Qualities of Disciples | Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Qualities of Disciples'

How to Be Astute: The Panic Podcast

Published August 10, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: astuteness, cleverness, Qualities of Disciples, shrewdness, Unjust Steward

You can also listen to this teaching. Just hit the play button.

A Quality of Discipleship – Astuteness

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9 | TNIV)

Introduction. In our series on the Qualities of Discipleship, we are taking a look at those Biblical traits that should mark every genuine follower of Jesus Christ. These qualities aren’t reserved for those of us who stand behind pulpits or teach Sunday School classes; they are the expected fruit of a life surrendered to the Lordship of Christ and indwelt by His Holy Spirit. We have already considered how humility anchors the disciple’s life. Today, I want to turn to a quality that received far less attention in sermons and Bible teachings, yet is repeatedly modeled and mandated in Scripture: Astuteness.

Astuteness, shrewdness, practical wisdom; we’re talking about the capacity to read a situation accurately, anticipate future realities, and take decisive and effective action with the resources at hand. It’s the opposite of naivety, passivity, and short-sightedness. It’s the quality that allows a person to turn a crisis into opportunity and temporary resources into lasting security.

Jesus tells us story that forces us to take notice of this quality. The parable of the unjust steward is one of the most difficult and yet one of the most practical parables in the Gospels. At first reading, it shocks us. The hero of the piece appears to be crook who falsifies the accounts to save his own skin. Yet the master actually commends him, and Jesus uses the story to teach His disciples a profound lesson. The key is this: Jesus praises the steward’s astuteness, not his character or his dishonesty.

Today, I want to walk carefully through this parable so that we might understand with Jesus is commending and then apply it to our lives as disciples living between the cross and the crown.

The immediate context.

This parable follows immediately after the three great “lost” parables of Luke 15. Jesus had been celebrating the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents. He will address His disciples directly, though the Pharisees are close enough to hear and will soon sneer at His teaching about money (Luke 16:14).

But here, at the beginning of the chapter, the theme of Jesus’ teaching shifts from the joy of finding something lost to the serious responsibility of stewarding resources in light of the coming kingdom.

In the ancient Near East, a wealthy landowner often appointed an oikonomos – a steward or household manager, who would oversee his estate. The steward had broad authority to act in his master’s name – things like buying, selling, renting land, investing, and collecting debts. It was a position of enormous trust and significant personal benefit. Many stewards back then lived comfortably on the estate and took a percentage of all transactions for themselves.

But in the parable, something is wrong.

The crisis, vs 1 and 2.

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. [2] 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.’” (Luke 16:1, 2 | TNIV)

The Greek word translated “wasting” is “diaskorpizo,” and means to scatter of squander. The steward had been mismanaging the estate through negligence, poor decisions, or even outright embezzlement. Word reached the owner, and the master acted decisively: “What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.”

The steward is about to lose his job, his income, his home, and his reputation. In that culture there was no unemployment insurance or social safety net. His future looked grim. He was facing what every human being ultimately faces: A reckoning. One day, each of will give an account of our stewardship to the true Owner of all things. This parable begins with a crisis that mirrors spiritual reality.

So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God. (Romans 14:12 | TNIV)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13 | TNIV)

The steward’s shrewd plan, verses 3 – 7.

Faced with personal and financial ruin, the steward doesn’t collapse in self-pity or denial. He reasons strategically.

“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… (Luke 16:3 | TNIV)

He honestly assesses his options and limitations. Manual labor – digging ditches or working in the fields – is physically beyond him, perhaps because of age or a life of managerial ease. Begging would destroy whatever social standing he still possessed. So he devises a third way.

He contacted all his master’s debtors one by one.

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ [6] ” ‘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.’ [7] “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.’” (Luke 16:5 – 7 | TNIV)

These reductions of debt are substantial. By cutting these debts by 20 to 50 percent, the steward is making a major financial concession on behalf of his master.

