The overarching message of Luke 16:1–13 is this: For a Christian, faithful and sacrificial giving is to be a way of life patterned after the life of Jesus. As Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the gracious giving of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
- Read Jesus' parable in 16:1–8a. The steward almost certainly was writing off the profit he could have made had he asked the debtors for the whole amount. Discuss whether the following is a good explanation of Jesus' story: Any sensible person, even one dead to God, should be able to see that it is wise to use more-temporary resources of this world to strengthen more-lasting resources.
- Jesus' first application of the parable is in 16:8b–9a. What was his point?
- What was Jesus saying to his followers in his second application, found in 16:9b?
- Jesus spoke of financial stewardship as a way of life in his third application, in 16:10–12. What do you learn from him?
- Jesus addressed the most fundamental issue about stewardship in his fourth application, in 16:13. What did he assert? What do you learn?
- How do you intend to respond to Jesus' teaching? (Allow 16:14–15 to be a warning.)
2012 Study Series • Copyright © 2012, Lake Avenue Church