THE MAMMON OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS

copyright © james n. hall October 13, 1985

Commentary by james n. hall

Luke chapter sixteen leaves one to conclude that Jesus is the
Mammon of Unrighteousness. Evidently with two economies, one to
reflect the value system of the spiritual and the other to reflect the
values of the temporal. But God sees all things as Spiritual and All
spirit is matter only more pure or refined, and when it is purified we
will see it is all matter. This walking between these two apparent
economies is the will of God and since Jesus came to do the will of
the Father, He is the Mammon of Unrighteousness to distribute and
minister all economies according to the will and purposes of the Father
to fulfill the designs of God to destine the future or the fulness of
the Father.

"Behold I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there anything
too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27

LUKE Chapter 16 of the New Testament

1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich
man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that
he had wasted his goods.

(Jesus is the steward and the rich man is the Father. We as the
mortal children of God are the wasted goods fallen man).

2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear
this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest
be no longer steward.

(Judgment day for all unless some atonement is given or worked out.)

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my
lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I
am ashamed.

(Jesus is standing in for us and will answer in our behalf due
to our pride.)

4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the
stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

(Here is the mission of the savior to be our brother and come to
live with us for ever.)

5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and
said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

(So the call to repentance is given to all and the baby Jesus is
born to call all to come unto god.)

6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him,
Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said,
An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill,
and write fourscore.

(We have to work out our salvation in fear and trembling and then
the grace of god is sufficient to pay the difference in the severity of
our transgression from sin and rebellion.)

8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done
wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation
wiser than the children of light.

(We are the customers of our Father in Heaven and Jesus has won us
to Him with his atonement and cross. By the Father acknowledging the
Son before all the world He receives us back into His Kingdom and are then
the customers again to future work or "gospel business".)

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon
of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into
everlasting habitations.

(This may be advice to the apostles or disciples to not forget that
bringing souls to the Father is more important than enforcing judgment
on the sinner or the customers of the gospel.)

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also
in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in
much.

(This is a promise to the leaders of the gospel to use all the wisdom
of god and be forgiving to perfect the people of god or there would
be no disciples to follow the preachers in this world. Every soul
is of great worth to god and none is to be overlooked as least.)

11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous
mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another
man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

(If you cannot be faithful in the work of salvation of man then
how can god save you and reward you with glory to come.)

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and
despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

(The true values of all things will be found in the economy of God.)
(Though we are required to use the materials of the world to work out
the mission of this life it is incumbent upon us to keep all things in
perspective and have an eye single to the glory of god.)

Is not Jesus the master teacher. Let us then learn of the
Mammon of Unrighteousness.

note: This parable was also in answer to the accusation of the Pharisees
per verse two of chapter 15 which says "And the Pharisees and scribes
murrmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
So when they took the rich man to be themselves and Jesus was
diluting their pure doctrine to accept those cast out as sinners
by lowering the standards of debt (sin).
Thus verse 14:
And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things;
and they derided him.
 
 

POST SCRIPT: Mammon of traditional meaning is the idolaters god of riches
and personified worldliness. It is the spirit of avarice. Jesus follows
a giving and granting personallity which is unrighteous to this traditional
meaning and thus Jesus can be called "The Wise Accountant of the true riches".