BiblicalMastery Buddy's bible blog

Lesson 46

Where Is Integrity?

Luke 16:1-18

There was a story on the news today of a teacher who has been charged with fraud and theft.  Who were her victims?  They were the children entrusted to her care in the classroom.  She is accused of stealing books and supplies over a period of time.  This kind of incident shakes our trust in mankind.  Over the last year there has been charges that the governor our state has received gifts and money from a man who hoped to receive favors for his company from their close friendship.  Both he and his wife have been indicted by the Federal government.  The president according to the polls has lost the trust of the people because of making false statements about one of his primary pieces of legislation. The question then becomes is there anyone who has integrity?  It seems that our political system has been compromised.  This is symptomatic of the lack of the moral fiber that once permeated our society.  It would be great if we could once again have leaders who rise out of a culture that view  honesty as a way of life.  Men like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln grew up in that kind of environment and went on to lead this country during very difficult times.

The church is certainly not exempt from this problem.  All we have to do is look at the scandals that have been reported over the years.  Because of the immoral actions of some leaders in the church people have lost their trust in them. Then there are the cults who present all kinds of false teaching in order to enhance their hold on those who do not take the time to study God’s Word for themselves and take time to discern the accuracies of the teaching they hear.  This is not a new phenomenon. The writers of the New Testament wrote about this issue over and over again. Jesus in our lesson today also had to make it clear how He felt about such behavior.

Luke 16:1

Jesus had directed His previous conversation toward the religious leaders.  He then turned to His disciples to share the next parable. The scene was set for them.  The parable began with the description of two primary characters.  There was the rich man who may have been an absentee owner who had turned over the management of his assets to a man who may have been a slave.    

1. Why did Jesus sometimes turn exclusively to His disciples? (It was something He specifically wanted to teach the disciples.)
2. Why would He exclude the religious leaders? (They would not listen to what Jesus had to say.)
3. How might this tie in with the previous parables? (Remember how Jesus left the elder son? (The jury was still out whether those men would respond to the teaching of Jesus.)
4. Why would this situation have been familiar to the disciples and all of the people? (This was a common practice in Israel and had been spoken about in other parables.)

Luke 16:2

The owner received some disturbing news about the manager.  Evidently he had been mismanaging the possessions under his care.  This is the very thing of which the prodigal son was guilty.  The slave had wasted the assets of the rich man.  He may have made some bad investments or even used them for his own personal gain.  There is even the possibility of fraud in which he directed funds into his own personal accounts.

1. Why did the owner have to hear from others what the manager was doing? (He may have been absent during the time the activity was going on.)
2. What did it mean for him to accuse the manager of squandering his property?
3. How may the man been mismanaging his master’s assets and have not been caught previously? (Those defraud others do it in small amounts so it will not be missed.)
4. What would indicate that he had been doing something illegal as to oppose to just being incompetent? (The owner may have forgiven him for lack of business savvy but not criminal activity.)

Luke 16:3

The response of the manager shows a total lack of regard of his master. Of course, when he was misusing what was not his he had never considered that his actions would result in his dismissal from his position.  The only thing that bothered him was the uncertainty he faced concerning his future.  He immediately determined that he was too weak to dig and to proud to beg. His life of ease had ill prepared him to do any physical work. 

1. How did he view his master? (As a means to and end.  There was no respect for him.)
2. What was the last thing he thought would happen to him?
3. How did his attitude match that of so many today? (There are no consequences to our actions.)
4. What did he really mean by being too weak to dig and ashamed to beg? (There was a lack of humility in those words.  Those tasks were beneath someone of his stature.)
5. How would you describe those who have the same attitude today?
6. In what ways are so many ill prepared to face the challenges of today?
7. What happens to a society that has lost the will to work or the humility to take any job to provide for themselves?
8. What are some positions that you would refuse to do?

