In this episode, Bryce breaks down Luke Chapter 16.
Chapter 1: What is the focus of Luke Chapter 16?
What's going on guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce and today we're on Luke chapter 15, day 16 of the 24 day Luke challenge where every day we're reading a chapter of Luke. So by the time you get to Christmas Eve, you would have read the whole gospel of Luke. Guys, we're getting so close to the end. It's been such a fun podcast.
Before we get into it, guys, January 19th, 6 p.m., first ever live podcast show. Go get your tickets at JesusInTheStreet.org. It's in Los Angeles. I want every one of you guys there. So come out. It's going to be a fun time. It's going to be awesome. But we're going to dive right in to Luke chapter 16 here.
We're going to read a parable and we're going to listen to a couple different parables here. And it's going to be powerful. So let's read this first parable together. He also said to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, what is this that I hear about you?
Chapter 2: What is the significance of the parable of the dishonest manager?
Turn in the account of your management for you can no longer be the manager. And the manager said to himself, what shall I do since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.
So summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, how much do you owe my master? He said, a hundred measures of oil. He said to him, take your bill, sit down and write 50. Then he said to another, and how much do you owe? He said, a hundred measures of wheat. He said to him, take your bill and write 80. The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness.
For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwelling. So right now, Jesus is giving a parable about money. OK, now, when we look at money from a biblical standpoint, money isn't inherently evil.
The love for money is Jesus is very clear. The Bible is very clear that greed, the love for money is evil. Not money itself. Money inherently isn't evil. It's a very neutral tool. And so there are a lot of things in this world that are quote-unquote neutral that can be sinful, but also aren't necessarily sinful in itself. And so we're watching Jesus talk about it here.
And he says, "...one who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." I've found that when we can be faithful with little in our finances in times where, you know, things may be tough, like when the Bible says to give back 10% of our money, like that, that's a no brainer. Like we automatically do that.
Like we must do that. That's just a commandment from the Lord. And then everything else we hold open handedly and we give generously. We're radical givers. Right. And I think when we look at this story and I've known from personal experience, when, like when, whenever, uh,
we are able to handle our finances and very little whenever we are able to trust God trusts us with little and he sees that we're good stewards of that little then he can take us from a place of little and as we start growing he watches us steward much more and so if you can be trusted with little you can be trusted with much because money can corrupt people
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Chapter 3: How does Jesus view the love of money?
Money is a neutral thing, but the love for money can corrupt people. And it is corruption. The love for money is. I mean, Jesus below here is going to say, we're going to see in verse 13, one of the most popular verses about money. But man, the love for money is such an interesting thing because money is a tool that God uses to calibrate our heart.
And so if God can trust us with little, then he can trust us with much. And if we can be faithful and steward the little, then when he can trust us with much, we can be faithful and steward much. Verse 11, if then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust you to the true riches?
So then Jesus is saying, look, if you couldn't even be trusted with earthly riches, steward that well and not let it sit on the throne of your heart, then how can you be trusted with things that are not of this earth? That is very heavy, very heavy. And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that as which your own?
Chapter 4: What does it mean to be a good steward of finances?
He's like, okay, now, if you had a job to do and you couldn't even be faithful and steward what was someone else's and that was your job, then how can you be responsible and steward your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
You can't have two things sitting on the throne of your heart. Like God doesn't split rent on the throne of your heart. The Holy Spirit doesn't share a bedroom of rent in your heart. Like God wants all of your heart. And if God has all of your heart, then the things that are below us, like money, which is a neutral thing, will be stewarded and honored well. Because we honor God with it.
But if money sit on the throne of your heart, then it's all you care about. You live and breathe the money. You die for money and none of it will go to the grave with you. And then when you stand before God, you'll realize that all of your effort was, was in toil was for nothing. And it was worthless. The Pharisees who were lovers of money heard all these things and they ridiculed him.
Chapter 5: Why is serving two masters not possible?
And it's so interesting how the Pharisees love everything that Jesus is in total opposition to. Like they, they hate the tax collectors and sinners. He loves them. They love money. They have a love for money. God hates, God is like, no, no love for money. It's just so interesting. And he said to them, verse 15, you are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your heart.
