#1180. Luke 16:1-8. The worst people can be our best teachers (4/11/24)

Luke 16:1–8

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. Today, from Luke 16:1-8, we reflect on how the worst people can be our best teachers because the worst people are often more skilful and focussed on getting what they want than are God’s children and this should not be!

Luke 16:1–8

To watch this devotional, select the link below

https://youtu.be/Yu7_r6an-eE

We can learn lessons from evil and bad people. Jesus, here, is using a shrewd but dishonest person to challenge us and teach us.

‘Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”’ (Luke 16:1-8)

Luke 16:1–8

i. The worst people can be our best teachers

You would have thought that we would learn only through good examples, but this is far from the truth. Even Jesus, as in The Parable of the Shrewd Manager shows, uses a bad person, who is shrewd in the wrong way, to provoke and teach us. The worst people can be our best teachers - because shrewdness for what is wrong can teach us shrewdness regarding what is right.

This man is worthy of our disdain, however, if we are humble, we can see some enviable traits that we are often missing:

Firstly, he knows his strengths and weaknesses. He says of himself, ‘My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg…’ Knowing our strengths and limitations is a part of being shrewd.

Secondly, He makes a plan and carries it through. He has a vision for his own future and works toward it. He gets practical and organised. Too often Christians fail to have vision and, if they do, they can fail to put things into practice. Having vision, a plan and getting organised is a part of being shrewd.

ii. Christians must learn to be shrewd or wise

Jesus ends this section by saying challenging us:

‘“For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”’

The worst people can be our best teachers. May this man, and people that we often dislike in this world, provoke us to, like them, be shrewd. But, unlike them, shrewd - wise - for the right things and the glory of God.

The worst people can be our best teachers because the worst people are often more skilful and focussed on getting what they want than are God’s children and this should not be!

Let’s pray together

“Lord Jesus, you want to teach me to be shrewd. You promise that if I lack wisdom and ask for it, you will give it. Please fill me with the wisdom that get’s things done for your glory. Amen.”