Today’s parable may be one of the most difficult to understand.
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property.
So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’
So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’
Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty'” (Luke 16:1-7).
Neither the owner nor the debtors were impoverished. However, the debts are very large. The oil is equivalent to about 800 or 900 gallons and the yield of possibly 150 olive trees.
The amount of wheat is almost 1,100 bushels and enough to feed 150 people and is the produce of 100 acres.
Instead of collecting the full amount owed, the dishonest steward gained favor with the creditors by reducing their debts and submitting the smaller amounts to his boss.
The Surprise Ending
I am certain that Jesus’s ending to this parable surprised and puzzled His original audience. It has continued to do the same for Bible students throughout the centuries.
“And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes” (Luke 16:8-9).
Here are some of the ways that this parable has been interpreted by outstanding Bible scholars. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Klyne Snodgrass for his insightful analysis, as presented in his book “Stories with Intent.”
(1) One possible interpretation is that the steward’s wisdom is praised, particularly his wisdom in using money. His dishonesty is not praised. Jesus emphasized that the coming of the kingdom alters a person’s decisions about the use of financial resources.
(2) Another interpretation is that the parable serves as a warning to sinners, encouraging them to trust everything to God’s mercy.
(3) The sons of this age think their wise behavior can influence the age to come, but nothing could be further from the truth.
(4) As with the steward, judgment is hanging over Israel’s head.
(5) Some see Jesus as God’s agent who remits the debts people owe to God, and this parable is a defense of Jesus’ ministry of grace.
(6) The steward is a rogue, but the rich man is a negative figure too and gets what he deserves. By a powerful questioning and juxtaposition of images, the parable breaks the bond between power and justice.
It equates justice and vulnerability and forces the hearer in the world of the kingdom to establish new coordinates for power, justice, and vulnerability.
(7) Christians are called by the story to be liberated from slavery to wealth and from fear of God.
What is not obvious in Greek or English is that “faithful,” “trust,” and “true” in Hebrew and Aramaic all derive from the same root as mammon, assuming mammon means that in which one places trust and is derived from “amen.”
Snodgrass’ Interpretation
I have been reading Bible studies and commentaries for over 50 years, and some of my personal heroes are among those listed in the interpretations above. I appreciate Dr. Snodgrass’s insights and would like to share his perspectives on the best way to interpret this parable.
Why does the master, and why would Jesus, praise the servant for what appears to be a dishonest act?
The master praises the steward for his quick thinking, his shrewdness, or wisdom to ensure his own future. No more is intended than that.
The steward, as a child of this age, knew how to handle the system to his best advantage. But the children of light do not know how to live wisely within their system. That is, they don’t know how to live in keeping with the kingdom already present.
Mammon is set up as a potential idol and it is a corrupting tendency. Make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness can only mean to make friends by the use of your money, which is easily put to use in the wrong way.
Here is Snodgrass’ summary of verse 9: Put yourself in a good position through the use of money, which can easily lead you astray, so that when this age is over, God will receive you into His eternal dwelling.
Money is to be used wisely, given kingdom economics, rather than for self-centered purposes.
Showing mercy with money is an obvious application of the parable. The idea is buttressed both by the placement of the parable near that of the rich man and Lazarus, and by the similarity of verse 9 to 12.33. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and make purses for yourselves that do not wear out.”
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this parable on YouTube today.
Real Voices 