"Chapter 26—“Friends by the Mammon of Unrighteousness” This chapter is based on Luke 16:1-9 . Christ's coming was at a time of intense worldliness. Men were subordinating the eternal to the temporal, the claims of the future to the affairs of the present. They were mistaking phantoms for realities, and realities for phantoms. They did not by faith behold the unseen world. Satan presented before them the things of this life as all-attractive and all-absorbing, and they gave heed to his temptations. COL 366"
"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. 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. 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. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 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. 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. 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."
EGW explicitly states the chapter is based on Luke 16:1-9, making this a direct and intentional connection.
"Christ came to change this order of things. He sought to break the spell by which men were infatuated and ensnared. In His teaching He sought to adjust the claims of heaven and earth, to turn men's thoughts from the present to the future. From their pursuit of the things of time, He called them to make provision for eternity. COL 366.2"
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
The EGW passage directly echoes the principle of prioritizing spiritual matters over earthly concerns, as emphasized in Matthew 6:33.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:"
EGW's emphasis on shifting focus from earthly pursuits to eternal provisions aligns with the principle of not laying up treasures on earth, as stated in Matthew 6:19. While not a direct quote, the thematic connection is clear and intentional.
"“There was a certain rich man,” He said, “which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.” The rich man had left all his possessions in the hands of this servant; but the servant was unfaithful, and the master was convinced that he was being systematically robbed. He determined to retain him no longer in his service, and he called for an investigation of his accounts. “How is it,” he said, “that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.” COL 366.3"
"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."
The EGW passage directly quotes and references the parable of the unjust steward from Luke 16:1.