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About The Episode:

Join me as we explore the intricate and often misunderstood concept of grace within the Christian faith. Grace isn’t just a theological term to gloss over; it’s a profound principle that resonates deeply with the ancient practices of patronage, as well as the teachings of Jesus Christ. We’ll traverse through scripture, drawing parallels between grace and the selfless acts of giving without expectation, much like the social dynamics that unfolded in the time of Jesus. Alongside personal reflections, including an interesting take on Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” we unravel how true grace manifests in our daily lives.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 

• The meaning of grace with scriptural backing
• How to understand the grace of giving
• What is the cycle of grace
• The wisdom in giving and receiving 

Where to dive in:

(0:00:00) – The Surprising Meaning of Grace (13 Minutes)

This chapter, I unpack the often misunderstood concept of grace within the Christian faith, moving beyond simplistic definitions to reveal its more profound implications. I examine how true grace involves giving to those who cannot repay, illustrating this principle with scriptural references and explaining how it resonates with the practices of ancient patronage systems. I also share insights from various scholars to illuminate how grace, or ‘charis’ in Greek, encompasses favor, gift, and gratitude, and how it functioned in the social dynamics of Jesus’ time. By doing so, I aim to enhance the understanding of grace, revealing its power and significance as reflected in the New Testament. Additionally, I share a personal reflection on the depiction of grace through the character of Mr. Collins in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” connecting it to the broader discussion.

(0:12:45) – True Grace (11 Minutes)

This chapter examines the concept of true giving as exemplified by Jesus Christ and contrasts it with the patronage system illustrated in the film “Pride and Prejudice.” I discuss the importance of giving without expecting anything in return and how this reflects the grace of God. Highlighting the story of Lady Catherine’s patronage, I emphasize the expectations of reciprocity within societal structures and how Jesus teaches us to invite those who cannot repay us to fully understand and practice grace. Furthermore, I connect this idea of selfless giving to our spiritual duty and the provision of our needs as seen in the biblical example of manna in the desert. I also reflect on forgiveness as a form of giving, quoting scripture to reinforce the message of giving as an intrinsic part of Christian life.

(0:23:20) – Understanding the Grace of Giving (7 Minutes)

This chapter focuses on understanding the biblical concept of grace, particularly as it is presented in 2 Corinthians 8. I discuss how the Apostle Paul links grace to generosity, using the Macedonian churches as an example of giving beyond their means due to the grace given to them. The conversation emphasizes that grace not only refers to divine favor but also encompasses the act of giving selflessly. Paul’s teachings suggest that grace is evidenced through actions, such as the willingness to give despite personal poverty, reflecting the nature of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Additionally, the chapter touches on the importance of completing commitments of giving, as initiated intentions should be matched with actions. Finally, I introduce my book “You Don’t Need Money, You Just Need God,” which aligns with the theme of relying on divine provision in times of economic hardship.

(0:30:12) – Understanding the Cycle of Grace (16 Minutes)

This chapter examines the profound meaning of grace and how it has been misrepresented in modern interpretations. We explore the ancient concept of the three graces—grace, favor, gift, and gratitude—and how these elements form a cycle that is crucial to maintaining the beauty and integrity of relationships. We look at how this relates to the Christian understanding of grace, particularly in the context of law and grace as discussed in Romans 1:18-21, highlighting the consequences of breaking this cycle. Additionally, the parable of the dishonest manager from Luke 16 is analyzed to illustrate the cultural context of Jesus’ teachings and the expected behavior regarding patronage and honor. Throughout, we uncover the scriptural truths about grace and the importance of honoring and showing gratitude to God.

(0:46:40) – Wisdom in Giving and Receiving (1 Minutes)

This chapter focuses on the importance of wisdom in financial dealings, drawing inspiration from the parable of the dishonest manager. I discuss the necessity of understanding the give-and-take dynamic in our interactions, especially with those who may not share the same values when it comes to money. The conversation emphasizes that the act of giving should not be driven by an expectation of receiving something in return. Instead, the true reward of giving is the gratitude we receive. Join me as we reflect on how this approach can bring blessings and enrich our lives, and why it’s crucial to give with the right mindset. Thank you for being here, and I look forward to our next time together.

