Luke 16 begins with a somewhat puzzling parable from Jesus - a steward is about to be put out of job by his master. In desperation, he decides to act dishonestly by cutting his master’s debtors debts, hoping to curry favour with them, so that they may employ him after he is out of job.

But the master commends him for his shrewdness. So are we to emulate him or not?

What’s more, Jesus goes on to teach in Luke 16:9 - make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon (money), that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. What does He mean here? Can money really save us?

Looking at Jesus’ mini-conclusion in Luke 16:13, it is clear that Jesus is not telling us to go and pursue money. Luke 16:14 reveals that Jesus was teaching these things in the hearing of the Pharisees, who were lovers of money. The same Pharisees who in the previous chapter complained that Jesus received sinful men (Luke 15:2).

I think the takeaway is this - if you know how to be shrewd when it comes to material things like money, do you know how to be similarly shrewd when it comes to entering the kingdom of heaven? The Pharisees felt sure of their own salvation, even looking down on other sinners. Like the hare who raced against the tortoise, they rested on their laurels and did not realise that those that they looked down upon as sinners were the ones actively coming to Jesus to seek the kingdom of God.

Others were pressing into the kingdom of God, and if they didn’t possess the same attitude, they were going to be squeezed out.

What is this attitude? It is the eagerness, even desperation, that can be seen by one using any means at their disposal, even their material possessions, to secure their entrance into the kingdom.

Rahab and the Gibeonites in the book of Joshua come to mind (Joshua 2, 9). Because of their fear of the God of Israel, Rahab resorted to treason and the Gibeonites used trickery to ally themselves with the Israelites. This clearly showed their priorities and wisdom - they knew it was worth giving up everything in their present lives, because if they did not act immediately, they were going to die.

And on the other end, Jesus gives a warning at the end of Luke 16 in the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man’s brothers were likely all similar to the rich man himself - unconcerned about spiritual matters, headed towards destruction.

And what is most striking is Abraham’s words about them - that they wouldn’t listen even if someone were to rise from the dead to warn them about their imminent doom (Luke 16:31).

It may seem preposterous that one could end up so apathetic to their spiritual life, such that one remains unmoved even in the face of clear supernatural warning - like someone coming back from the dead to warn you!

But before we dismiss this parable as being not applicable to us, let us consider. We may have experienced the working of God in our lives before, and even received the Holy Spirit - who testifies that Jesus has indeed risen and returned to the Father (John 16:7, Acts 2:33).

But has this translated into a constant zeal and fervour in entering the kingdom? Would we be able to risk it all, just like Rahab and the Gibeonites? Are we willing to give up our wealth and make huge changes in our lives, like Zacchaeus? Or have we been ensnared by the cares of this life, and become sluggish, like this rich man and his brothers?

Let’s reflect on this one question today: What is one thing I really should be doing for my spiritual life, but just haven’t gotten around to it?