All my life I have not understood what the Lord meant with that verse because the wording implies,
a) it's wealth of unrighteousness,
b) the wealth belongs to the person you're to make friends with not to you, and
c) when the wealth is gone, why would the friends be welcoming you into eternal habitation?
Is not acquiring anything unrighteously also an error for one's soul?
Good question BananaPie,
The previous and following verses to Luke 16:9 should help explain more.
The principle I see the Lord telling us is that
BECAUSE the people of the world deal so shrewdly with one another,
We as a light to the darkness are to be an example with not only our spiritual wealth but also any worldly wealth.
Since we should do all things for the Lord right
Not just praise him in spirit but go to work to pay the bills as a separate endeavor of the flesh.
And if we go to work doesn't the bible also tell us to work as if working for the Lord.
A couple examples could be if say your car broke down and I loaned ya a vehicle to use.
While I may not be wealthy wealth is subjective in comparison to one who has and one who has not.
Or perhaps take two doctors
One doctor becomes a doctor to get in it for the money.
While another person becomes a doctor to aid people and the wealth is simply a result of that.
But the motives coupled with what one does with that wealth can make it righteous or unrighteous.
In the example of Luke 16:9 the shrewd businessman was commended by his master(or boss) because he took compassion on the debters making their situation more comfortable without being greedy or without giving them something for nothing.
As well I'm sure the Lord knew that money would be a factor of debt and economy in our lives. So it is good to have examples of how to deal with these types of situations so that Godly men and women (people of the light) may be placed in charge of these types of positions to keep it from being so corrupt such as using it to leverage people (blackmail).
If instead more Christians were in these positions of finance and economy it would be a light to the world by showing compassion and understanding to those who are either down on their luck or in need.
Since we are also told in Prov 11:1 how the Lord detests dishonest scales, this also ties together in setting up simple honesty within business.
The following verse Luke 16:10
[SUP]10 [/SUP]
“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.
I believe the Lord knows who to trust and bless with much in order to achieve his principle.
On the other hand he also knows who to take it away from. How many actors and singers have we seen rise to the top only to be bankrupt a few years later.
If we we dealt as shrewdly with our worldly wealth as does the world, what credit is that to us?
Thats very much the same as the verse in Luke 6:32 explaining....
How are we any different if we only love those who love us back
Even the sinner does this.
Were called to love our enemies in peace if that be possible.
I also believe that all these things tie in together with the whole storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven since any worldly wealth isnt to be stored trying to save it forever. Much of the treasures in heaven are what we do for others in showing Gods love. But treasures in heaven shouldn't be our motive neither or we just negated the whole principle.
---We have nothing that has not been given---
God is trying to teach us nobility with anything he has made us or given to us to be a steward over.
Noble is to use it to help others more than helping ourselves, give to those less fortunate, since it is the Lord who has made us fortunate in the first place. If we're stingy the Lord may just say,
"Ok well, I tried to trust you with little but you wanted it all for yourself and didn't share your toys so now Imma take your toys away. And actually these aren't YOUR toys, they're my toys, I'm just letting you use them for awhile so ya better be good with 'em." This also means if you have two banana splits and I dont have one ...
As far as acquiring anything unrighteously, think with me about what methods would be unrighteous
Proverbs 13:11 has a good example
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
I hope this helps