Knowing The Word in Luke 16:1-9

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16:1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ 5 So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

Comments

This is one of the most difficult parables to interpret because Jesus commended the dishonest manager. However, it was the manager’s astuteness that was commended, not his actions. As background, Jews were forbidden to take interest from fellow Jews when they lent them money (Ex 22:25). Some Jews decided this law was only to prevent exploitation of the poor. It did not prohibit mutually beneficial, innocent transactions where both parties profited. What was borrowed was given an agreed upon value in oil or wheat that was eventually paid to the owner who lent the money. A manager would then carry out these loans without the owner’s direct knowledge, protecting the owner from committing the sin of usury.

Understood this way, this parable presents us with a manager, who, faced with the loss of his employment because he wasted his possessions—Jesus uses wording similar to that of the prodigal son—protected his future by calling in the loans and getting the debtors to rewrite them so that they no longer carried interest. He looked to their gratitude to express itself by their taking him into their homes. He wants them indebted to him. His action put the owner in a difficult position because he could not repudiate the steward’s actions without convicting himself of usury.

The master admired his astuteness, not the action itself. If the master repudiated the servant, he would declare himself irreligious and oppressive, trying to keep the interest, which would be “unrighteous wealth,” wealth that was acquired in unworthy ways. Jesus commended his followers to use their money wisely for spiritual purposes (alms, the poor, etc.) just as the children of this world do for their material aims. When one’s spiritual pursuits come to an end, it is God who will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

Application

Consider how you use your wealth. Do you usually, occasionally, or never think of how you can use it to the benefit of others? How can you be astute with your wealth?

Prayer

Father, I desire to use my wealth for righteous purposes, acknowledging that everything I have comes from you and belongs to you. Give me a generous heart toward using it for the sake of others, knowing that you have prepared an eternal dwelling place for me.