That Which Is Your Own
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?" (Luke 16:10-12)
Jesus says that the only way a person is going to be entrusted with "much" or with "true riches" is if they are faithful with "very little" or "unrighteous wealth."
This is a common observation--walk before you crawl, pay your dues, build your credit before you apply for a loan...
But that's just how Jesus' teaching here begins: if you're faithful in one thing, you'll get more of it. That is, you'll grow in that field.
Faithful with a little money and watch it grow to more money. Faithful in a friendship and watch it grow into a family. Faithful in work and watch it grow into a career. And so forth.
However, Jesus develops this point in the next verse in an astonishing way. There He says that if we're faithful with "unrighteous wealth"--what we just call "money" or "wealth"--then we'll be entrusted with "true wealth." This is a contrast, rather than a continuum. He's not talking about "more" but rather "other."
Jesus is not saying, "Be faithful with some money and I'll give you more money." He is saying, "Be faithful with some money and I'll give you something of real value."
In the final verse of this brief teaching, Jesus goes further. He says, if you are faithful with what belongs to someone else, you may be entrusted with "that which is your own."
What does this mean? I'm not sure. The contrast is clear but the meaning requires reflection.
Jesus is teaching that money--"unrighteous wealth"--belongs to God ("is another's") and that it has been given to us as a kind of test of our faithfulness. Will we use what God has given us for His honor and glory? We should understand this to include not just dollars-and-cents, but also the means of production--our skills and energy--and other aspects of compensation and opportunities--intelligence, networking, creativity, ambition, etc. All that we have been given, by God, to be used for His glory.
But then, what it is that we are promised here? What are "true riches"? What is "that which is your own"?
I think these are deep waters, and so I'm going to just point at it and pray for us. May this passage bother you as much as it bothers me.
Because we all of us are bent around the idea that what we need is "more" or "better." More money, better opportunities, more clients, more time, better stuff... But what Jesus says here is that whatever "wealth" we have is just part 1. It's in the first part of each sentence.
Something else--something greater--is in the second part of each sentence. Jesus is, at least, telling us that we all of us do not truly want wealth, we want something truer, something that is our own, something better, something He gives.
Father God,
Thank You for my life, for all I have and for all I am. It's easy for me to feel like I don't have enough, and I myself am not adequate. And yet, this is what I have and this is what I am, and all this is from You. Thank You. You are loving, wise, gracious, and good, and You give good gifts.
Holy Spirit, please help me to be faithful in how I handle my life. Help me to be faithful, to You, in how I handle this money. Help me to be faithful, to You, in how I handle this day. Help me to be faithful, to You, in how I handle these words, this energy, this body, these responsibilities.
Lord, what are "true riches"? These, Lord, I desire, for You have said that they are better-than, and all You call me to is good. Lord, what does it mean, "that which is my own"? This awakens something in me, for which I give You thanks. Spirit, please draw me toward this good end, which my Lord Jesus called me to seek.
Direct my heart this New Year, not toward that goal which all people like me pursue--whatever that is--but to this goal, which You Yourself invite Your people to pursue. Not to be more exalted in my aspirations, but more faithful in my work; not to be more greedy in my ambitions, but more humble and grateful in my life. Awaken within me a greater drive, for the glory that comes from God, as Jesus says. (John 5:44, 12:43)
May I arrive at December 25, 2025, astonished at Your grace, satisfied with Your love, and hungry for more of all that You are, which is, truly, my own.
In Jesus' Name, Happy New Year..
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash