Description of The Coloring Page: illuminated letter "O" frames the parable of the Unjust Steward,
The Parable of the Unjust Steward (also called the Shrewd Manager) is a parable of Jesus which appears in Luke 16:1-13. In it, a steward who is about to be fired curries favor with his master's debtors by remitting some of their debts.
"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 beg-- I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' n "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' "'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him,
'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' "Then 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 one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the
other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and money." Luke 16:1-13 (NIV)
Jesus' parable of the unjust manager is one of the most striking in all
the Gospels. Obviously, it would be pressing the parable beyond the
point of comparison to interpret it as an endorsement of dishonest
business practices. Jesus' point is simply to show us what money is
really for. Typically we think of ourselves first when we answer that
question. But Jesus invites us to realize that, first, our money isn't
really ours -- we're simply managing it for its real owner, God. Second,
even "filthy lucre" can be pressed into the service of God and our
neighbor. When it is, the benefits will last beyond this life -- which
the things we buy for ourselves won't. For example, money can be used to
spread the Gospel, through which the Holy Spirit will gather believers
into Christ's church. We will enjoy blessed fellowship with these
believers forever, long after the money itself is gone.
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