Read Luke 16:1-9.
As we have studied the parables of Jesus, what have you appreciated about the parables Jesus told? How does a better understanding of the parables of Jesus help you to know the heart of Jesus?
The parable of the Dishonest Manager is known as one of the most difficult parables of Jesus to understand. What questions do you have as you read this story?
The manager is silent in response to the accusations that are made, which seems to communicate guilt as he asks himself the question, “What shall I do?” When was a time in your life where you have asked the question, “What shall I do?”
D.A. Carson points out that the phrase “in/to himself” combined with some verb of saying, thinking, or realizing, appears at significant junctures in three other Lucan parables: The Rich Fool (12:17), The Prodigal Son (15:17), and The Judge (18:4). Why do you think this turning point is repeated in several of Jesus’ parables?
There are a lot of theories around what the manager was doing when he altered the debts, but he is called “dishonest,” so it seems best to assume that he was not acting uprightly. What is the motivation for this deception?
There are not really any surprises in this parable until we get to verses 8-9. What is your response as you read these verses?
It is key to see that the manager is praised for his “shrewdness,” not his unrighteousness or dishonesty. Why do you think Jesus tells us a story that highlights his desire for his followers to be “shrewd”? How can our eternal security result in us not being “shrewd?”
As we have seen several times in these parables, Jesus came announcing the Kingdom of Heaven. Here, Jesus reminds us that the temporary resources that we steward can be utilized for eternal purposes. How does that reality challenge you today?
When you read a passage or hear a sermon like this regarding your resources, do you hear a call to sacrifice or an invitation to invest in the kingdom? How are those two attitudes different for you?
Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and reflect on the final words of verse 19, “so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” Pray that God would give you a heart to desire His kingdom above all things, and eyes to see the opportunities to invest in eternity with the temporal things you have been entrusted with today.