About your host: Jaime Luce’ testimony has daunting personal mountains and treacherous financial valleys. She was trapped in day-to-day stress and couldn’t see a way forward. But how she started is not how she finished! And she wants you to know God has a plan for your life too, no matter how tough it seems. Today, Jaime has been married to the love of her life for almost three decades, owns two companies, and has become an author and podcaster. God’s way is always the blessed way! 

Free chapter of Jaime’s new book: You Don’t Need Money, You Just Need God: https://jaimeluce.com/book/

Connect with Jaime: 

Website: https://jaimeluce.com

Facebook:  / jaime.luces.page  

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LinkedIn:  / jaime-luce-00395691  

Full Transcript

This transcript is auto-generated and not perfect. We hope it blesses you.

00:00 – Jaime Luce (Host)
He’s saying, to understand true giving, to understand true grace, he says you invite the critical, the lame, the blind, because those people cannot pay you back, that the true gift, the true carest, the true favor and grace is to give to those who cannot repay you. Welcome to the Jamie Goods Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. I want to talk today about the surprising meaning of the word grace. I think that the word grace has, in the minds of most Christians, a lot of different definitions. We can think of grace as something that God, because it is something that God gives us that enables us to do what we could not otherwise do. I think that’s a good definition. However, there is a lot of information behind that definition that will truly, I think, help open up to you the scriptures in a new way and give you insight into more and more full and bountiful meaning when you read the whole New Testament. Every time you come across the word grace because we have, you know, there’s a large group of people who have almost diminished the word grace to look like a get out of jail free cart. You know, if I’ve got grace, I don’t have to worry about punishment. We have so watered it down and so wrongly sort of compartmentalized a part of what that word means that we miss the power and the fullness and the business and far reaching that word means. And so I want to talk about that today. And what’s interesting is we’ll go over several different passages of scripture. Today will be a little bit different in that I’m not going to read necessarily a whole portion of scripture and talk about that, because this is so spoken about in so many places that I want to be able to hit those. So we’re really going to have more of a topical discussion today about this word grace. But I am going to give you lots of scripture for it and it would be a good idea for your own Bible study to go back and read in context all the chapters and surrounding areas around these verses that are going to use today. They won’t lose their meaning, it will only magnify their meaning.

03:05
And so a little personal note of one of my very favorite movies is Jane Austen’s movie Priving Prejudice. That was put out. It’s been done and redone, but the one I’m talking about was in, I believe, 1991. 1991. I’m not sure. I think that was around the time that it was released. Anyway, that particular one is the one I saw for the first time in film, before then seeing it in other older versions, and I think it’s actually been done again.

03:42
But in that movie I always wondered this, and I don’t know if you’ve seen it or not, and this is going to pop up all through these verses but there is a family member of the main family, the five sisters, and they have a cousin who is a, mr Collins, who is a. He wants to be a minister, and he speaks about his patroness, lady Catherine, and he is always talking about her and he wonders if everyone has heard of her. He’s always bringing great esteem when he talks about her. He almost seems in all of her and it’s really interesting because I really wondered about that.

04:38
So I was watching the movie I thought why do they not know her? And yet to him she is so esteemed that they should know her. And when I came across this study I’m going to get some of this information from a book written by De Silva and then it’s also been taught by a professor I haven’t listened to the things yet, but I have done over some of his notes but a professor, steve Ault, for the fire school of ministry. So they have some great notes on this and I was going through them and boy did it just make scripture come alive when I saw what this meant.

05:25
So I’m going to be reading you some of the definitions and explanation of what it is to have a patronage. And in biblical times, during the Roman Empire, the Greek Roman Empire, they were very much those who lived in a society that followed this patronage. It was a. This was a way that they dealt with one another to meet the needs of the public in that society. So this was very much something that Jesus and the disciples at this time period they were familiar with this. This was how the society was run, and you can always get a better understanding of scripture when you understand the people and the times and what was happening during that time. It makes things make more sense when you have an understanding of how they lived and the way that their society was run. And so this patronage is the. It’s a word. So every time you read its scripture in the New Testament, when you read the word grace we know as many times the word will be favor. In the Greek it’s the same word, it’s keras, c-h-a-r-i-s. That word keras and that word keras doesn’t just mean grace or favor. It also means gift or gratitude. Okay, gift or gratitude and there was the way this worked is, if you were a patron, you were somebody who was a person of means in some way, whether that meant you had a business and you could provide a job, whether you had finances and money and you could provide help to those who need money. The client was the one who received the gift from the patron. They received this grace from the patron. They received this favor. This client received this favor from the patron. What it meant was a patron gives a gift that is without, it is given to help the status of the person who needs it. So let’s say I am in need of finances and I approach the patron and I say, can I work for you and retain these finances so that I’m able to establish myself? I’m trying to. It’s sort of like a class system. I’m trying to find a way to raise my status and if this patron gifted me, that means they graced me with the money or the job, position or the opportunity to build for them and to make a name for myself. I am the recipient of this patron’s grace. They have graced me with this. I have received the gift and favor and have been graced with this opportunity.

