INTRODUCTION
Dishonest servants have no class distinction. It is one of the primary reasons Salvation in Christ Jesus has been and still is the cornerstone of the Christian Faith because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23).
And given that the hearts of men can be deceitful, it is then contingent that we put our trust in God, not in men or princes. (Jeremiah 17:9, Psalms 118: 9,146:3, Isaiah 2:22).
Dishonesty severs our relationship with God spiritually when we become disobedient to His word: This is still one of humanity’s greatest folly.
When we are dishonest in our hearts we become unable to obey simple rules and instructions. We begin to deny life realities with self-inflated egos and start looking for gain through devious means, thinking that we will never be caught.
And that is the first sign that we are heading towards self-destruction, whenever we choose such a part of life.
Dishonest people are cheats, liars, corrupt, deceitful, disingenuous, and disapproving. They are not to be trusted, because they refuse to adhere to what makes society function to its maximum capacity: love, trust, faith in God, accountability, transparency, obedience and respect for the rule of law, integrity, and lack of empathy for life in its entirety.
Dishonest servants through this parable are being exposed. We get a taste of some tricks and tactics they always employ in their game of deceit. We are also warned ahead of time, that whenever we give the power to govern our country or manage the affairs of our business to a dishonest person or servant, we can consider our country and business toast for good.
BODY
Dishonest servants or persons are witty persons when it comes to the act of deception. Through this parable, we come to see how they can be quick to grasp what is going on in any given situation. The parable of the dishonest manager, no doubt must have played a pivotal role for believers through the ages due to the ever-present conditions of persons who are dishonest and refuse to repent to a life of newness in Christ Jesus.
QUICK THINKING
Dishonest servants, based on this parable bring to our attention what dishonest people do. They can be quick to do evil on short notice, but not to do good when they are allowed to serve.
This particular behavior of wanting to do evil with other people’s goods and services is why we in the body of Christ should not only pray but also be on the watch out all times.
DARKNESS AND LIGHT IN ACTION
A dishonest servant is a tool by which Jesus Christ used to bring to the attention of the disciples, the deceptive nature of the Pharisees who Jesus Christ addressed as false Prophets. Jesus Christ was against their teachings, because of the deception of the Pharisees in turning the people away from Salvation in Christ, and how the people could easily be manipulated.
In that regard, Jesus Christ teased his disciples on how unbelievers can be quicker in achieving their goals than the children of light.
The message was not to approve of the deceptive nature of unbelievers, but how we in the body of Christ should always be aware of not being victims of the children of darkness, because they care more about what they are going to achieve on earth, without considering about life after death. Laying their treasures in heaven has no place in the hearts of the children of darkness. (Matthew 6:19-21).
In that regard, the children of light must also be quick to bring the message of Salvation to the people, to efficiently hinder the schemes and schisms of unbelievers, because they cannot be trusted. But what do you hear some believers say when it comes to important national affairs and issues: some will tell you that religion does not matter. If only they can come to the understanding that religious people are covenant-breaking people, which true Christians have broken away from in Salvation in Christ: a new way, a new beginning, and meaning for and of life in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 6:4).
We must choose a life of Christ or a life of evil: and that is none negotiable. You are either a Christian or you are not. (Galatians 2:20-21)
LESSONS LEARNED
Dishonest servant as used in this context about the Pharisees, metaphorically should also be pointing us to how we should be on the watch for dishonest persons that may happen to be the caretakers of our business or country: religious and unbelievers alike. Remember the Pharisees were religious people: the same level we have among nominal Christians’
Dishonest servants are highly religious people if at all they truly believe in the true God of creation of all things in heaven and on earth, because in line with the dishonest manager, they are quick to do evil, not to proffer solutions to what will benefit the people, organization or country that they lead. Their God is a god of now-now. Their language and focus in life, are centered on ‘Me, myself and I’.
Dishonest servants based on their actions often don’t see anything evil about their actions’ effects on their victims, till they are caught, as demonstrated by the shrewd manager. And their deceits also do not end when they are caught. Why? Any loopholes available to a dishonest person are another advantage to their manipulations. The point here is to be one or two steps ahead of them, before approaching, apprehending, and exposing their mischievous acts.