Scholars debate the exact mechanics. Some believe the steward was forgiving the portion what would have been his commission or markup, so the master would still receive the full principle while the debtors believed the master has authorized the reduction. Others see outright fraud. Yet the steward was using the only leverage he had left – his remaining authority over the accounts – to create future obligations of gratitude and hospitality.

Notice three marks of his astuteness:

He acted decisively and quickly. There was no delay, no committee, no endless analysis. He saw the window of opportunity while he still possessed authority and moved.
He leveraged relationships. He turned debtors into future allies who would feel obligated to provide him housing.
He thought beyond the immediate crisis. He looked past the loss of his job to the practical need for shelter and provision in the months and years ahead.

The master’s commendation, verse 8a.

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. (Luke 18:8a | TNIV)

And here’s the surprising moment! The master, who has every reason to be furious, actually praises the dishonest manager. He knows the fellow is dishonest or unjust, but he commends his shrewdness – the Greek word is “phronimos,” which means “practical wisdom” or “prudence,” “sagacity,” and the ability to take decisive action in real-life situations.

This is the same word Jesus used for the five wise virgins who made sure they had enough oil for the bridegroom’s arrival (Matthew 25), and for the faithful, wise manager who gives the household its portion of food at the proper time (Luke 12). The master recognizes that, however crooked the method, the steward had demonstrated foresight, strategic thinking, and effective execution. He read the situation correctly and positioned himself for survival.

And Jesus drew the explicit lesson:

For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. (Luke 16:8b | TNIV)

The heart of the lesson.

That single sentence is the key that unlocks the parable. “The people of this world” or “the sons of this age” refers to unbelievers whose worldview is limited to this present life. They often display extraordinary astuteness when it comes to temporal matters: Career advancement, investment strategies, retirement planning, networking, marketing, vacation planning, and so on. They sacrifice, scheme, study trends, and execute plans with precision to secure comfort and security in this world.

By contrast, the “the people of the light” – those who have moved into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son – who possess the indwelling Holy Spirit, the written Word of God, and the fellowship of the church – can be oddly passive, naïve, lazy, or very shortsighted when it comes to eternal realities. We may be meticulous about income tax payments but casual about kingdom giving. We may network aggressively for business contacts or to impress people, be rarely think strategically about how to build relationships for the sake of evangelism.

Remember, Jesus isn’t endorsing the steward’s sin. He is using the negative to highlight the positive. If a crooked manager can be this clever about securing earthly housing, how much more should God’s people be wise, strategic, and decisive about securing eternal dwellings and advancing the interests of their true Manager.

The direct application.

Just in case you’re obtuse, Jesus makes the application unmistakable:

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9 | TNIV)

“Worldly wealth,” or “mammon of unrighteousness,” is money and material resources in a fallen world – wealth that can so easily become an idol, that is tainted by things like injustice in its acquisition and use, and that will ultimately fail us.

Jesus’ command regarding your resources is active and purposeful: Use them; use your resources. Not through bribery or manipulation, but through generous, sacrificial, kingdom-directed giving. When we use our resources to support Gospel enterprises, church growth, meet the needs of fellow believers, helping others, we are “gaining friends.” In the age to come, those whose lives were touched – souls brought to Christ through our efforts and giving – well in some real sense welcome us into eternity.

This isn’t salvation by works. It’s the fruit of grace-produced faith that invests temporal resources in eternal outcomes. It’s the practical outworking of our Lord’s command to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19 – 21).

Now, the steward used his master’s resources (dishonestly) to secure earthly houses. Disciples are to use God’s resources (righteously and generously) to secure eternal welcome and reward.

Jesus immediately reinforced the principle with three rapid-fire statements that are part of the parable:

“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. [11] So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? [13] “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 16:10, 11, 13 | TNIV)

How to become astute followers of Jesus.

First, take honest inventory. The steward asked the hard question, “What am I going to do?” We must regularly examine our stewardship of time, talent, treasure, relationships, and influence. Where are we wasting? Where are we being passive or lazy when we should be strategic? Annual reviews of our giving, our schedule, and our relational priorities are not unscriptural; they are wise.