08:48
So when this happened, in order for this to be a true act of grace or patronage, the receiver. How they paid back the patron was that they would. Then, whenever they were in a public arena, it was their duty to bring honor and name this patron and bring attention to them and to talk highly of them and to make sure that people think of them in this way, that they are a great patron and that this patronage they have bestowed is worth talking about and constantly bringing to mind different. So they were to always bring honor to them in the public square Every time they had the opportunity. Any time they came into a public square, it was their duty to bring up their patron’s name and bring honor and esteem to that person, and that was a way that they then graced and paid back that gift that was given to them. So this was a gift and exchange I would give and in exchange they would receive.

09:59
So there’s a giving and receiving that takes place in this patronage. Now, if this patron gave to a community, to a whole community they build a building that benefits the whole community then they are the benefactor and so when they have this reputation that everyone wants to do what they can to honor and bring esteem to this patron who has been so good to the community, and we’re going to see this in Scripture in a passage, and I want you to understand the idea about kindness. And Jesus takes it even further. He came, just like he always did with the Pharisees, and bringing clarification to the commandments and to the law. He also would take them and help them understand. It’s not just the outward act, it’s the act of the heart. Well, jesus wants to help them understand in this society, it’s not a problem for them to have this patronage happening, but that they have to understand. It goes even deeper and he takes it into the heart issue again, and it explains so much of Paul’s writings and it’s so much of when you see the word phrase, I just felt like this would be such a blessing to you for your Bible study.

11:14
So let’s look at some Scriptures. Let’s start in Luke, chapter 14, and I’m only going to read two verses here. Jesus has been invited to a dinner at a banquet, and so the whole story is that he has already explained some things. He’s given these, telling him parables, and this is one of the things he’s doing while he’s at this meal. Luke, chapter 14, verses 12 to 14, and it says he said also to the man who had invited him when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you re-repay. But when you give a feast, you invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, or you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. So what? This little parable or this lesson that Jesus is giving them is explaining patronage on his deepest level and his most spiritual level.

12:45
So what this patron gives, the gift, charis, he is to do it without calculation of reward. So if you are truly a patron, you don’t give expecting to get very much in return. You’re not giving it. Or the return, we’re not giving to get, we’re giving to get it. We’re not calculating the return gift, we’re just giving to get. Pastor Robert Horner loves to talk about giving that way. He says you don’t give to get, you give to get. If you’re giving to get, you’re not giving with the right heart. And so this is really important that Jesus is teaching about this and he’s trying to explain. These people can’t get this back to you. So I digress. I digress a little bit.

13:35
I go back to the movie I was speaking about, frightened Prejudice. This patron, this Lady Catherine, gives to this minister both a home to live in and a church for him to minister to the community through. So she is her patronage is to him, but it is also to the community, okay, and he has no wealth and no means. And so when she gives, the idea behind the patronage was also that in the event that they need you for something in the future, it is your duty to do whatever it is that they need. So there’s a scene in the movie where he’s invited to come to her home with his wife and their friend to go and cousin to dinner. And she says to another gentleman who’s at this dinner I need you. And the minute she says I need you, that means you must respond. You have to do what they’re asking you to do. She’s bestowed her kindness on you and that’s a line actually in the movie that the character Lizzie says when someone’s explaining the gifts that this woman has given, she says, well, she couldn’t have bestowed her kindness on a more worthy person, but this is exactly who she should be giving this to. And you see this whole language of the exchange and they all understand this is how the dynamic works.

