Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness



 

『And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 』 (Luke 16: 8-9)

The unrighteous steward (the mammon) squandered the master's property by giving him a random exemption. But the owner sees this unrighteous steward and says, "Well done." To understand this parable, one must understand the characteristics of the characters. Master means God. So God wants to forgive the sinner's debt. In Matthew (verses 18: 23-35) there is the content of the debtor of 10,000 talents. A ruler owed the king ten thousand talents, and the king urged him to pay the debts, but because he was unable to pay them, the king felt pitiful and forgiven his debts. This officer withdrew from the king and went home and met a man. He owed the official a 100 denarius (very little money). The official asked him to pay the debt. The man told the official that he could not pay the debt, and the officer dragged him and put him in prison. But another official told the king of this and the king was angry. So the king imprisoned the prisoner and kept him out of prison until he had paid all his debts. With this parable, Jesus said, "You must forgive your brother's sin."

 

The second character is an unjust steward. An unjust steward was in control of the rich man's property. The unjust steward in this world is the fact that it is me. It means that my body and all the riches I have in this world are not mine. A similar parable is found in Luke (12: 16-21). The farmers produced more and built more warehouses to fill the grain. And he said, "Now I have enough food, I will eat and live." So Jesus points out in the parable, "Foolish farmer, what would it mean if God took your soul tonight?" All the riches in this world are not mine.

People's property is not their own, but like renting for a period of time. When a person dies, property is not his. Unrighteous stewards are trying to multiply their wealth. The Bible speaks of the parable of the rich and Lazarus: The rich went to Hades, Lazarus to Paradise. The rich man had greed for the world, but Lazarus had nothing to greet.

Someone accused the owner (rich man): an unjust steward uses the rich man's property to gather up his possessions, and takes away others' property. The owner found out what was wrong. The owner tried to settle with the steward to end the deal with the unjust steward. If an unjust steward is fired, he will be unemployed, so he was prepared for the unemployed. The steward cancels the debtor's debt. Because to get money from the debtor after becoming unemployed. The rich man praised the steward for this.

The rich want to get rid of the debts of those who owe him. Do you understand? God praises unjust stewards. Jesus came to this world to redeem sinners. Jesus came to forgive the debt of repentant sinners. The work of the unrighteous steward and the work of Jesus are the same. What does it mean to say, "Make friends with unrighteous wealth"? What is the meaning of “when there is no unrighteous riches, he will receive you into an eternal dwelling place”? "Unrighteous riches" are bodies inherited from parents. The sinfulness (greed) is hidden in the flesh. But Jesus said, "Be friends with unrighteous riches." For he leads us to eternal dwellings.

A friend is Jesus Christ who came as a sinner from this world and died on the cross. Can unjust wealth and Jesus Christ die on the cross become friends?『Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 』 (John 15: 13-14)

『Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 』 (Romans 6: 3-4)

 He who dies with Jesus on the cross becomes Jesus' friend.

『Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 』 (John 15: 14-15)

To be Jesus' friends, we must do as Jesus commanded.

『This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 』 (John 15: 12)

『 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 』 (John 15: 18-19)

If we use our time, wealth, and power to bring sinners back to God, God will be pleased. But the world will hate those who preach God.

『But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. 』 (John 15: 26-27)

When we speak about the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit gives power and witnesses of Jesus Christ.

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