The Parable of the Shrewd manager

1. The Parable ofthe Shrewd Manager (UnjustSteward) – 9th
September2016
“Noone can serve two masters.Either youwill hate the one andlove the other, or youwill be devoted
to the one and despisethe other. Youcannot serve both Godand money.”( Luke 16:13).
The Parable of the ShrewdManager can be foundin Luke 16:1–13. The textcan be brokendowninto
twoparts: the parable (verses1–8) and the application(verses9–13). We can read from Luke 16:1-2,
Jesus toldhis disciples: “Therewas a rich man whosemanager was accusedof wasting hispossessions.
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So he calledhim inand asked him,‘Whatis thisI hear aboutyou?Give an accountof your
management,because youcannot be manager anylonger.’It identifiesthatJesusisspeakingtoHis
disciples,butthere isa suggestionthatHisaudience ismixed—disciplesandPhariseesbecausewhenwe
readthe parable we can note in Luke 16:14 itstatesthat the Pharisees“heardall these thingsand
ridiculedJesus:“ThePharisees,wholoved money,heard all thisand were sneering at Jesus”. We also
see inverse 1 that Jesus“also”saidto the disciples;the “also”wouldsuggestthatthisparable is
connectedtothe previousthree parables(LostSheep,LostCoinand Lostson) foundinLuke 15 andthat
therefore the audience wasamixedcrowdof disciplesandPharisees.
It isimportantto knowto whomJesusisaddressingthisparable forthe benefitof the disciples,but
there isalsoa not-so-subtle critique of the Pharisees,aswasevidentin Luke 15. We can read that in
Luke 16:14 isLuke’scommentaryonthe motivationof the Pharisees,andinverse 15 we see our Lord
condemntheirmotives. “ Hesaidtothem, “Youare the oneswho justifyyourselvesin the eyes of
others, but Godknowsyour hearts. Whatpeople valuehighlyis detestable inGod’ssight”(Luke16:15).
Andwhat wasthe Pharisees’motivation?Theywere those whowere “loversof money”andwho“justify
themselvesbefore men”andwhoexaltedthatwhichwasan “abominationbeforeGod.”
Withthat as a backdrop,let’slookatthe parable.It’sa fairlysimple,if somewhatunorthodox,parable
fromJesus.The parable beginswitharich mancallinghisstewardbefore himtoinformhimthathe will
be relievinghimof hisdutiesformismanaginghismaster’sresources.The stewardisbeingreleasedfor
apparentmismanagement,notfraud.Thisexplainswhyhe isable toconducta few more transactions
before he isreleasedandwhyhe isnotimmediatelytossedoutonthe streetor executed.We canread
the contentfromLuke 16:3-7, “The manager saidto himself,‘Whatshall I donow? My master is
takingaway my job.I’m not strong enoughto dig,and I’m ashamedto beg— 4
I know what I’ll do so
that, when I lose my jobhere, peoplewill welcome me into their houses.’5
“Sohecalledin each one of
hismaster’s debtors. He askedthe first,‘How much do youowe my master? “‘Ninehundredgallons[a]
of oliveoil,’he replied.“Themanager toldhim,‘Take your bill,sitdown quickly,andmake it four
hundredand fifty.’7
“Thenheasked the second, ‘Andhow much doyou owe?’“‘Athousandbushels[b]
of
wheat,’ he replied.“Hetold him,‘Take your bill and make it eighthundred.’
The steward,realizingthathe will soonbe withoutajob,makessome shrewddealsbehindhismaster’s
back by reducingthe debtowedbyseveral of the master’sdebtorsinexchangeforshelterwhenhe is
eventuallyputout.Whenthe masterbecomesaware of whatthe wickedservanthaddone, “he
commendshimforhis“shrewdness….”InHisapplicationof the storyinthe remainingverses,Jesus
beginsbysaying,“Forthe sons of thisworldare more shrewdindealingwiththeirowngenerationthan
the sonsof light”We can readthe contextfrom Luke 16:8, “The master commended the dishonest
managerbecause he hadacted shrewdly. Forthe peopleof this worldare more shrewd indealingwith
their own kindthan are the peopleof the light”.

2. Jesusisdrawinga contrast betweenthe “sonsof the world” - referringtounbelievers - andthe “sonsof
light”referringtobelievers.Unbelieversare wiserinthe thingsof thisworldthanbelievers regarding
the thingsof the worldtocome.The unjuststeward,once he knew he wasaboutto be put out,
maneuveredtoputothers’debttohimself.He didsobycheatinghismaster - who more than likelywas
cheatinghiscustomers. The manmade friendsof hismaster’sdebtorswhowouldthenbe obligatedto
care for himonce he was sacked…We can readwhat Jesussaidfrom Luke 16:9 “I tell you,use worldly
wealth to gainfriendsfor yourselves,so that when it is gone,you will be welcomed intoeternal
dwellings”.
One whois readingthisparable maywantto know whatdoesthishave to do withbelieversbeingwise
aboutthe life tocome? We can lookat verse 9: “AndI tell you, make friendsfor yourselvesby means of
unrighteouswealth,so that when it failsthey mayreceive you intothe eternal dwellings.” Jesusis
encouragingHisfollowerstobe generouswiththeirwealthinthislifesothatinthe life tocome their
newfriendswillreceive them“intoeternal dwellings.”ThisissimilartoJesus’teachingonwealthinthe
Sermononthe Mount where JesusexhortsHisfollowerstolayuptreasuresinheaven aswe can learn
fromMatthew 6:19–21, “Do not store up foryourselves treasures on earth, where moths andvermin
destroy, andwhere thieves break in andsteal. 20
But store up for yourselvestreasures in heaven,
where mothsand vermindo not destroy, andwhere thieves donot break inand steal. 21
For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also”.
Jesusthengoesonto expandinverses10–12 the principle giveninverse 9. We can learn fromLuke
16:10 – 12, “Whoevercan be trusted with very little canalso be trusted with much,and whoever is
dishonestwithvery littlewill also be dishonestwithmuch. 11
Soif you have notbeen trustworthyin
handlingworldlywealth,whowill trust you with true riches? 12
Andif youhave not been trustworthy
with someoneelse’s property, whowill giveyou property of your own? Here Jesusisstatingthatif one
isfaithful in“little”,thenone will be faithfulinmuch…Similarly,if one isdishonestinlittle,he orshe will
alsobe dishonestinmuch.If we can’tbe faithful withearthlywealth,whichisn’tevenourstobegin
with,thenhowcan we be entrustedwith“true riches”?The “true riches”here isreferringto
stewardshipandresponsibilityinGod’skingdomalongwithall the accompanyingheavenlyrewards.
As Christianswe needtoclearlyknowthat Godisour Master, and therefore ourwealthwill be atHis
disposal.Inotherwords,the faithful andjuststeward who’s MasterisGodwill employthatwealthin
buildingupthe kingdomof God…andnotto gainany undue worldly benefits. Peoplecanbe eitherbe
loversof wealthforpersonal gainoruse theirwealthtobuildupthe kingdomof God. Therefore the
climax of the above parable isfound inLuke 16:13:“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate
the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one anddespise the other. You cannotserve
both Godandmoney.”.

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