15:09
And Jesus is explaining to this man who was invited and did his home. He’s saying when you do something that a bank which you’re giving, a bank which you’re wanting to bless, you’re wanting to do well, you’re wanting to do good for somebody, he’s saying don’t do it for your neighbors and your family and those who are wealthy, for the ones that it does them no good because they’re going to turn around and do it for you and no real gift has been exchanged, no real blessing has been given. You’ve been paid back. They’ll just re-invite you to their home. He’s saying to understand true giving, to understand true grace, he says you invite the critical, the lame, the blind, because those people cannot pay you back.

15:54
That the true gift, the true carous, the true favor and grace is to give to those who cannot repay you. We are the fullest example of the grace of God that has been given to us by Jesus Christ. We owe a debt we can never pay, and what do we do in return? We, every time in the public square that we get the opportunity, we get praise and honor to his name, talking about what he’s done, not just for us, but for the whole world. He has been. We have benefited all of us from the gift that he has given us and the grace he has bestowed on us, the favor we didn’t deserve that he gave to us. It is the ultimate gift and he has bestowed that grace on us. We are the quality of. He is the patron and he is explaining that that is. You don’t calculate what you get out of it. You give to give. You give because this is what grace really is.

17:01
This grace is so about giving, and I’m going to show you in just a minute it is truly even about giving financially that we are to be givers. We are to be those who are not stingy. We don’t worry that we will have, because even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel are in the desert. They have no means of feeding themselves and God gives them the Sabbath, or them to understand his first, he gives them manna. Every day they go collect their manna and then, to prove that you don’t have to worry that every day your need will be met, that your father, your the patron who takes care of us, is going to take care of us. We are in no means able to do it for ourselves. Not only that, but they had extends that you will collect double on Saturday or Friday, whatever the. For them it was a different day, but then, on the Sabbath, they then had. No, they had. They didn’t have to go collect because they had double and it lasted. What they had was enough. And so he always is perpetuating our understanding that he meets all of our needs. The grace of God truly meets all of our needs. If it is our, as Paul put it, it is our reasonable service. So, then, because of this beautiful gift that has been given to us, that we live our lives in servitude to the one who has bestowed this to us. It’s beautiful, it’s so beautiful.

18:36
Okay, I want to give you another passage of scripture. I want you to see this more fully. I want you to go a few chapters back. Let’s go to Luke chapter. Where do I want to start? Chapter five, no, chapter six. We’ll start in chapter six and I’m going to jump down to verse 38.

18:55
This is in the portion where Jesus is talking about how you judge others. He says in 37, we’ll go ahead and read that Judge not and you will not be judged. Condemn not and you will not be condemned. So he’s talking about the relationship with people, how we are to deal with people. Okay, he says forgive and you will be forgiven. There’s a give and a receive there. It is an act of patronage. You forgive not because that person deserves it. You’re not forgiving because you expect something that you forgive because you will be forgiven.

19:32
What is Jesus said? He says in the Lord’s prayer we forgive our debtors, lord, forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. There’s the giving and exchanging that is taking place. This is the beauty of how we are to deal with one another in grace, in this new grace, living under the grace. For those who like to use the term a dispensation of grace, we live under the grace, yes, but what is grace? Grace is now living under the understanding of what it is to give and receive in the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is alike. This is the grace of the kingdom. It’s about giving, and it’s about giving without calculating what I’m going to get in return. So let’s look at verse 38. Give and it will be given to you. Good measure press down, shake it together. Running over will be put into your lap or, with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. Now, what’s so beautiful about that? That verse by itself blesses people. But you take that and you understand giving and receiving. We understand giving and receiving. But now let’s look at how this played out. If you just continue reading, we go into chapter seven. That was chapter six. We’re now in chapter seven.

21:01
Verse one said after he had finished all his sayings, he had the hearing of the people. He injured Capernaum. Now a Centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. Okay, so the Centurion highly values his servant. When the Centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him the elders of the Jews asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus listen to this. They pleaded with him, earnestly, saying he is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he is the one who built us, our synagogue. So the Centurion who gets healing, who has so much faith that Jesus marvels at his faith, because he says just say the word and I’ll know what’s done this same Centurion the reason the elders come to Jesus in the first place? Because the Centurion is a Gentile. So they’re saying no, no, no, he is worthy because he has been a patron to us. He has built our synagogue, he has had faith, he has been good to us, he has given us what we could not do on our own. He built our synagogue. And then it says and Jesus went with them.