Second, think with eternity in view. The steward looked past the crisis to his future housing needs. We must live with the end in mind. What will matter to us when we move into eternity? What will matter to us in 10,000 years? Souls. The advance of the Gospel. When we budget, when we plan our calendars, when we choose how to use our homes and our professional skills, the eternal perspective must govern.

Third, act decisively and creatively. The steward acted quickly. Procrastination is the enemy of astuteness. When the Spirit prompts generosity, when an open door for witness appears, when conviction about time management arises – act. Be creative. The early church used private homes for worship and teaching, trade networks for missionary travel, and Roman infrastructure for the spread of the Word. We have social media, professional networks, business platforms, and community influence. Are we using those things shrewdly for the kingdom?

Fourth, leverage your relationships for the Gospel. The steward turned financial debtors into future hosts. We are called to turn neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances into friends who hear the Gospel and, by God’s grace, become brothers and sisters in the faith. Hospitality, church activities, mentoring relationships, and community service are all avenues for astute relational investment.

Last, serve the right master. Ultimate astuteness flows from single-hearted devotion. When God is our Master, our use of money, time, and influence becomes wise by definition. When we seek first the kingdom, all others things in our life will find their proper place. We can’t serve both God and money; trying to do so produces neither faithfulness nor shrewdness, only anxiety and compromise.

Conclusion. The parable of the unjust steward is a divine wake-up call. Jesus looks at His disciples across time and says: “The people of this age are often far more astute, energetic, and strategic about their temporal future than my people are about their eternal future.”

May it never be said of any of you. Let’s be astute disciples – men and women who see the shortness of time, the lostness of the world, the riches of Christ, and the eternal stakes, and who therefore steward every resource with holy wisdom and decisive action.

The steward secured temporary housing by questionable means. Our Savior has secured eternal dwelling for us by His own precious blood. In grateful response, let’s use the “unrighteous wealth” and every other resource He has entrusted to us to make friends for eternity and to advance the interests of His glorious kingdom.

A Quality of Discipleship: Humility

Published August 3, 2026 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: discipleship, Humility, Qualities of Disciples

Don’t forget, if you want to listen to this teaching, click the player at the end.

QUALITIES OF DISCIPLESHIP

A Quality of Discipleship – Humility

Scripture Reading: Luke 18:9 – 14.

Text: Luke 18:14.

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14 | TNIV)

Introduction. Today we begin a new sermon series called “The Qualities of Discipleship.” As those who have been called by grace to follow Jesus, we want to grown in the character traits that marked our Lord Himself. Over the coming weeks we will examine qualities like humility, faithfulness, meekness, perseverance, and love – truth Jesus often taught through parables so that listeners with ears to hear might understand.

I want to begin with humility because it’s the foundation upon which every other Christian virtue rests. Without humility we can’t receive grace, did you know that?

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.” (James 4:6 | TNIV)

Without humility we will never take up the cross daily and follow Christ (Luke 9:23). And how about this:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 | TNIV)

That’s right! According to Jesus Himself, we will never see ourselves rightly or see Christ as our all-sufficient Savior. The poor in spirit – the humble – are the ones who will be blessed. And Jesus gave a stark warning:

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12 | TNIV)

The parable before us today is one of the sharpest illustrations of this truth in all the Bible. It’s addressed to some specific people:

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable… (Luke 18:9 | TNIV)

In other words, it’s a mirror held up to every religious heart, including our own. So, let’s walk through this parable together, following the outline the Lord Himself has provided.

The prayer of the Pharisee.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’” (Luke 18:10 – 12 | TNIV)

A Pharisee and a tax collector went into the Temple to pray. We are told that the Pharisee “stood by himself” to pray. That phrase, “by himself” is really “with himself” is telling. The Greek suggests that his prayer never truly left the circle of his own self-regard. He wasn’t speaking to God so much as congratulating himself in God’s presence.

