Using our resources to make friends – 16 July 2009

Jesus told his disciples: There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.  So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig and I'm ashamed to beg - I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.' Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.  I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Luke 16:1-9 [NIV]

I like this story, not least because of its shock value! I’m sure Jesus loved using images that shocked people, to make them take note. We can still be shocked today…. can Jesus really have meant that? How can the manager be called shrewd when dishonest?

But I think that is the main point, to show us the relative value of money and friendship and that we should use all our resources in reaching people.

A non-Christian friend often commented that he thought Christians were stingy, as his offers to buy rounds of drinks for them weren’t reciprocated. Gaining friends for ourselves can be something that non-Christians do better than us, even if it is from selfish motives.

It sounds a rather stark statement, to “use worldly wealth to gain friends”, but that is what Jesus said.

Knowing the value I put on money, if I were to have Christ’s attitude then friendship would have a much higher priority for me. It’s something I should give a lot more attention to.