22:32
So Jesus responds in, he totally firms what we just read in verse in chapter six. He just totally examples this for what he said, not he’s doing. And they understand it because they know the society they live in, they know the terms of how you deal with one another in this way. Only Jesus again takes it further. He’s saying do it from your heart. Don’t do it to expect the return. Don’t do it because they’re going to praise you at all the places that you go. You do it because in my kingdom I make sure that your gift comes back to you. Press good measure, press down, shake it together and, running over, will it be put into your lap. With the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. This is how the kingdom works. This is how the kingdom works.

23:19
Okay, now I want us to go to second Corinthians. We’re going to look at chapter eight and you’re going to see all the ways that Paul uses the word grace. I want you to get used to understanding the meaning of this word grace that when you look at it from now on, you’re going to have a new understanding of the word grace and how much it pertains to giving. Okay, so we’re going to read 2 Corinthians 8. I’m going to read let’s see how far am I going to go here. I’m going to go for a little while, so let’s read this.

23:58
We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for, in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a well of generosity on their part, for they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor. So we read it the grace of God that was given amongst this church. And now we see the word favor. They’re still mean the same thing. Okay, they’re still mean the same thing for the favor of taking part in the relief of the sentence. And this not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then, by the will of God to us.

25:00
Accordingly, we urged Titus that, as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness and in our love, for you see that you excel this act of grace also. He’s talking about giving money even though they are poor, that they are generous even though they don’t have. I say this not as a command, but to prove, by the earnestness of others, that your love also is genuine. So he’s saying your gift giving proves the work that’s going on on the inside of your heart. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor so that you, by his poverty, might become rich. So he said he had all this wealth, he’s the patron, and by this grace he gave us the wealth of eternal life and salvation from our sin, and he came to this earth, made himself for for our sakes.

26:14
Do you see this giving and receiving, the grace of God is giving, and in this matter I give my judgment, this benefit to you who, a year ago, started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness is desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. So he’s saying you know, it’s kind of like if you’ve ever been at a church and they’ve done a building project and they ask you to make your pledges. He’s saying you started, you have the right heart when you began. Let’s make sure that this grace continues and you finish doing what you were told to do and what you started to do in the beginning. Make sure you finish. So now finish it as well, so that your readiness is desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you earn it, but that is a matter of fairness. Your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. He’s saying this is the perfect form of blessing. Then this giving produces a receiving that we make in exchange and that so he could hold it over and over again.

28:06
This gift of grace. This gift of grace, it means they have gained your favor and they have gained your gift and they have gained the. You have a grace to do it. We use that. A lot of texts will say I lost the grace to do a certain thing. I may be called us to do something and we know that it’s coming to a close. The thing that he’s wanting us to do will use the term we have lost the grace. You know the losing the grace is when something has no longer remained a part of this exchange and you either pull out or you don’t stay a part of it. That means that that grace has been broken. That grace has been broken. Let me see if I can find the way that they worded it. It might be a little bit better, easier for me to understand. Give me one second as I look this cup, because it’s so good.

29:12 – Jaime Luce (Host)
Hi, my name is Jamie Luce. I wanted to share with you some information about a brand new book entitled you Don’t Need Money, you Just Need God. It’s a playbook for miraculous provision, and I want to share it with you because it solves the problem we are all facing right now. The economy is going crazy, gas prices are soaring, there’s wars and rumors of wars. We’ve got everything hitting us all at once, with interest rates rising. You need to know what to do, and so many times we think we need the money. But you don’t need money. I’m telling you, the answer is you need God, and that’s exactly what we want to teach you through this book. We’ll give you practical ways to know what to do and how to do it, so that you get answers now. You can find my book on Amazon. You can also go to jamieloosecom. You can also find this book at YouDon’tNeedMoneyYouJustNeedGodcom. This book is available today.

30:12 – Jaime Luce (Host)
Okay, here it is. This is the way to sell. What explains that. These are not my worst, these are his. The best credit rating one could have in the ancient world was a reputation for knowing how to show gratitude.

30:30
The three graces that we’ve talked about. The three graces are again grace, favor, gift and gratitude. Those are the three graces. The three graces dance hand in hand in an unbroken circle, showing how to benefit returns to the giver. The beauty of the whole is destroy if the course is anywhere broken. So, in this exchange of grace and favor and gratitude and giving, if in that particular cycle one of those things is destroyed and it’s no longer a whole, it’s no longer a cycle, he says, then that force of grace has been broken. That force of grace has been broken. So we can see that this is the way that Jesus had so beautifully bestowed on us grace.