He doesn't look at the outward expressions. Like, yes, like we need to clarify something here. Like oftentimes what we believe, the Bible says out of the mouth comes from the abundance of the heart. So oftentimes our actions are a byproduct of our heart and what we believe.
But there are also times when people do things for show, do things for the approval of man, do things, well, it's just because I'm supposed to do it. But God says, look, I look past all of this willy-nilly action stuff, and I look at the heart. And from the heart, I can tell if your actions are true. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.
This is just confirmation that everything that the world exalts, God is totally against. Like the world exalts sex. The world exalts drowning away in alcohol and drugs. The world exalts fame and status over being known by God.
Like, let's go back, you know, like, you know, a couple few chapters before now when Jesus is looking at the 72 after they've come back here in Luke and they're like, yo, they got to listen to you, Jesus. And he's like, look, like, it's cool that the demons listen to you, but rejoice over the fact that your name is written in the book of life.
And he's like, man, these people on this earth, they're more worried about making themselves known than just being known by the one who created them, the one who instilled breath inside of their lungs, the one who will write their name in the book of life, who knows the amount of hairs on their head. That's the deal.
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Chapter 6: What is God's perspective on worldly values?
The law and the prophets were until John, John the Baptist saying the law and the prophets were up until John the Baptist. Since then, the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone forces his way into it. He's saying, look, now people are trying to make their way into it.
But look, the way you get into the kingdom of heaven is by believing in Jesus Christ, putting your faith and trust in him. But I love this. He's saying like, look, the law, the prophets, John the Baptist was the last of his here. But now you have me, who is the good news, who died and resurrected, who doesn't abolish the law, but I've fulfilled it.
Like there's this first part of God's plan, which is great and wonderful. And then the second half of this plan is Jesus Christ fulfilling it. And I love how he closes this out. He says, but it's easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the law to become void. So he's not neglecting the law. Like a lot of people think that Jesus disregards the law and contradicts himself.
Chapter 7: How should Christians view money and wealth?
He doesn't. He actually says like, look, the law is important, but by loving me, and treasuring me, obedience to the law of my commandments naturally come. That's why Jesus says the greatest commandment is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. He sums up all 613 laws and 10 commandments into this one that says just love me and you'll obey them all.
And then he says this, everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. Now this is like laws about divorce, but it's not just sort of randomly placed in here. He's giving an example here saying like, sometimes the Pharisees give excuses for divorce. He's like, no, they've stayed the same.
And like, look, I'm telling you, they've stayed the same. This is coming from me because I am the good news. I haven't abolished it. Like the divorce laws are the same, but listen, I fulfilled it. I have fulfilled it. And now we're about to hear a story here to close out chapter 16. He says, there was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
Purple linen, purple cloth was one of royalty. Okay, so this man was rich and of high status. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus covered with sores who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. I mean, he's just taking what he can get. The crumbs, the leftovers. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.
It's like it was so much so he couldn't get any attention from anyone that the dogs would come and lick his sores to try to heal him. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. So although in this lifetime, this poor man Lazarus had nothing, barely had any food, no attention, or even the animals would lick his sores, yet his treasure was in heaven.
His heart and faith and trust was in Jesus. He suffers not anymore. The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. Jesus is giving a clear warning here not to put your faith and trust into the earth. Now, things of the earth, like we said, money is inherently neutral.
It's not necessarily sinful, but the love for money is. And when we allow things of the world to sit on the throne of our heart, that's when they're evil is when they're on the throne of our heart. There are many things in this world that are simply tools that we can enjoy. But if God is on the throne of our heart, then we're good.
But this man had everything else on the throne of his heart other than God. But he looks up and he sees Lazarus, who was physically broke, had nothing in this lifetime, but was spiritually flourishing. And on the other hand, you have this rich man who is physically flourishing, but spiritually bankrupt now. And he doesn't recognize it until he's in the position.
And he called out, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in the water and cool my tongue. He's like, look, Lazarus was out there. He was in need of help. You never gave it to him, but now you're asking Lazarus for help. But Abraham said, child, remember that in your lifetime you received good things in Lazarus and like man are bad things.
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