Jesus gave an account of a man who was steward for a wealthy and influential lord. The steward had absolute and complete control over the goods of his master. He was accused of wasting his master’s goods, and when he heard that he was going to be called to give an account of his stewardship, he began to scheme how he could provide for his immediate future. His plan was clever enough that even his lord commended his foresight. Jesus added that often the children of this world are wiser than the children of Light (God’s children). They spend more effort in securing their immediate future than some children of Light spend in making provision for their eternal future.
QUESTIONS
- What was the method the steward used to gain favor with his lord’s debtors?
- The lord spoken of in this parable is the owner of an earthly estate, not the Lord of Heaven. The Lord recognized that, though the steward had not been faithful in the management of his goods, he had acted wisely in his own behalf. Draw a parallel between the steward’s actions and the actions of worldly people in our day.
- Worldly people often take advantage of present opportunities. The children of light have spiritual and eternal advantages promised to them, but they are sometimes seemingly indifferent and slow to take positive actions. Why did Jesus emphasize over and over again that spiritual values are more important than earthly rewards?
- Fill in the blanks: “He that is faithful in that which is __________ is faithful also in __________.” Is this true in a physical sense as well as in a spiritual sense? Give examples. See Luke 19:17-19.
- In your estimation what are the true riches?
- Give the meaning of verse 12, using your own words.
- According to verse 13, how many masters can we serve? Why?
THEME THOUGHTS
Jesus, the greatest of all teachers, often chose to instruct His followers by means of parables—making a comparison between earthly things with which people are familiar, and spiritual things with which they are not so familiar. The Scriptures teach that there is a striking analogy between the natural and the spiritual. Therefore, Christ’s parables were not riddles; they were intended to reveal truth to those who love Him. He told His disciples that it was given unto them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. But to those who loved darkness rather than light, the meanings of the parables were hidden. Matthew 13:10-15The parables recorded in the Gospel of Luke are remarkable for their simplicity. Jesus sought to put the truth in a form that would bring it within the grasp of man’s finite mind. And we read that “the common people heard him gladly.”In this quarter we will focus on eleven of the parables given by Jesus as recorded by Luke, a writer who emphasized Christ’s sympathetic attitude toward the poor, the lowly, and the outcast. The objective for each lesson indicates the point the parable makes relative to our lives today. The Christmas lesson features the account of Christ’s birth as given by Luke. The final lesson of this quarter will be an overview or summary of the material covered during the preceding weeks. May God bless you as we study these lessons together.