Knowing The Word in Luke 16:1-13, The Dishonest Manager

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager is one of the most difficult parables to interpret because of Jesus’ commendation of the dishonest manager. It is the manager’s astuteness that is commended, not his actions. As background, Jews were forbidden to take interest from fellow Jews when they lent them money. Some decided this law was only to prevent exploitation of the poor and that it did not prohibit mutually beneficial innocent transactions where both parties would profit. What was borrowed was given a value in oil or wheat. Stewards would carry out these loans without the owner’s direct knowledge. Understood this way, this parable presents us with a steward who, faced with the loss of his employment, 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. His action put the owner in a difficult position because he could not repudiate the steward’s actions without convicting himself of usury. If the master repudiated him, he would declare himself irreligious and oppressive. Jesus’ followers must use their money wisely for spiritual purposes just as the children of this world do for their material aims. Faithfulness arises out of what one is. What we do with the small things in life, we do with the big things. The money we think we own, however, is not really ours. It is always God’s shared with us, his stewards. No one can give his full devotion to two masters at once. It is either God or money, and we decide.

1 He 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.

10 “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. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Prayer: Tender God, gentle protector in time of trouble: pierce the gloom of despair and give us, with all your people, the song of freedom and the shout of praise, in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Michael Vasey