The Gospels resound with an extraordinary truth: no matter how far you have fallen, how lost you have become: you could be the lost sheep, the run away son, the thief on the cross, a sinful person who is caught, a corrupt tax collector, poor, blind, sick, and old; the kingdom of heaven remains within your reach (Luke 16: 1-13). This is not merely inspirational rhetoric—it is the very heartbeat of Jesus's ministry, demonstrated repeatedly through His encounters with society's most marginalised and morally compromised individuals.
Jesus taught that heaven is worth everything we possess, declaring, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it (Matthew 13: 44-46). The merchant didn't hesitate to negotiate—he recognized ultimate value when he saw it and acted decisively. This divine economy operates on different principles than worldly success. It's not about having a perfect past or pristine credentials; it's about recognising the incomparable worth of what God offers and being willing to exchange everything temporal for it.
Perhaps one of the most startling examples of this principle appears in Jesus's parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16:1-13. Here was a man facing dismissal for wasting his master's possessions—a failure that would have left him destitute and disgraced. Yet instead of surrendering to despair, he used his remaining time and authority to secure his future: The manager said to himself, what should 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.
What makes this parable revolutionary is Jesus's response: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light" (Luke 16:8). Jesus wasn't endorsing dishonesty, but rather the manager's decisive action and strategic thinking in the face of crisis.
The lesson is profound: if a corrupt manager can use his wits and remaining resources to secure temporal acceptance, how much more should we use every gift, every opportunity, and every remaining moment to secure eternal welcome? Jesus concludes, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” This parable demonstrates that our past failures—even moral failures—need not paralyse us. The shrewd manager didn't waste time lamenting his corruption or his impending dismissal. Instead, he channeled his energy into action that would transform his future. Similarly, regardless of what you have been—wasteful, corrupt, or failing—you can use whatever resources, skills, or time remain to you in pursuit of eternal acceptance.
Perhaps no story better illustrates God's merciful disregard for past failures than the thief on the cross. Here was a man whose entire life had been marked by crime, yet in his final moments, he demonstrated faith that surpassed that of many religious leaders. When he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom," Christ's response was immediate and absolute: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43). Notice the timing—not after years of reformation, not after making amends, but "today." The thief's dreams of redemption were fulfilled not despite his criminal past, but because grace operates beyond the boundaries of human justice. His circumstances—dying as a convicted criminal—became the very platform for experiencing divine mercy. Like the shrewd manager, the thief used his final moments strategically, not dwelling on his failures but securing his eternal future through faith.
Jesus consistently demonstrated that corruption and moral failure are not disqualifications from the kingdom. When He encountered Zacchaeus, a despised tax collector who had grown wealthy through extortion, Christ didn't demand reform before offering fellowship. Instead, He said, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today" (Luke 19:5). The response was transformational: Zacchaeus voluntarily restored fourfold what he had stolen and gave half his possessions to the poor. Similarly, Matthew was called directly from his tax collector's booth—a position synonymous with collaboration and corruption in first-century Palestine. Jesus simply said, "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9), and Matthew left everything to pursue his new calling. These men didn't overcome their corrupt pasts through their own efforts; they allowed their encounters with Christ to redefine their futures. Both Zacchaeus and Matthew, like the shrewd manager, understood the wisdom of decisive action. They didn't hesitate or make excuses; they immediately reoriented their lives toward eternal values.
The parable of the shrewd manager reveals that Jesus values strategic thinking and decisive action in spiritual matters. He continues, "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?" (Luke 16:10-11). This isn't a condemnation but an invitation: use whatever you have now—your talents, your remaining time, your resources, even your hard-won wisdom from past failures—to secure eternal treasure. The manager's shrewdness lay not in his dishonesty but in his understanding that immediate action was required to change his destiny. Jesus came specifically for those who felt lost and hopeless. He declared, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). The shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that is lost, and "when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home" (Luke 15:5-6).
The Gospels repeatedly show individuals refusing to be defined by their circumstances. The woman with the issue of blood had suffered for twelve years, spending all her money on physicians who couldn't help her. Yet she pressed through the crowd, believing, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed" (Mark 5:28). Her refusal to accept her circumstances as final led to both physical healing and spiritual commendation: "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34). The blind beggar Bartimaeus, told to be quiet by the crowd, "shouted all the more" (Mark 10:48). He refused to let social pressure silence his hope for transformation. Jesus responded to this persistence: "Go, your faith has healed you" (Mark 10:52). Like the shrewd manager, these individuals acted strategically and decisively, using whatever resources they had—faith, persistence, courage—to secure their transformation.
The Gospel message is ultimately one of inexhaustible hope paired with the call to wise action. The shrewd manager teaches us that regardless of our past failures or current circumstances, we can still act decisively to secure eternal acceptance. Christ's invitation—"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)—extends to every category of human failure and disappointment.
Your dreams for transformation are not too ambitious; they align with God's very intentions. But like the shrewd manager, you must act while you still have opportunity and time. Jesus concludes the parable with a crucial principle: "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 16:13).
The choice is before you: will you use your remaining resources—time, talents, even the wisdom gained from past mistakes—to pursue eternal treasure? Your circumstances are not your destiny; they are your platform for shrewd spiritual action. Don't surrender your dreams to your failures. Channel every advantage you possess, every moment you have left, toward securing your welcome in eternal dwellings. The kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are shrewd enough to recognise its ultimate value and decisive enough to pursue it with everything they have—and that is the wisest transaction that you can ever make.
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