They must be stopped at all costs. The Bible says that whoever robs his Father and mother (own home), and says that it is not a transgression, the same is a companion of a destroyer. (Proverbs 28:24)
In the body of Christ, dishonesty should never be a part of our calling and relationship with God, man, and our country. Our Yes ought to be Yes, regardless of what situation or condition we find ourselves in, and we are to be an example to others. (Matthew 5:37)
The servant should not see his master’s properties as his. That is part of the everyday agitations and confrontations that lead to human degradation and backward societies in the world: people not willing to put up the time and hard work that lead to personal growth and abundant life.
A dishonest servant in relationship with Jesus Christ’s allusion that we should make friends with unrighteous mammon is simply teaching us the extent to which unbelievers would go to achieve self-aggrandizement at the expense of others or the masses.
And if as believers we can put up such energy towards the things of God while on earth or rather live up to the saving grace that we are blessed in Christ’s victory for us at the cross, abundant life and our future glory to be with the Lord should not be a thing of worry for believers. But what do some of us Christians do: we sit down while unbelievers continue to ravage societies around the world under the guise of peace and love with a mischievous heart. (Psalms 28:3).
We seem to forget that we are the head, not the tail. We must think through every decision that we make and not be carried away by the deceitful and divisive nature and intent of unbelievers. (Deuteronomy 28:13)
If you give them an inch, they will undoubtedly take a foot, a yard they will take a mile, and a mile they will mess up your entire country and estate and be laughing to the bank while the poor among us continue to wallow in abject poverty.
That is not what suffering for Christ is all about folks: it is part of believers standing up to injustice and resisting evil and injustice anywhere found regardless of the pain we go through, till the right thing is done.
The dishonest servant also brings to our awareness that whoever is faithful in little shall also be faithful in much, and if we cannot achieve anything good with the little that we are asked to manage, why should we expect God to bless us with something big?
This is what has been ravaging many developing countries for centuries. Mismanagement and the lure to profligate the resources of their country to one’s estate, rather than managing it to the benefit of their country.
It is a no-brainer for shrewd managers. When people are left without proper checks and balances stealing becomes easy: a haven for dishonest servants.
Dishonest servants remind us why we must be concerned about the affairs of our business, church, country private life, and estate.
Not all wealth and blessings are from God. If we lose focus on our servant leaders, we might lose our business and have our country ruined and into bankruptcy. But, learning from what the master did, all wealth should be questionable when a person’s wealth cannot be traced to specific means by which such wealth was attained. Public wealth cornered by servant leaders is money or wealth gathered by covetousness. And God hates covetousness and prefers persons who hate covetousness. (Exodus 18:21, Psalms 10:3, Luke 12:15)
And finally, true riches as used in this parable focus on the church, because the church is not spared when they fall into the hands of dishonest managers. The dishonest manager doesn’t have boundaries. They can also be predators of all shades and colors in the household of God if left unchecked. Evil men and women that are in the church, are not all there for Salvation purposes; some are there for their bellies and ready to stop the authentic word of God from reaching the people that will change lives from evil to good that leads to a better society.
Just as Jesus Christ disagreed with the teachings of the Pharisees, Paul had to confront men who were against the Gospel of Salvation in Christ. (Galatians 3:1-14, 2 Timothy 4:1-4, Philippians 3:18-19).
The church is the pillar of truth where believers go and are fed with the authentic word of God in spirit and truth. It is a place where all sinners like me and you at the onset go for redemption and justification before God for Salvation in Christ’s saving grace at the cross.
The word of God is what keeps us spiritually tuned to God in heaven making the church a no-go area for dishonest servants. An example of why we should not tolerate shrewd managers is the same as not giving room to Christians who continue to live in sin without remorse. (1 Corinthians 5:1-13)
FINAL WORD
If we have learned anything, it should be that no person can worship God and mammon or two gods because we might end up loving one more than the other (Matthew 16:13).
Dishonest servants tend to be highly religious men and women. We must be careful of men and women whom we commit our estate or country to manage. Moreover, we should never lose sight of cunning men and women who are only concerned about their end of the steak while everything around them is going down and out.
Jesus Christ has fulfilled scriptures, and through many of his teachings and parables such as the parable of the dishonest manager or unjust servant we are bound to recognize quickly persons who do not mean well for our collective wellbeing, having trusted them to manage the affairs of our country or personal business.
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