One less song repetition, one more reading?
I'm not absolutely certain why Luke inserted into the middle of this chapter that stray sentence about marriage and adultery, that you probably were hoping I’d mention. But if we were to follow the logic of our argument, that Jesus/Holy Spirit (through Luke) is giving one clear, continuous teaching, we might conclude something like this:
If we divorce ourselves from the Law and the Prophets, and wed ourselves to the idea that we only need to bother with the words of Jesus and the apostles, we are being unfaithful to our first husband or wife, the Word of God given through Moses and the Prophets – what we call the Old Testament. Now that’s a thought worth pondering!
Prayer: Forgive me, Father, for not paying enough attention to the Old Testament. Perhaps also forgive me if I have allowed other Christians think that it didn't matter very much. I see now that you think it is very important. I commit myself to reading your Word – all of it. Amen.
