Title: Wealth and the Kingdom of God
Contents
[The Parable of the Incorrect Steward]
1. He also said to his disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and it was heard by his master that he was wasting his master's possessions.
2. The master called him and said, "What is this that I have heard of you? Count what you have seen, for you will not continue your stewardship."
3. The steward said to himself, “The master has taken away my office. What shall I do? I have no strength to dig, and I am ashamed to pray.
4. I know what I am going to do, so that people will welcome me into their homes after I have been taken away from my office.
5. He called all those who owed his master, and said to the first one, “How much do you owe my master?
6. He said, "A hundred horses of oil." And he said, "Sit here quickly, take your bill, and write fifty."
7. Then he said to another, "How much do you owe?" He said, "A hundred pieces of wheat." He said, "Take your bill here and write it for eighty."
8. The master praised this unrighteous steward for doing a wise thing, for the sons of this generation are wiser than the sons of light in their day.
9. I say to you, make friends with the means of unrighteousness, and when those riches run out, they will receive you into their permanent dwelling place.
10. He who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.
11. If you are not faithful even with unrighteous riches, who will trust you with the truth?
12. If you are not loyal to others, who will give you yours?
13. A servant cannot serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and riches.