Make the Most of Your Master's Mammon

is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ A rich man had a manager who was accused of “wasting” his possessions. That word literally means to “scatter.”You could imagine him paying too much for the rich man’s palace to be cleaned - using the rich man’s money to pay for extravagant foods - scattering it here and there and writing it all off as a “business expense.” Finally, news got back to the rich man of what the manager was doing with his possessions.
The man realized that his time was short. He had very little time left before he would be without a job and left to fend for himself. He had become accustomed to his easy way of life, and now he was in a conundrum. So what happened? He said, “I KNOW what I’ll do.” He had a plan of attack. And he made some quick and decisive decisions that enabled him to plan for his immediate future, so he wouldn’t be left on the street begging for money. He knew exactly what he had to do so that these people would accept him into their homes. One person would need to have his bill cut in half, while the other would be grateful for just a twenty percent cut. His decisions in the limited time available to him enabled him to be prepared for the future. Even though it was dishonest for him to change the debts, it was thoughtfully planned out - shrewd.
Jesus then gives us the punch line. First of all He said, I tell you, use worldly wealth. It’s kind of interesting that the literal word for “worldly wealth” is “mammon of unrighteousness.” Even though the majority of the “stuff” in this world is worthless - unrighteous stuff - he doesn’t say to stay away from it. He tells us to use it. Think of how God used the evil Babylonians to punish the Israelites for 70 years. God used the evil Egyptians to house the Israelites and make them turn to him. God used “mammon of unrighteousness,” and so should we.
How does he want us to use it? The manager used his master’s mammon to prepare for his future. When we compare our future to the man in the parable - he was just worried about a few years of existence. We are talking about an eternity in heaven. And so Jesus wants us to think about what we are doing with our possessions, with the future of heaven in mind.
There’s a song that goes, “if I had a million dollars . . . I’d buy you a house, furniture for your house, a k-car .. . a fur coat, an exotic pet, like a lamb or an emu, the elephant bones, and I’d buy your love. If I had a million dollars, I’d buy really expensive ketchup - Dijon catchup.” Part of the song is commendable, in wanting to spend his money to make a friend. But part of it is goofy, saying they would rent limos and Dijon catchup. We all envision “what we’d do with a million dollars.” But Jesus says, “forget about what you’d do if. . think about what you’re doing with your mammon right now!”
That’s where we need to seriously consider how and where we are spending our time and our money. God says you can use it to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, (they will welcome you) into eternal dwellings. Think about it - and ask yourself, “Is it wise to use my time playing video games? What good will new furniture do me in heaven? How will the money I am spending on this video do any good for my future? How will watching this TV