Luke 16:1-13 - Week of Sept 16th - 22nd

1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.

“Squandering his property” – this is the exact phrase that was used in chapt 15 to refer to what the younger son did with his father’s money.

2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.’

I have always assumed the manger was caught mismanaging the master’s money, but he is being called to account based on rumors. The Master fires him and then requests for him to make an accounting.

3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.

The man is concerned about his future. He does not have the skills for physical labor and too much pride to beg. He has to come up with a plan.

4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’

So he devises a plan . . .

5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’ 7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’

His plan is to create goodwill among those with whom his master does business. He cuts their debt, so that they will be grateful to him and willing to help him out later when he is in need.

8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.

This is the really odd part. The master commends him for his shrewdness. I can only think of two reasons he might do this. First he is a man who recognizes the ingenious nature of what the manager has done, and even though it not entirely in his best interest he can see the wisdom in what the manager has done. The only other thing I can think of is that by cutting the debts the manager has made the master appear generous, so not only did the manager build goodwill for himself, but he has also created goodwill for the master.

Then Jesus speaks to his audience and tells us that children of this age are shrewd in dealing with each other, the children of light not so much.

9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.

What does it mean to, “make friends by means of dishonest wealth”? Literally “Make friends for yourself out of unjust mammon.”

In the NIV it says, “use worldly wealth to gain friends” So perhaps this means simply that it is alright to use worldly wealth, that which we gain here on earth to benefit your relationships.

What does “welcome you into the eternal homes” the word “eternal” makes us want to think about “heaven or hell”  but the greek phrase “age-enduring/lasting might not necessarily mean that 
The word here for "home" is actually "tent or dwelling" - so the idea of a lasting tent. A tent that does not go away. - a place to be that will not be moved or taken away. 
If this is in comparison to the relationships the manager builds by cutting the debt - perhaps lasting tents or lasting dwellings are relationship that will stay even when the money does. Relationships built on generosity. 
Luke likes themes of generosity and hospitality - the manager's generosity assured later hospitality. So we are to build relationships of generosity and hospitality.

10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.

As much as we don’t like to think money has anything to do with our spiritual lives, it seems that the conclusion is that if we use our money wisely – being faithful with very little – means that we can be trusted with things that actually matter. Likewise we should not be dishonest or squander out money – believing that how we handle our money has nothing to do with our spiritual lives perhaps – will mean that we cannot be trusted with things that really matter.

11 If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?

So how we handle the things the world around us values does have a reflection on our spiritual lives. Handling things of earthly value well means we can be trusted handling things of spiritual value.

13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Even when we are handling the valuable things of this earth, we can not mistake them as being things of true value. We can not turn our attention from God to values of this earth. Once we begin to look to earthly wealth and riches and place them in the rightful place of God in our lives we are making them God. Use worldly wealth to further the kingdom, but do not get distracted with worldly wealth, or make it the focus, then we are attempting to serve God and wealth (“mammon”).  We become like the Israelites who built the calf and said this is the god who brought us up out of Egypt.