ADULTS STS LESSON 117 THE UNJUST STEWARD AND THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
MEMORY VERSE: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much” (Luke 16:10).
TEXT: Luke 16:1-18
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church and final Judge of all men, points our attention to specific issues of eternal consequence in this parable.
One, that servants of Christ shall definitely give account of their stewardship (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10; Luke 16:2).
Two, that faithfulness is required in the service of the Lord. While faithfulness will be rewarded, unfaithfulness will be judged (Matthew 25:21,22,24-28).
Three, He exhorts against dishonesty and unfaithfulness in stewardship and reemphasizes God’s standard on marital relationship.
Four, He admonishes believers on the need to be wise in making diligent preparation for their eternal estate.
Thus, the study highlights the importance of Christian prudence in our earthly pilgrimage. The certainty of the day of reckoning calls for sober reflection and a need to make necessary preparations to invest in eternally profitable and rewarding ministry.
1.CENSURE AND CRAFTINESS OF THE UNJUST STEWARD
Luke 16:1-9; John 14:30; Revelation 12:10; Matthew 21:28; Mark 16:15; Romans 12:6-8; 2 Chronicles 16:9; 2 Timothy 3:13; Jude 23; Ezekiel 3:18- 21; James 5:20; Romans 12:11; 1 Timothy 6:12.
“And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods“ (Luke 16:1). The rich man can be likened to the Lord while the steward is like erring servants of the Lord. The steward was accused of wasting his master’s resources. Commitment to God’s service, diligence, paying attention to details and faithfulness in spiritual assignments are essential virtues expected of believers (1 Corinthians 4:2).
“And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward” (verse 2). Every believer will give account of their stewardship to the Lord because He has saved us and committed the service of the Kingdom into our hands. The centrality of this service is the Great Commission. His command is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature“ (Mark 16:15). The parable implies that God evaluates the participation of every member of the body of Christ in evangelism and other ministries such as praying, singing, ushering, teaching, caring and giving their contribution to the salvation of souls. The statement: “thou mayest be no longer steward” nullifies the claim of the false doctrine of eternal security. To remain acceptable as God’s servants is solely dependent on our obedience to His word and faithfulness in keeping to His standard. The believer’s security is conditioned upon continual abiding in Christ (John 15:1,2).
When reports came to the rich man that his steward had been unfaithful, he confronted him immediately with the allegation, which he could not deny. Perhaps, the unjust steward had thought nobody knew about his unfaithfulness and wastefulness. Judgment came and he was put out of service. He soon discovered that he had lived in self-delusion.
The steward did not plead or argue with his master but surreptitiously summoned his master’s debtors and wrote off part of their debts so that when he is disengaged, they might assist him. “So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty” (Luke 16:5,6). He was cunning, crafty and unfaithful, and plunged deeper into sin. He was also stealing, he chose the worst option – stealing. He was unjust. Out of the three options of digging, begging and too lazy to dig and was ashamed to beg; therefore, he colluded with his master’s debtors to falsify the records of their indebtedness. He was slothful and dishonest. The Scripture condemns slothfulness but enjoins us to have the right attitude to work. “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord“ (Romans 12:11).
“And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely…” (Luke 16:8). The commendation is not an approval of the negative action of the unjust steward, but a challenge to believers on positive application of wisdom and the use of resources to advance and promote their spiritual and heavenly interest. Unfortunately, worldly people are more earnest and determined to pursue their personal interests than believers do towards their eternal well-being. The Lord said, “…the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). As the children of this world pursue wealth at the expense of their souls, children of God should lay hold on eternal life at all costs (1 Timothy 6:12).
“And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations” (verse 9). Mammon was the name given by the heathen to the god of riches. Jesus Christ did not justify unrighteousness or dishonesty in the handling of money. What is implied in this parable is that we should use our wealth to lay treasures in heaven so that we can receive rewards in eternity. It points a believer to the need to be prudent in making preparations for eternity while making the right choices in life. Our goal should be a better life in heaven through righteous and faithful service to the Lord while on earth.