Luke 16:4-7

The unscrupulous manager came up with a plan to ensure his future.  He contacted all of those who worked his master’s land and owed him rent.  Rent on land in that day was paid by giving a certain amount of the harvest as payment.  Possibly unknown to the owner of the land the manager continued to handle some of the accounts. Being in charge of the accounts the manager called all of those who owed the master to him.  He then made a deal that would make them grateful to him and active participants in his scheme. Later when he might need help he could be assured that they would help him.  Because they agreed to the arrangement he could blackmail those who did not cooperate with him.  They were allowed to pay only a portion of their debt and he wrote off the rest and considered the debt paid in full. He set the following payment plan. To the one who owed:

• One hundred measures of oil he only had to pay fifty
• One hundred measures of wheat he paid eighty

 

Their actions meant they were just as much a thief as the manager.

 

1. What do you think of the actions of the manager?
2. How was he able to continue to working on the accounts? (He must have been very familiar with those who owed money so he was able to go behind his master’s back in carrying out his plan.)
3. What do you think of the men who owed the money?
4. What were the possible consequences of their decision to defraud the owner of what was rightfully his?
5. What are the consequences of actions that you have done that are like what the men did?

Luke 16:8

Surprisingly the master praised the manager for his actions. He seemed to admire how shrewd the man was in carrying out his plan.  His reaction shows that the owner himself was also a man of the world. Jesus’s lesson was that the men and women who operate according to the standards of this world have a much greater passion to achieve their goals than those who claim to be godly individuals are at seeking those things that benefit themselves and others.  The world seeks the temporal with great diligence.  The church falls short of striving for those things of eternal value. 

1. What does the attitude of the owner say about him? (He was also a man of the world and admires the methods of anyone who can make money even if done illegally.)
2. What was the lesson Jesus was trying to teach? (Men of the world have more passion trying to obtain their goals than those of the church.)
3. Why do church members lack the passion for the teachings and ways of Jesus? (We have possibly become too much a product of the world.)
4. What should we take away from the words of Jesus?
5. What are the long lasting consequences of taking the two different roads described in this verse?

Luke 16:9

This is a description of those, who like the prodigal son and the manager who try to obtain friends by the use of the wealth he has.  In the case of the manager he prepared for the future by making sure that there was those who would take him in after he lost his job.  It must be understood that unless treasure is saved up in heaven then a person will reap the results of an ungodly life and spend eternity in hell.  It is a choice that every person has to make, either life or death.

1. What is the major activity of much of the world? (To secure a place in the world.)
2. How do you use the things God has given you?
3. What kind of people are there who can be bought?
4. What was the difference between the prodigal son and the manager? (One squandered his money the other use someone’s else’s wealth to provide security for himself in the future.)
5. What was the end result of the actions taken by both men? (the young man found salvation while the manager gained the world and lost his soul. Both were going to spend eternity somewhere as a result of the life lived on earth.)

 

Luke 16:10-13

Jesus then got to the point of the parable.  It was the lesson He wanted His disciples to understand and the Pharisees to hear.  The whole idea of wealth was about to be turned on its head.  The Jews believed that the accumulation of wealth was proof that a man was righteous. Jesus pointed back to both the wealthy man and the manager who looked at the wealth from the perspective of the world and were not good stewards of the possession with which they had been entrusted.  Jesus says that if a person cannot handle whatever is of this world in a righteous way why would God entrust him with His eternal treasures.  It was very clear that one who is controlled by the desire to achieve worldly fame and fortune has as his master those things.  Those who seek those things from above is truly serving God.  Man cannot no matter how hard he tries can serve both equally.  Jesus even goes so far as to use the characteristics of devotion and despising to describe the relationship.  

The wealth about which Jesus spoke was not just tangible physical goods, but something just as important.  Each person has been given certain gifts and abilities by God.  To squander those is the lack of being faithful in small things.  Those gifts and abilities will be taken away if not used for God’s kingdom.  As one matures them God will provide greater and greater opportunities for him to share them with others for mutual benefit.

1. What was the point of Jesus’s parable? (He was speaking of being faithful with what He has provided.)
2. How does this fit the idea of integrity? (To misuse what He has given is dishonest.)
3. How do we fail in being faithful in little things?
4. What are the riches God has provided? (Gifts and abilities and in some cases material wealth.)
5. How does He want us to use those things?