Just look at the content of his “prayer.” He actually thanked God that he, a religious man, wasn’t like other men who he described as “robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.” Not only that, he told God that he “fasted twice a week and gives a tenth of all he gets.”

Notice what he does NOT say. He offers not confession of sin. He asks for nothing. He expresses no dependence upon God’s mercy. His prayer is simply a catalog of negatives and positives that all revolve around himself.

I suppose, depending on your attitude, you could thank God that you aren’t some kind of nefarious sinner, but we know this Pharisee had the wrong attitude. He actually looked around and adds the stinging comparison: He’s glad he isn’t like this tax collector. The very presence of the despised tax collector becomes an occasion for the Pharisee to feel superior. He doesn’t pray FOR the tax collector; he prays ABOUT him in order to build himself up.

His positive claims are equally absurd. He claimed to fast twice a week, which was probably true. Of course, the Law required only one fast per year, on the Day of Atonement. So this guy had added voluntary fasts of Mondays and Thursdays. He also claimed that he gave tithes of all he possessed. Again, the Law required tithes on certain produce; the Pharisee extended tithing to even the smallest garden herbs. In other words, the Pharisee wasn’t a hypocrite in the sense of doing nothing; he was a man of rigorous external evidence of his own righteousness rather than as grateful response to God’s grace.

This is the prayer of spiritual pride. It measures righteousness by comparison with others and by religious performance. It’s the prayer of a man who believes he has earned God’s favor and therefore has no need to ask for it. Tragically, this kind of prayer still echoes in many hearts today – perhaps even in hours when we silently thank God we aren’t like “those people” on the other side of the political aisle, or in the other church, or living in obvious sin.

The prayer of the tax collector.

Now, contrast the posture and the petition of the tax collector.

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13 | TNIV)

Literally everything about this man’s approach is the opposite of the Pharisee.

He stands off at a distance. While the Pharisee apparently took a prominent place, the tax collector remained at the very edge of the outer court, painfully aware that he had no right to draw near. The Temple was the place where God’s presence dwelt; this man felt the distance sin had created.

He wouldn’t even look up to heaven, Jesus said. Downcast eyes are the body language of shame and reverence. He couldn’t look toward the holy place because he knew his sin had disqualified him.

Furthermore, he beat his breast. This wasn’t a single polite tap; the imperfect tense of the Greek suggests repeated, vigorous striking – the ancient gesture of deep contrition and mourning over sin. The heart is the seat of thought and will; he’s beating upon the very source of his corruption.

And then comes the prayer – only seven short words in the Greek: “God be merciful to be a sinner.” The word translated “be merciful” is “hilaskomai.” It doesn’t just mean “be kind” or “overlook my faults.” It means “be propitiated,” “make atonement for me,” “let Your wrath be turned away through sacrifice.” This tax collector isn’t asking for a general feeling of mercy; he is begging God to provide a covering for his sin, that the holy God would be satisfied on his behalf. He stood in the Temple where sacrifices were offered daily, and he cried out for the reality those sacrifices to be applied to himself.

He called himself “a sinner” – literally “the sinner.” He wasn’t a sinner like everybody else, but THE sinner, the one whose sin is foremost in his own eyes. There is no comparison with anybody else, only honest acknowledge before God.

This is the prayer of a man who has run out of excuses, comparisons, and religious credentials. He brought nothing but his sin and casts himself entirely upon the mercy of God.

Why the condemnation of the Pharisee?

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14 | TNIV)

Our Lord’s verdict is shocking to religious ears. The Pharisee, for all his fasting and tithing, left the Temple unjustified. Why?

First, he “exalted himself,” or anther way to put it is “he trusted himself.” The parable is told specifically to those who were trusting in themselves; in their own ability to be righteous. Self-trust is the opposite of saving faith. Saving faith looks away for self and to Christ. The Pharisee’s righteousness was a righteousness of his own making, and therefore it could never satisfy the holy God.

