The Manager Who Knew What Time It Was

More Thoughts on Luke 16:1-13


Jesus tells a strange story in Luke 16. And something about feels wrong, at least at first — the kind that gives Sunday School teachers a mild migraine. It is about a dishonest manager who, despite being a scoundrel, ends up being commended.

Let’s look at the story.

There was once a rich man who discovered his manager had been playing fast and loose with the books. The numbers did not add up; the reports were not good. So he called him in and gave him the news: “Turn in your accounts. You cannot be manager any longer”.

The man had a problem. A real one. His future had just collapsed.

What would you do if you knew your time was almost up?

He thought it through: “I am not strong enough to dig” (he had, it seems, the constitution of a man who had spent more time managing numbers than lifting anything heavier than a pen). “And I am ashamed to beg” (his pride, unlike his accounting, was still fully intact).

Then he had an idea. Not a moral one—a strategic one. He called in his master’s debtors, one by one, and began slashing their bills.

Most likely, he was reducing his own commission or adjusting the terms in a way that cost him but gained favor. Either way, the result was the same: He rewrote their futures, and more importantly, he rewrote his own. Because now, everywhere he went, doors would open and favors would be returned. He had used his present position to secure his future. He was, in the oldest tradition of successful business, playing the long game.

And Jesus says—astonishingly—that the master commended him. Not for his dishonesty, but for his shrewdness.

That is the key. Jesus is not praising the man’s character; He is pointing to his clarity. This man understood something many of us miss: He knew what time it was. He knew his situation was temporary and his position would not last, and he acted accordingly.
The uncomfortable truth? The problem is not that the manager was shrewd. The problem is that God’s people often are not.

Money Is a Tool—Not the Goal

Jesus then draws out the lesson: “Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings”.
Money is not the point; it is a tool—a small thing with surprising leverage.

If money belongs to you, you will hold it tightly. If it belongs to God, you will use it wisely. You cannot take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.

The Real Investment

So how do we use it well? We invest in people.

We do this indirectly; by supporting the work of the Gospel so others can reach people we may never meet. We do it directly, through generosity, kindness, and intentional relationships—not with the frantic, awkward energy of someone trying to force a conversation, but with thoughtful, consistent care.

We do not do this to earn a place in eternity; Christ has already secured that. We invest because we already belong to Him.

A Question of Loyalty

Jesus ends with a warning: “You cannot serve both God and money”. You will serve one and use the other. If you serve money, you will use God when it is convenient. But if you serve God, you will learn to use money well.

This is not really a story about money. It is a story about seeing things as they really are. It is about understanding what is temporary and what is not. The dishonest manager understood his moment. He knew his time was short. So he used what he had with an eye to the future.

Jesus is asking us to do the same—not in the way he went about it, but with wisdom he showed. Because in the end, this is what matters.

You cannot take it with you, but by investing it wisely, you can send it on ahead.