Luke 16:14-15

The words of Jesus struck at the core of the Pharisees belief system. As mentioned above the Jews equated wealth with righteousness.  The Pharisees considered themselves to be righteous men so they felt that wealth they had acquired had been given to them because of their goodness.  When Jesus began to undermine that perception the Scriptures said that they derided him which literally meant to turn their noses at Him.  He had put them on the defensive and the only way to justify themselves was to attack the teaching of Jesus.

What Jesus said to them next in a way might be a variation of the old saying that a person can be fooled by the actions of those like the Pharisees for a while but God can never be duped.  God knows what is in the heart of every man. The very things that man substitutes for God are the very things that God will detest. He will not have anything come between Him and man.

1. Why did the words of Jesus make the Pharisees so angry? (They believed wealth and goodness went hand in hand and who was more righteous than they were?)
2. In what ways do we sometimes get trapped in thinking the same way?
3. What did they do to show contempt for the teaching of Jesus?
4. How did Jesus respond?
5. How does God feel about anything that man puts before Him?
6. What are some of the things in your life that you may have put before God?
7. How did God bring you to the point when you realized to do so was wrong?

Luke 16:16-18

From the time of Moses the Law had been the authority in the lives of the Jewish people.  Over the years the Scribes and Pharisees had significantly changed the law by incorporating into the oral and written traditions which was their interpretation of what the Law meant. With the arrival of Jesus He began preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God.  Although facing opposition from the religious leaders those who viewed as law breakers were greatly attracted to what Jesus said.  Jesus indicated to all parties that the provisions of the law were still in effect for all people.  

To make a point he spoke about one of the Ten Commandments that was only to be followed in a very watered down way. There were so many divorces taking place during that time that many women were refusing. Jesus meant by His words that the breaking of that commandment meant that the law was meaningless.  He did not come to eliminate the law but raise the standards of living as He had done in the beatitudes. 

1. What did Jesus mean by the Law and the Prophets? (The written word and the oral tradition that had been established from the time of Moses.)
2. What had the Scribes and Pharisees done to the Law over the years? (They had put their own interpretation on it making it oppressive for the people.  It had become almost impossible for them to be followed.)
3. What was different about what Jesus did when He came onto the scene? (He began to speak of the kingdom of God.)
4. What was His position on the law? (It was still be to upheld and not changed in any way.  The law could stand on its own without all of the oral traditions that had been added to it.)
5. What did Jesus’ teaching on the commandments do? (It raised the bar on how they should be followed.  It was the spirit of the law not the letter that was to be a guide for the way people were to live.
6. What had the religious leaders done to the law dealing with, not committing adultery? (Marriage in the Jewish culture could be ended for any reason.  A silly example could be a divorce could be granted if a wife were to burn the toast.  That would be what was considered a just cause and a writ of divorce could be given to the wife.)
7. How do you view the Ten Commandments today?

    

• Remember that the teachings of the Bible are meant for everyday living.
• Work at every task you are given as if it is being done for the Lord.
• Make sure that all you do is done with integrity
• Remember that part of the riches that can either be wasted or used properly are the gifts and abilities that God has given you.
• Do not look at any task as insignificant for God may be looking to see if by handling it you can handle greater responsibilities.
• Keep the spirit of God’s commandments and not just the letter of the law.  Your attitude is the foundation of serving God with joy.

As stewards of the greatest gift has given we are to be trustworthy in our presentation of it.  The gift of course is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Depending on our words and actions the outside world will either be drawn to the church or repulsed.  They are looking at us with a critical eye expecting us to fail as do all other entities with which they are familiar.  All we have to do is look at polls to see how few trust organizations of all types.  We need to make sure that we do everything in our power to make Christ attractive to a hurting world.  Without hope there is chaos. With hope and trust lives can be transformed.  It should be our goal to be received into the fellowship of our Father because of our desire to serve Him with all of our hearts.

The world seems to admire those who have achieved important positions, material success, and power and influence.  Sadly those who have reached the pinnacle of world recognition are quite often without peace and happiness.  All they have to offer is a temporary fix for an eternal problem.  We in the church have the good news that will provide them with salvation that is greater than all this world has to offer.