31:35
Now, if you understand this, if you understand truly what it means to have the grace of God, then you would understand how awful it is for people to abuse the word grace and think that grace means that they no longer have to follow law and they can do whatever they want. That does not at all, at all, equal what the word grace means. It is a complete twisting of scripture, a complete twisting of its meaning, and it’s completely void of truth. That is not what the word grace means. Let’s look at Romans, chapter one, and we’re going to read verses 18. Let’s get 18 to 21. Let me, am I going to read the whole pinchy?

32:22
or just the one verse. I think I want to read it all to you. Let’s see, I’m looking it up with you, so give me just a moment. I had almost everything marked, but I didn’t mark this one out Romans 1, verse 18 and verse 21. The verse 18 says For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who, by their unrighteousness, suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them, for his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Now here’s the clincher verse 21. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. But they became futile in their thinking and their foolish hearts were darkened. Plain to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal men and birds and animals and creepy things. So Paul is explaining to the Romans that he first wants them to understand there is a coming wrath, the wrath of God, and who the wrath of God is poured out on. And he’s helping them understand who the wrath of God is poured out on, based on their understanding of patronage. Because he says in verse 21, for, although they knew God, these are people who claim to know God. So there’s a misunderstanding of grace here, for although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him. They showed no return grace. That’s what that means. They showed no return grace. The patron, the client, was to give honor and glory to the patron. He was to express his gratitude. And he’s saying they knew God, but they weren’t thankful and they didn’t honor him. They broke the cycle, so to speak. And so, if you know what, I’ve got a couple other scriptures I want us to look at. Let’s go to Luke 16. You’ll see this really well here, and we’re going to look at verses 1 through 17. I’m going to try to read it quickly, so bear with me. We’re almost finished.

35:26
This parable is, and I’ve always was puzzled by this parable, and now that I understand this concept, I now understand the parable. I didn’t understand it before. I really didn’t. I knew the basic information, but I did not understand the context of why Jesus would choose to use this. And this parable is about the dishonest manager and let me just read it and then I’ll explain. He also said to the disciples there was a rich man who had a manager and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him what is this that I hear about? You Turn in the account of your management where you can no longer be a manager. And the manager said to himself what shall I do? Since my master is taking the management away from me, I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses. So what he’s saying is if I’m not going to have my job here, I still want others to maybe take me in and let me do work for them. I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to be digging dishes and I don’t want to beg for money and I have a higher. That’s below me, but I’m above that. I’m not going to go do that. So this is what he says. I know what I’m going to do. Verse four I’ve decided what to do, okay.

36:47
Verse five so, summoning his master’s debtors one by one. He said to the first how much do you owe my master? He said a hundred measures of oil. So the man said to him take your bill, then sit down quickly and write fifty. Then he said to another and how much do you owe? And he said a hundred measures of wheat. He said to him take your bill and write eighty, the master. So the original master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewness.

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Okay, so I’ll finish reading it and then I’ll explain, For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of life.

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And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth so that when it fails that, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

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So what this variable is explaining is this man. What was shrewd about this man is he went to those who owed his master and he wants to have to look good in their eyes so that they will welcome him and that they will have this understanding that he’s not a bad manager. Okay, that he wants to be able to come into their home. And so what he does is he says okay, whatever you owe, cut me a deal today. You only have to pay this much for you to pay it today. So what he does is he gets favor with the master is leaving, because he now looks really good in the eyes of the whole community because he’s not making their pay, their full debt, and he’s getting payment right away. So he’s benefiting in their eyes and he’s benefiting for himself, okay, and he does this to several people. He also looks really good to the people who now you mean, I’m going to pay the whole bill. You just benefited me and you just made my love load lighter.

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And now I don’t owe as much as I used to. Oh, so now I look very favorably on you. You’ve done me a favor. You are like a patron to me, so now I want to do you a favor and take you into my home. So this patronage he’s saying this is the whole cycle of graces. They go hand in hand. These full, full cycle hand in hand. It’s a dance that goes on. But the minute somebody doesn’t do this dance, the minute somebody breaks it, the whole thing that is is destroyed, the whole process is destroyed. This grace, then, has been stunted. So let’s look at Matthew 25. This is about two verses and we’re up or done. Matthew 25, verses 14 through 30.

