A. The parable of the unrighteous steward in Luke 16:1-13 presents a curious example of a mischievous man who demonstrated an admirable characteristic.

B. Let us consider this parable and observe the lessons that the Lord applied from the story.

II. THE PARABLE OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS STEWARD

A. A rich man's steward was called to account for squandering his master's possessions (Luke 16:1-2).

1. As a steward, this man was given the authority to buy, sell, lend, and collect on behalf of his master. He was trusted by his master to make wise use of his possessions.

2. When the steward was called to give an account for his stewardship, it was an opportunity for him to explain the performance of his duties. If he could not give a satisfactory explanation, then he would lose his stewardship.

B. The unrighteous steward devised a plan whereby he could provide security for himself (Luke 16:3-7).

1. Because the steward had no excuse for wasting the master's possessions, he knew he would lose his stewardship, and no one else would trust him after his recent performance.

2. The alternatives to stewardship were not appealing to the steward.

a. He said, "I am not strong enough to dig." He was likely unwilling to dig, for he was not accustomed to manual labor.

b. He also said, "I am ashamed to beg." His pride prevented him from assuming the role of a beggar.

3. Therefore, the steward determined to benefit himself by making one last abuse of his master's resources before he was forced to give up his stewardship.

a. He made bargains with his master's debtors whereby they would settle their debts by repaying only a portion of that which they owed.

b. By doing this, the steward endeared himself to his master's debtors and ensured himself that they would repay his favor later. He had nothing to lose by doing this, for he had already forfeited his stewardship and lost the trust of his master.

C. Although the master had been defrauded, he praised the unrighteous steward for his shrewdness (Luke 16:8).

1. The master was impressed by the way the unrighteous steward had made the most his opportunity to secure the favor of others. The master must have wished that his steward would have used the same shrewdness to faithfully execute his stewardship.

2. The master's praise notwithstanding, it is understood that the unrighteous steward did indeed lose his stewardship for having defrauded his master.

III. LESSONS

A. The Lord derived four specific lessons from this parable.

1. Let us be careful not to make the wrong applications of this story. The unrighteous steward's wastefulness and abuse of his master's possessions are not commended by the Lord.

2. Instead, let us consider the four lessons taught by Christ in verses 8-13.

B. Lesson 1: Act shrewdly and prudently with your responsibilities (Luke 16:8).

1. The Lord is telling Christians that we have something to learn by observing how worldly people work to accomplish their goals.

a. The unrighteous steward was clever and creative in achieving his goal. He found a way to turn a bad situation for himself into one that benefitted him.

b. It is this type of cleverness and creativity that Christ commends to us. The "sons of light" need to be just as shrewd to achieve their spiritual goals as the "sons of this age" are in achieving their worldly goals.

2. A similar message is given in Matthew 10:16 -- "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."

a. The Lord said this to the apostles when He sent them on the Limited Commission. Notice that Christ was not advocating fraud, deceit, or dishonesty, but he was encouraging the apostles to be creative and take advantage of every opportunity.

b. The Lord Himself often practiced such shrewdness by turning questions back on people who asked with dishonest motives or by changing the topic of a conversation to the disadvantage of His enemies.

c. The apostle Paul left some good examples of such shrewdness.

i. There are several examples of Paul using his Roman citizenship for his advantage (at Philippi -- Acts 16:35-40; at Jerusalem -- Acts 22:25-29; at Caesarea -- Acts 25:11).

ii. Another example is when Paul divided the Pharisees against the Sadducees by making the resurrection the main point of his trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1-10).

C. Lesson 2: Make friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness (Luke 16:9).

1. Like the unrighteous steward, we should take advantage of fleeting riches to make friends.

a. Consider the Lord's use of the term "mammon of unrighteousness" to describe riches.

i. This term should instill a healthy fear within Christians of the corrupting power of money. Money itself is neither good nor bad, but the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil (1Tim. 6:10).

ii. It is evident that the Lord intended for us to make use of the "mammon of unrighteousness" even as He and His disciples did (John 12:6), but that use must be for righteous purposes.

b. Notice the certainty of the failure of riches. It is not "if they fail," but "when they fail."

c. Let us realize that we are simply stewards of the Lord's temporal blessings, for He has authority over all things (Matt. 28:18). Like the unrighteous steward, we should share our Master's resources with others to gain their favor and to gain His favor.

2. The friends we should make are those who will receive us into eternal dwellings.

a. Certainly, we can use money to gain favor with almost anybody. However, the Lord did not advise us to seek friendship with everybody.

b. If we follow Christ's instructions, then we will seek the favor of those who dwell in heaven now (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and those who will dwell there in the future (our fellow Christians).

D. Lesson 3: He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much (Luke 16:10-12).

1. While we are in this world, we are on trial to prove that we can be faithful with God's blessings.

a. In this application, the unrighteous steward's failure is emphasized, for he lost his stewardship after proving to be unfaithful to his master.

b. Our stewardship is over the "unrighteous mammon" that is under our control. The faithful use of that "unrighteous mammon" was demonstrated in the second lesson -- "make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness."

2. If we fail in this trial, then we will forfeit our opportunity for true riches.

a. Notice the contrast of "unrighteous mammon" with the true riches of eternal blessings.

b. The consequences of our choices here on earth are profound. If we prove ourselves to be unworthy stewards now, then we will lose our chance for heaven.

c. Notice Matthew 25:21, 23 -- "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'"

E. Lesson 4: No servant can serve two masters (Luke 16:13).

1. In this verse, mammon is personified as a living master who competes with God for our service.

a. Mammon is an inanimate object that has no will of its own, but we make it a powerful master when we combine it with our own lust for worldly things.

b. Notice Philippians 3:19, which describes the enemies of the cross of Christ, "whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things."

2. The Lord teaches us not to be deceived, for it is impossible to serve both mammon and God.

a. Many are attempting to live this lie as they satisfy every worldly appetite with mammon while making a pretense of serving God. This is an insult to the Creator.

b. Such persons are victims of their own deceit, for God is the only Master of heaven-bound souls.