The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward

OK, I understand verses 13 and 14.  I have to admit that the rest of this parable eludes me.  Can anyone explain how verses 1 - 12 lead to verses 13 and 14?

"The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward

1And 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. 2And 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. 3Then 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. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then 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. 8And 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. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10He 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. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No 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." Luke 16:1-14

God Expects Us to Work

“God gives every bird its food, but He does not throw it into the nest.” J. G. Holland

Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819-1881) was an American novelist, poet, magazine editor, physician, and Methodist hymn lyricist.

God expects us to work.

““Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.  To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

   “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

  His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

 “The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’

       “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

  “Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.   So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

    “‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30

” Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”  1 Corinthians 4:2

A Proper Name

Many of the familiar names you know for Native American tribes are not names they have chosen for themselves. Often they were named by other tribes, not all of whom were their friends.

The Sioux actually have three major divisions named the Isanyathi, aka: the Santee ("knife"); the Ihankthunwan, aka: Yankton ("village at the end"), and the Thithunwan, aka: Teton or Lakota ("dwellers on the prairie"). The Sioux name probably comes from Nadouessiouak, an Odawa/Ottawa word meaning "small rattlesnake," not intended as a compliment.

The name of the Nez Perce tribe is French for "pierced nose", while the tribe refers to itself as Nimiipuu ("the real people"). The Nez Perce did not pierce their noses but another tribe, which did, lived nearby.

The Cherokee call themselves the Tsalagi or Aniyvwiyai ("principal people"). The name by which they are best known is possibly from the Choctaw cha-la-kee ("those who live in the mountains"). Another possible Choctaw origin for the name means "those who live in caves."

The traditional explanation of the Iroquois name is from the derogatory Wyandot word "irinakhoiw" meaning "real adders." The Iroquois name for the tribe is Haudenosaunee, meaning "they are building a long house."

The earliest Christians called themselves "the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5) and "those of the way" (Acts 9:2). The name "Christians" (Xριστιανουσ) was a derogatory term applied by outsiders and later proudly adopted by believers. The Latin suffix "ianos" implied that one was a slave of the one to whose name it was affixed.

"And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Acts 11:26