“In the sound of firecrackers an old year is gone, spring wind brings us warmth as we drink wine” (“爆竹声中一岁除，春风送暖入屠苏”). These verses from Lunar New Year’s Day (“元日”), written by Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi, vividly depicts the joyful scenes of Chinese people welcoming in and expressing their heartfelt wishes for the New Year. As the most significant traditional festival in China, the Lunar New Year is celebrated with a rich variety of customs and meanings, all of which revolve around one central word: Blessing (“福”). From hanging spring couplets and making dumplings to staying up late, paying New Year calls, and giving red packets, these traditions are all about seeking blessings for oneself or bestowing blessings on others. Likewise, God desires for people to be blessed. The key question is: as Christians, are the blessings we seek aligned with the blessings God wants us to have? This 2025, as we celebrate the Lunar New Year, we can reflect on the tradition of “giving red packets and blessings” in the light of the parable of the shrewd steward in Luke 16:1–13. This parable challenges us to consider: are we seeking a better blessing than the blessings of temporary wealth?

In the parable of the shrewd steward (Luke 16:1–9), the steward reduces the debts of his master’s debtors without his master’s authorization to secure his own future. He decides to show kindness/favor to the debtors so that they would repay him later. While his actions result in financial loss for his master, his master praises him for acting shrewdly. This is a controversial parable—why should a dishonest/unjust steward receive praise?¹ Notably, verse 8a explicitly states that the master praises the steward because he acted φρονίμως (“shrewdly or wisely or prudently”), not for his injustice.² Jesus tells this parable to teach His disciples that while money is temporary, it can be used to secure eternal blessings. Jesus’ counsel to “make friends for yourselves” refers to acts of giving, an encouragement to His disciples to adopt a generous attitude toward wealth.³ Followers of Jesus can wisely use “unrighteous wealth” to help others (Luke 16:9).⁴ Just as the early church did, Christians are called to use their wealth and resources to serve God’s kingdom, care for the poor, and advance the gospel.

Luke 16:10–13, as part of Jesus’ teaching on money, is appended to the parable.⁵ Key terms from verses 8–9 reappear in verses 10–13: ἀδικία (“unrighteous,” 16:10, 11), μαμωνᾶς (“money/wealth,” 16:9, 11, 13), and κύριος (“master/Lord,” 16:3, 5, 8, 13).⁶ Here, Jesus’ commentary (16:10–13) focuses on how one views and uses money, not only as a manifestation of their relationship with God, but also to serve as a decisive factor in eschatological judgment.⁷ For the wise management of worldly wealth is also a sign of faithfulness as a servant of God. Thus, in 16:10–12, Jesus teaches that one who is faithful in very little will also be faithful in much (v. 10); that one who has not been faithful in unrighteous worldly wealth will not be trusted with true riches (v. 11); that one who been unfaithful with someone else’s property will not be given property of his own (v. 12). As Craig Blomberg summarizes, Jesus’ teaching encourages further reflection. One should take note of how Jesus, on the one hand, replaces “‘little’ with ‘worldly wealth’ (i.e., earthly riches) and then with ‘someone else’s property’ (that which is loaned from God),” and, on the other, replaces “‘much’ with ‘true [i.e., heavenly] riches’ and then with ‘property of your own’ (that which will last into eternity).”⁸ The steward in the parable uses “unrighteous wealth” and others’ possessions to secure a more enduring future. Analogically, this is what Jesus encourages his disciples to do: use the money of this life with their eyes set on eternity. Finally, Jesus concludes: “You cannot serve both God and money” (v. 13d), where “serve” implies “to be a slave.” Christians should use earthly wealth with a pure motivation to serve God. And “worldly wealth” should be regarded as entrusted to us by God, who expects us to use it responsibly to store “true riches” in heaven.

The parable of the shrewd steward reminds us to reflect on what constitutes wise and kingdom-oriented use of temporary wealth on earth in order to secure eternal blessings.⁹ The Lunar New Year tradition of “giving red packets and blessings” expresses people’s desire to pursue better blessings through sharing wealth. So, should we Christians think about how to pass on eternal blessings through the tradition of giving red packets? Here are two reminders and reflections:

1. The Steward’s Identity. First, Christians must clearly recognize that we are merely stewards of God. Everything we possess comes from and belongs to God. People often think they are giving out red packets with their own money, but the Bible teaches that we are only stewards, not the ultimate owners (cf. Psalm 24:1). We just bless others with God’s money. Initially, the tradition of giving red packets during the Chinese New Year was a pure expression of blessing and care for others. However, today its meaning seems to have become more complicated. Giving red packets is mixed with too many selfish desires and impure motives—such as the pursuit of face, reciprocity, worldly wisdom, comparison, or even seeking personal benefits. However, we must remember: giving red packets and blessings should be done to serve and honor God, not to satisfy traditional culture or worldly wisdom. Jesus subverted expectations about the unjust/dishonest motives of the shrewd steward. In the parable, the steward cared only about personal gain, but Jesus used the story as a teaching moment to teach his disciples about the greater importance of eternal blessings.

2. Seeking Eternal Blessings. Secondly, Christians must understand that, instead of giving red packets, which is the blessing of sharing temporary wealth on earth, we should prioritize seeking and sharing eternal blessings. The shrewd steward in the parable knew how to use his existing resources to invest in a longer-term security for himself, and this is what his master praised him for, that he had acted “shrewdly.” Undoubtedly, many Chinese Christians who give red packets to convey blessings are often limited by existing relationships and traditional culture. However, can we also use the blessing of red packets to create a more profound spiritual meaning and impact? Can we wisely use our wealth to participate in the ministry of God’s kingdom? Instead of merely communicating the blessings of temporary wealth to our friends and people we know, we should emulate the shrewd steward and invest our wealth in eternal values. Christians can pass on spiritual meaning through red packets by providing charity relief, helping the poor, etc. In this way, red packets not only convey blessings, but also become a way to show the value of Christian faith and to help people feel God’s love.

The Lunar New Year is a time to continue traditions and is also a wonderful opportunity to imbue these traditions with spiritual significance. God delights in blessing people, but He desires even more that His children, with wisdom and love, use their wealth to seek higher eternal values. For Christians, it is worthwhile to reflect deeply on how to embody faithfulness to God and love for others through the cultural practice of “giving red packets and blessings” during the Lunar New Year. For our use of wealth and possessions is the most direct indication of our true self.¹⁰ As Christians, giving and sharing is a lifestyle and an act of worship that confirms our trust in the living God. We are not to serve the money god but build our security in Jesus Christ. Then we will feel free to invest our wealth with a joyful heart for seeking eternal life.¹¹ When faith and traditional culture collide, we must learn how to manage God’s wealth prudently and wisely and how to value our identity as stewards with what God has entrusted to us, so that we can be a blessing to more people.

May God give you a blessed Lunar New Year, and, even more importantly, a blessed eternity!