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. (Romans 10:3 | TNIV)

What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Philippians 3:8, 9 | TNIV)

Second, he exalted himself through comparison. He measured his righteousness by the failures of others. But God doesn’t grade of a curve. The standard is His own perfect holiness, not the moral mediocrity of the culture around us. When we compare ourselves among ourselves, we aren’t wise, according to 2 Corinthians 10:12 –

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. (2 Corinthians 10:12 | TNIV)

The Pharisee’s prayer reveals a heart that despises others – the very attitude the parable’s introduction condemns.

Third, he offered no confession or plea for mercy. Biblical prayer always includes confession because we are sinners. The Pharisee had nothing to confess, in his own estimation. He therefore had no need for the atoning mercy the tax collector sought. A religion without repentance is a religion without Christ.

Fourth, his religion was external only. He could list all kinds of religious activities, but he couldn’t produce a broken and contrite heart.

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. [17] My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:16, 17 | TNIV)

Jesus later pronounced woes upon the scribes and Pharisees precisely because they cleaned the outside of the cup while the inside remained full of extortion and excess. The Pharisee in the parable is a living embodiment of that indictment.

Because he exalted himself, he was abased. He went home unjustified – still in his sins, still under wrath, still blind to his desperate need.

Why the commendation of the tax collector?

By contrast, the tax collector went home justified. Justification is the great Pauline word for God’s legal declaration that a sinner is righteous on the basis of Christ’s work received by faith. This man left the Temple declared righteous by God Himself. Why?

First, he humbled himself. He came with no claims, no comparisons, no credentials. He took the lowest place – the only place a sinner can rightly take before a holy God. This man was truly poor in spirit, and the kingdom became his.

Second, he repented genuinely. His posture, his gesture, his words all cried out, “I have sinned against heaven and before You.” Repentance isn’t merely feeling sorry; it’s agreeing with God about our sin and turning from it. The tax collector didn’t defend himself because he couldn’t, nor did he minimize his guilt. He beat his breast and called himself the sinner.

Third, he placed his hope entirely in God’s mercy. He didn’t say, “God, be impressed with my fasting.” He said, “God, be propitiated toward me.” He looked for an atoning sacrifice outside himself. In that cry we hear the heartbeat of the Gospel. Later on, the apostle Paul would write these words:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. [25] God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23 – 25a | TNIV)

The tax collector’s prayer actually anticipates the cross. He was justified, not because he was better than the Pharisee, but because he believed God would provide the mercy he could never earn.

Fourth, he depended entirely on grace. This tax collector brought no works, no merits, no religious resume. He brought only his sin and the empty hands of faith. And God filled those empty hands with the righteousness of another.

This is why Jesus said the tax collector went home justified. Not because tax collectors are inherently more virtuous than Pharisees, but because humility and repentance and faith are the only posture in which a sinner can receive the gift of justification.

Conclusion. This simple parable isn’t in the Bible so that we can congratulate ourselves that we aren’t like that Pharisee. That would be to repeat his very sin! The parable is given so that we might see ourselves in both men and flee to the mercy of God.

This week, we should all examine our own prayer life. When you get down to pray, do you begin with a silent inventory of how you are better than others? Or do you begin with the tax collector’s cry, “Lord, be merciful to me, the sinner.” The difference isn’t just emotional tone; it’s the difference between self-justification and Gospel-justification.

True discipleship begins right here. The first quality of a disciple is humility – the willingness to take the lowest place, to confess sin honestly, to receive grace gladly, and to serve others gladly. The One who told this parable is the same One who “made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7 | KJV). Jesus humbled Himself even to the death of the cross so that proud Pharisees and broken tax collectors alike might be justified by faith in His blood.

As we move further into this series, let humility be the soil in which every other quality grows. Without it we will never learn from the Word, never confess to one another, never serve without seeking recognition, never endure trials without complaining. With it, we will find that those who humble themselves will be exalted – exalted not by own achievement, but by the grace of the God who lifts up the humble and casts down the proud.