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This is the parable of the talents. Okay, I know we’ve all heard the parable of the talents, but not a lot. Should you hear it, for it will be like a man going on a journey to call his servants in his trust to them, his property, okay. So you have a patron. He is giving his property and his trust to these others to take care of, like the manager and the one taking care of the step To one. He gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them and he made five talents more. So he also had the two talents, make two talents more. But he who had received one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now, after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. This is money, okay, settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying Master, you delivered to me five talents. Here I had made five talents more. They are in this grace giving. You graced me with this and it is my duty to make this and return to you and give back to you what is yours. He gives them five more. This master said to him well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over little. I set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And also he who had two talents came forward saying Master, you delivered me the two talents. Here I have made two talents more. It’s the same story for the second one. He’s so pleased with it.

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Let’s look at the one who only had one. He also, who had received the one talent, came forward saying Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sell and gathering where you scatter no seed. So I was afraid and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. So he didn’t use the gift that was given him. He didn’t use and have anything to give in return. He had nothing to give in return for the gift that was given him, for no honor was brought to him. There was no exchange happening.

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Let’s look at what he says to him. But his master answered, and this is verse 26,. You wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I had reaped, or I have not sown, and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have invested by running with the bankers and at my coming I should have received what was my own weight interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the 10 talents, for to everyone who has will more be given and he will have an abundance. But from the one who is not, even what he has will be taken away and cast this worthy servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Not only is this the grace with which they are to deal with one another.

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Not only was this known, how this exchange takes place, but he’s saying when I come, when I return, when Jesus comes back, our lives, like I mentioned in the verse where Paul says that our service is our reasonable service, we are reasonably supposed to be given our lives and doing for the Lord all that he has asked us to do and make more. Give back to him in what we have made it, what he has given us, the grace he has given us. We are to then, with that same grace and that same of exchange, give back to the Lord at his return and say you have given us this and look what we have done for you and give that glory and honor to him. That’s why his wrath is coming on those, as we read, his wrath is coming on those who did not, who gave no glory and no return to the Lord for what was his Last scripture. Let me close. Luke seven. I mentioned this earlier.

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This is the story of the centurion. I will take the time to reread it again. You know the story, but I want to reiterate verse four. I want to close with this verse, but I want to read it again. I want to read it again. I want to read it again. I want to read it again.

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I want to close with this verse, because this is Jesus himself, not only dying, giving the exchange of the grace of his death for us, but this was his dealings with people, even with those outside the faith. We read the parable of dealing. He said that the men you ought to do this, even with those who are not a faith. He was explaining those who are not even a faith. You should have this exchange going on, that there should be this mutual of the giving and receiving going on, and if it’s not, then why is the grace being extended there? Okay, so we have to understand. This is how we deal with people. This is a lesson for life. Jesus is truly giving us a lesson for life.

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Verse four said and when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying he is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and if he is the one who built us, our synagogue, and Jesus with with him. I just want this takeaway for you today Giving is a marker of either honor or shame If you do not participate in the grace of giving. There is shame that comes on and there is judgment that comes on there. How you give and to whom you give determines the honor. Jesus lived and taught in an honor society and we are to bring honor and glory to our great patron, jesus Christ.

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I really do hope that this has been a blessing to you and send a deeper understanding not only of the word grace, because it really does have to do with giving in every form, including finances. I don’t ask you to give to me and anything that I do here, but I am encouraging you to give your tithes and your offerings into your local church. If you see somebody who is in need of something finances are not and you have the means to bless them. And you know that the Lord is asking you to extend that grace, to show that grace, as Paul showed, how the church is graced one another, that that wisdom and in that cycle there is both the grace of God is bestowed. Now, if someone is not honoring of that grace and does not participate in that grace, then we need to ask the Lord. Lord, what would you have us do? Is it, as they say? The grace is lifting.

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We need to use wisdom. We need to use wisdom, just like the parable of the dishonest manager, he had to use wisdom in dealing with those who were outside that Jesus is saying use this with those who even do ungovernment, meaning those who are not godly with their money. You need to have this same understanding of the reciprocal nature of how this giving and receiving takes place, because that’s what will bring blessing and benefit your life. And remember, when you give, don’t give, calculating what you’re going to get. We don’t give to get, we give to hear. Thank you so much for joining me today. It’s a pleasure being with you. We’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.