Four Radical Things Jesus Said About Money: A Look at Some of His Most Puzzling ParablesSample

Jesus was a master storyteller. If today’s passage had you scratching your head or rereading parts and wondering, “What is the moral of this story?” that’s exactly what Jesus intended. It’s a trademark of his parables. 

The story we’re looking at today starts with a setup that should feel familiar by now: someone (us) is temporarily managing money that ultimately belongs to someone else (God). At some point, the manager must explain what they’ve been doing with the money they’ve been in charge of. Jesus’s first-century audience was probably nodding along as he began this story and thinking, “Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard this before.” 

But then he takes the parable in an unexpected direction. As the money manager cuts deals to reduce how much the debtors owe, the audience probably assumed this guy was about to get in big trouble. 

Instead, the money manager is commended—and praised. 

Huh?

This story introduces a concept so big, it’s hard to get our minds around it. Jesus is giving us a whole new way to view our money: it is a tool and a test. For most of us, money is the goal. We’re trying to earn more, save more, and buy more with it before we die. With this parable, Jesus is urging us to think about it differently. 

Like the already-fired money manager, you have a little time to make the most of what you have before it’s gone (or more accurately, before you’re gone). Like him, you should be asking: What can I do with my right-now resources to make a long-term difference? 

Will the financial goals you’re chasing right now mean anything beyond your bookended life? Or, to put it another way: In the end, will you want more stuff or more stories?

Your answer to that question reveals the kingdom you’re most devoted to—either the kingdom of this world where the winners turn their money into stuff, or the kingdom of God where winners turn their money into stories of loving others. It’s a test you can pass if you begin thinking about your money like God does.