The Shrewd Manager

(Lk16:1-13; Eph1:22-23)

God is the Owner.

By His word He made all things and is their Owner (Ps100:3), and

By His blood He redeems souls and is their Owner (1Pe1:18).

Faith is knowing that one belongs to Him, and

The life of this faith is managing His like one's own.

Though communism appeared to be the most ideal form of society,

Insisting on no private property or class,

It collapsed in the end, however, because

Without the sense of ownership there is no desire for labor or management.

While capitalism, on the other hand, acknowledges

Private property and individual interest,

The individual possession in reality is national interest.

God has interest and longing for all those that belong to Him, even the smallest of them,

Such as one sparrow, one sheep, one drachma, or little ones (Mt18:10-14; Lk15:8).

Since God permitted,

Adam enjoyed everything in the Garden of Eden (Ge2:15-17).

Deceived by the devil, however,

He ate the forbidden fruit (Ge3:4-6) and thus

Lost all things and became a slave of the devil (Ge3:24; 2Pe2:19).

God materialized the fact that slaves have no ownership through

The Israelites' slavery in Egypt for 430 years (Ge15:13) and

Life in the desert for 40 years (Dt8:13-16).

The sanctuary where the name of the Lord God and

The golden vase with manna was inside the Testimony

Reminded them that though they owned nothing they lived (Ex16:34-35; He9:4).

But Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (Jn2:19), because

The vase of the perishable manna will be broken (Jn6:27, 31-35; He10:9) and

He would tear His flesh to give the eternal food for the soul for

He came to give His life as a ransom for many (Mt20:28), which was

For Him to gain back His life (Jn10:17).

As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished (Jn19:30), declaring that He:
1) Returned His soul to the Father the Owner (Lk23:46);
2) Condemned the devil who stole from God (Jn10:8-9; 1Jn3:8); and
3) With His blood purchased men to return them to the Father's house (Rev5:9).

He rose and sat on the heavenly throne, where

All things are placed under His feet (Eph1:22).

The Holy Spirit came in the name Yeshua to

Those who believed His name and received the right to possess with Him, and

Gathered them into the church which

He also purchased with His own blood (Ac20:28).

The man of the Spirit knows that

Jesus belongs to the Father (Jn6:27), and

What belongs to the Father is what belongs to Jesus (Jn14:26, 17:6, 10).

He also knows that his own soul purchased by His blood (1Pe1:18),

As well as his flesh, his talent and everything

Belongs to Jesus, belongs to church (Eph1:22-23).

Therefore, with a sense of ownership

He manages shrewdly the souls and all materials for

Whoever can be trusted with very little can be trusted with much (Lk16:10-13).



O Lord,

Since You sprinkled Your blood and

Made us also owners

Let us now abandon the spirit of slave and

Become shrewd managers! Amen.