On The Lunchroom Dilemma

Today we're going to be talking about a parable that confused me for a long time.
It's in Luke.
I'm quoting NIV.
Lk. 16:1-15
"Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'
"The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to bed- I know what I'll do so that, when i lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.'
"So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
"'Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied.
"The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.'
"The he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?'
"'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied.
"He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.'
"The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
The pharisees, who lived money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, "you are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."

What i could never understand about this passage is why, after the manager acted even more dishonestly (remember, he's getting fired for wasting the guy's possessions in the first place), the master commends the guy.
Why would Jesus be telling his disciples to be dishonest with money?
The definition that the NIV translators must have had in mind for the word "shrewd" must have been "clever".

What throws me is the next paragraph, when he talks about being dishonest with what's been given to you.
Wasn't that guy dishonest with what was given to him?
Why is he then a good example of how to live?

Jesus isn't telling his disciples to be dishonest.
He's telling them to take advantage of what they can.

I guess the opening of the parable, the part about where he was dishonest, applies to us being trustworthy. But the part about us gaining friends with money applies to the second part.

This guy had the ability to give away a considerable amount of money, and he did to gain advantage, and to plan ahead for when he'd need the favors returned.
That's what Jesus wants us to do.
He wants us to plan ahead... but not for when we get fired.
He wants us to plan ahead for eternal life.

Even your social studies teaching will tell you that money is fleeting, and not to spend your time chasing after it.

Bill Gates is an example of a shrewd person.
He never chased after money... it just kind of fell into his lap.
In giant, uncountable sums.
And for the most part, he's used it pretty wisely.
Sure, his house is ridiculously extravagant, but he's not a greedy person, he's fighting aids, and hasn't bought any countries yet.
But if i were Bill Gates, i'd spend it all.
Not on stupid things.
On things that will matter in the long run.
We're supposed to use our resources for God's work, not our own idiot whims.
After all, whims are pretty fleeting.

The next thing i want to focus on is the very last line i quoted:
"What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight."

Jesus is talking here to the religious leaders, about money.
But the line applies to more than just money.

When i went to Somersworth freshman year, the most intimidating thing for me for the first 3 months or so, was the Cafetorium.
AKA, the lunchroom.
I didn't know anyone, so i went out of my way to get to lunch early and get a table all by myself.
And not eat anything.

Eventually, people started to try to get me to be social.
They'd sit with me, let me drink their chocolate milk, and ask awkward questions.
I kept to myself pretty much the whole time.

Now, when i went back to berwick the next year, i knew some people.
But the crew that was the most outgoing was kids from exeter that i didn't know very well.
They got to know me a little bit, and they were pretty cool.
One of the most notable thing about them is that they never dont have a good time.
Anything turns into a joke.

Lunch is a lot more natural when you're around people you know, who are outgoing, who laugh at stuff you do.

I don't sit there this year.
I don't really sit with anyone anymore.
Sometimes i sit with sophomores, sometimes i sit with random people, and sometimes i just dont go to lunch.
This is partly because the other table is too crowded.
But its also for another reason.

When you spend 7 hours a day with people, you get to know their personality.
You might not get to know what their dog's name is, or how often they get their hair cut, but you get a good feeling for what they value and what they hold as important.

So the question then becomes, what do your friends value?
Because like it or not, it doesn't take long for you and your friends to value the same things.

If you went around a lunchroom at most highschools, and listened in on conversations, you probably wouldn't hear a lot of what God values. You'd get more of the "detestable in his sight" stuff.

Get your values on track.
Get your friends to do the same thing... or, get different friends.
Be shrewed in what you have at your disposal.