Title: The Wisdom and True Steward
Contents
♡♥♡ A wise and true steward / Luke 12:42
*** Introduction
There was a rich old man who was praised as a ‘good man’ by the villagers. One day, a rich old man from a neighboring village came to visit. The rich old man in the neighboring village,
“I think I’ve lived a life just like you, but I don’t know why I’m being bullied as a ‘coupon’ and you’re respected by the villagers. Do you have any special secrets? If there is such a thing, please let me know.”
He asked about the secret of a life that is praised. Then the rich old man who was praised,
“There is no special secret. Because I am a God-fearing person, I only think that the possessions I have are not mine but are entrusted to me by God. So, not for me, but for society and for others, I just share a little of my wealth as God wants me to.”
answered. The poor old man said, 'The money I've worked for all my life isn't mine, and I use it for other people... ' He muttered, making a face as if he couldn't understand at all. After that, the life of the poor old man did not change, and it is said that when he died, it was a lonely funeral with few neighbors visiting.
We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us by living on this earth for a short time for eternal life. A steward is someone who manages another's property. In other words, Christians are people who manage what God has entrusted to them, not what is given to them. That is why 1 Peter 4:10 says, “God has given each of you special powers, use them to help one another. Share God's overflowing blessings with others. In this way, you can take good care of the gift that God has given you.”
Let's look at the text again.
“Who is a wise and faithful steward, saith the Lord, who will give his master over his servants, distributing food in due season?”
While this verse teaches what a steward should do, he is also looking for people to fill this office. It is like watching the scene where the prophet Isaiah is called. In Isaiah 6, God said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” He was looking for someone to do God's work. Then Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.” Responding to God's call, he volunteered as God's steward.
The stewards of Israel at the time were delegated some authority by their masters to manage the servants of the household and to manage the storehouses to manage the property. A barn is a place where food is stored. Since the steward was entrusted with the management of the shed, he had to distribute food to the servants of the household at the appropriate time. In this way, the steward had to be wise and loyal because he had to manage his property as well as be in charge of his education.
1. Who is the steward?
The Greek word for 'steward' is oikonomos (οικονομο ), which means 'housekeeper'. This manager does two main things. One is to manage people, the other is to manage property. In the Bible, a steward is also called a ‘student teacher’ (Galatians 3:24-25), and a teacher is a person who teaches the master’s son until he becomes an adult. It is said that there were many such stewards in old Palestine. Let's take a closer look at what stewardship means and what it does.
2. A steward is God's steward.
There are two types of custodians. One is a person who is hired with a promise in return, and the other is a person who performs stewardship as a servant.
In Luke 16:1-8 there is a parable of the unrighteous steward. Let's look at verses 1 and 2. “He also said to his disciples, ‘There is a rich man who has a steward, and it has been heard by his master, ‘He is wasting his master’s possessions.’ The master called him and said, 'What is this that I have heard of you? Count what you saw. I will not be able to continue my stewardship.’”
It can be seen that the steward shown here is a person who has been hired by the owner for a certain amount of money. However, their work is given to them by the master and must be entirely according to the master's will. If you disobey your master, you lose your stewardship, as in the parable of the unrighteous steward.
The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, is speaking of a steward as a servant. 1 Corinthians 4:1. It is said, “Let man ought to consider us servants of Christ, and stewards of the mystery of God.” Paul referred to himself and his co-workers as stewards of the ‘mystery of God,’ that is, the ‘gospel’.
These apostles' stewardship ideas were based on the teachings of Jesus. Jesus considered ‘steward’ and ‘servant’ to be the same. Matthew records the same words as today’s text as ‘servant’ instead of ‘steward’. Matthew 24:44-45. “Therefore, be prepared, too. The Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour. Who will be a faithful and wise servant, who will give his master over the people of his household, distributing food in due season?”
Is there anyone who doesn't understand this saying, 'It's not that!'? So, have any of you brought anything into the world with you? Even in the old saying of the world, it was called 'Gongsu-rae-gongsu'. It means ‘I came empty-handed, so I will go empty-handed’.
While we all live in the world, we are just stewards who prepare everything we have entrusted to us, including talents, wealth, time, ability, and health, in order to obtain the kingdom of God, our hometown and eternal kingdom.
3. A steward is God's agent.
Let's look at Genesis 1:27,28. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female, and God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it, and the fish of the sea. and have dominion over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'”
After the Creator God created the heavens and the earth, he entrusted man with the authority to develop and manage all these things. Therefore, man must develop nature according to God's will so that all living things can flourish. In other words, it is to perform the duties of God's representative.
In Matthew 20:1-16 we have the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The steward in this parable is represented as an agent acting on the owner's property. This is Matthew 20:8. “As it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to the steward, ‘Call the servants, and give them wages, starting with the last and paying the first.’” The master delegated the work. However, it is important to remember that even if a human being is God's agent, all his possessions belong to the Lord God. That is why the ‘unjust steward’ we saw earlier loses his position while wasting his owner’s property.
We Christians are God's agents for nature, but we must also act as God's agents for unbelievers. 1 Peter 2:9. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the goodness of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Simply put, the role of an agent like this can be understood as an ambassador sent by God.
4. Stewardship is God's worker.
1 Timothy 1:12. “I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he has counted me faithful, and has entrusted me with his ministry.”
The stewardship we have seen so far has many worldly concepts. Jesus' expression of God's servants as stewards or servants must have been used as a way to help people understand. Then, as we entered the Apostolic Age, the concept of stewardship came to be understood as the meaning of ‘workers of God’ as ‘one who takes charge of the truth and serves the church. In Romans 16:1, when the Apostle Paul recommended Phoebe, a member of the church at Cenchrea, to the Roman church, he said, “I commend you to our sister Phoebe, who is a minister of the church at Cenchrea.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 Esau says, “He has also satisfied us to be servants of the new covenant… ” He called the saints ‘workers of the new covenant’.
A worker is a person who works. Everyone lives by their work, which is the office they are entrusted with. That is why there are countless jobs in the world. This is because God has given each person a talent, or talent, to do the work entrusted to them. Among these workers, those who believe in Christ and faithfully perform the duties entrusted to them according to the gifts they have received are called ‘workers of God’.
What we must remember today is that you and I are both stewards of God's work. If my body is God's, how can I be rude? If the time or material given to me is not mine, but entrusted to me by God, can I waste it on my own accord? Therefore, we must be careful in all our words and actions, and give our hearts to the will of God.
He said that he entrusted them with greater and greater things to these faithful and loyal stewards. And not only on this earth, but eternal life and glory in the eternal kingdom. This year, I pray that you will achieve a life that can be recognized as a more faithful and faithful steward to our Lord God.