2.CONDEMNATION AND COMMENDATION AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT. Luke 16:10-17; Romans 14:10; Revelation 2:10; 3:16; Luke 13:24
There will be commendation for faithfulness and condemnation for unfaithfulness. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much“ (Luke 16:10). Basically, God has given us natural talents, which He expects us to use for His kingdom’s good. Natural wisdom, intelligence, personal skill, professional training, time, property and money are God’s special endowments meant primarily for the work of the Kingdom. Likewise, the spiritual gifts that the Lord has given us are to be used to edify the body of Christ. God will require from us on the judgment day, how we used these endowments for His glory. “...For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ“ (Romans 14:10). Our accountability to God also involves financial matters. Because the unjust steward had not been faithful, the door of a greater service was shut against him. God expects faithfulness from His children even in what humans may regard as insignificant. The Scripture says, “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life“ (Revelation 2:10).
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (verse 13). The Lord reiterates an eternal principle here: there is no middle path in the highway to heaven. We either submit fully to the lordship of Christ and make heaven or we live the kind of life that is displeasing to Him and be rejected (Revelation 3:16).
“The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it“ (Luke 16:16). The law and the prophets refer to the Old Testament. The whole Scripture is the revelation of God to man. Books of men project the thoughts of man’s finite mind but the Bible reveals the mind and will of God to man, the way to heaven, the righteousness required of heaven-bound pilgrims, the rewards that await overcomers and the recompense for those who reject its message of salvation. Anyone without the knowledge of the Scripture is considered to be ignorant. No man’s education is complete if he or she does not have the knowledge of God’s word (1 Peter 1:25).
3.CONSEQUENCE OF VIOLATING THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE
Luke 16:18; Genesis 2:18-20,22-24; 1:27,28; Matthew 19:4,5; Ephesians 5:31; 1 Corinthians 7:1,2,25-29,32, Romans 1:26-28; 7:2,3.
“Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery“ (Luke 16:18). Marriage as a holy union is God’s idea and not a derivative of any culture. At creation, God ordained that “…a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In marriage, the man leaves his parents and in a public act, pledges himself to his wife. They are joined together by taking responsibility for each other’s welfare and by loving each other. The two become one flesh in the intimacy and commitment to the union, which is reserved for marriage. By so doing, marriage provides the needed fellowship, comfort, companionship and partnership. It is one of God’s methods to keep men and women free from fornication and adultery.
At the inception of the institution of marriage, God declared the pattern and parties involved: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:27,28). Marriage is between a male and a female and it is God’s means of establishing the family. All other variants of marriage outside the pattern approved by God are aberrations and abominations.
In essence, polygamy, bigamy, polyandry and homosexual marriages are perversions of God’s sacred institution of marriage. As revealed in Scripture, individuals, groups, communities and nations engrossed in the practice of same-sex marriage, and whoever justifies, promotes or propagates the practice, transgresses the commandment of God and is liable to His judgment. Paul by inspiration wrote to the Romans: “For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet” (Romans 1:26,27). It should be recalled that God overthrew the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of sodomy and He still hates and condemns such immoral and abominable lifestyle today.
Marriage is binding for life. Under the New Testament dispensation, no one has a right to divorce and remarry while the first companion is alive. “And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery” (Mark 10:11,12). “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man” (Romans 7:2,3),
The unmarried should be guided by God’s standard on marriage and those who have married wrongly should make the necessary restitution to escape God’s judgment. The sanctity of marriage should be maintained by all and sundry.
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW:
- Why is it important for servants of Christ to be faithful? 2. Give reasons the unjust steward was dismissed from his employment.
- What are the key teachings of this parable?
- Explain why Christ does not approve of the steward’s dishonesty and deceit.
- Why should believers avoid the dangers inherent in turning wealth to god?
- What is the Scripture’s position on divorce and remarriage?
- What is the consequence of violating the sanctity of marriage?
