Parable of the Unrighteous Steward, Today's Verses are Lk 16:1-8

We continue our look at the (somewhat tough to grapple with) parable of the "unrighteous steward" found in Lk 16:1-13

The general overview of the parable can be found HERE.

The in-depth look at Lk 16:13 can be found HERE. 



The in-depth look at Lk 16:9-12 can be found HERE.  

The verses we will look at in-depth are Lk 16:1-8  In a parable we need to understand the explanation or application first IF Jesus gives one.  For this parable He does.  So that is what we studied first.  Now we will look at the parable itself and try to draw some conclusions.

My guidelines for studying a parable were culled from the following two books:

• Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin
• The New How To Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur

You can hover your pointer over (most) any verse reference to read the corresponding verse(s).  (Scriptural cross-references are THE most important resource!)

As I stated in my previous posts this is the first parable I have truly tried to dive into.  So my posts may be a bit more rambling than usual as I tried to include the actual process of coming to terms with various parts of the parable.

Luke 16:1-8 (NASB)
¹ Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.
² "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.'
³ "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; I am ashamed to beg.
⁴ "I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.'
⁵ "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'
⁶ "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And 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?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He *said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'
⁸ "And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.

Immediate Context

• Immediately proceeding this parable is the parable of the prodigal son.  A person who DID squander his wealth and was not responsible with what he was given.  BUT was still welcomed back on his return and repentance.
• Immediately following our parable in question Jesus has a slight verbal altercation with the Pharisees who LOVED money and Jesus points out that God knows our hearts.
• Luke 16 ends with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (or was this a true story that Jesus was telling?)  Either way, the rich man did not pay attention to the things of God or the needs of his fellow man.  He instead lived in splendor and did not even help Lazarus who was sick at his gate.  Wealth does not buy one's way into Heaven.  Now!  Would Lazarus have said a good word to Abraham for the rich man IF the rich man had indeed helped him in life?  Could be?   It could possibly point to what Jesus was saying in our chosen parable of study. ( Lk 16:1-9 )  The parable at the end of Luke 16 DOES clearly end with a reference to people ignoring what Jesus had come to say! (  Lk 16:29-31 ) That is a very clear reference.
• To further elaborate on the point of those we helped saying a good word for us:  Remember the only one who can truly intercede for us is Jesus!  Period!  That is fact!  But let us remember what Jesus once said:   that when we help those who are hungry, thirsty, sick or in need then we help Him! (Jesus calls these people his brethren)  Mt 25:34-40 
• And when we don't help those in need we are likewise not helping Him:  Mt 25:41-45  I think this is VERY related to the story of the rich man and Lazarus and our chosen parable of Lk 16:1-8

The Occasion of the Parable

• It is a little unclear as to what prompted the parable of the steward.  Lk 16:1-8    The parable of the prodigal son was completed and most of Luke 15 is centered around the lost being found (saved) and how important that IS to Jesus.  That entire chapter was prompted by the snobbery and hypocrisy of the Pharisees and scribe in Lk 15:2  SO...Jesus could have continued with the parable in Lk 16:1-8 and Lk 16:19-30  to further illustrate to the Pharisees and His own disciples that earthly appearances (ie: wealth) are NOT a sure sign of righteousness but to also show how wealth is to be used if we are blessed with it.  Many people thought that wealth was an ABSOLUTE sign of God's favor.  (and some do today as well!)  Of course wealth is a blessing!  But it is not the only sign of God's favor on a person!

Given Explanation (or application) of the Parable (not always present)

Please refer to the verse by verse study of Lk 16:9-12 but below are the conclusions

Answering My Questions of Luke 16:9-12:

• What does Jesus mean by "make friends"?? -- Jesus is telling us to do well towards others. Mt 25:35-40 Mt 19:21 By giving unto others and using the resources we have been given to serve others we will "make friends" of those people and we all also be making friends with Jesus as He states pretty clearly in Mt 25:35-40 that when we give and care for a stranger we are in effect giving to Him. And Jesus is the One who will welcome us into the eternal dwelling. If we love Him we will follow His commands!
• Who are "they"?? -- Answered above. The friends are any and all people we may be able to serve AND Jesus! (although we must believe in and follow Jesus before any of this comes into account)
• And how and why would "they" receive us into the eternal dwellings? Does He mean heaven? -- Jesus most likely means Heaven. However what He means by "they will receive you into the eternal dwellings." I am a little unclear on this. Although I think it is because they would vouch for us and more importantly, Jesus will vouch for us. ( Mt 25:35-40 )   Also see Pr 19:17 
• What is unrighteous wealth? And why would we need to use it well compared to the the true riches? -- Money is unrighteous wealth as it is an earthly concern. It is a tool and we can't live to serve IT! And money is often gained through illicit ways and methods! As to why we need to use money well? One answer: Any money we get is a gift from God. We should use all gifts well! The parable in Mt 25:14-30 shows us that God expects us to be good stewards of whatever He has given us..no matter the amount!! And it is VERY instructive that Jesus immediately follows that parable with this discourse Mt 25:31-46 where the ones who were generous and loving towards others (and by extension towards Jesus) are separated from those who did not! The ones who were generous WERE good stewards with what they had been give and they gained more at the end. The ones who were NOT good stewareds with whatever God had given them were punished at the end. God wants to entrust us with more and more (spiritually) but we have to prove ourselves as trustworthy!! (NOTE TO SELF!!)
• It is interesting that Jesus would expect us to be faithful with that which is another's before being able to be faithful with that which is our own. Why is that? -- Because everything we have has been given to us by God! So we must be faithful (trustworthy) with it! If not? How could God possibly give us greater rewards in heaven?

Summarizing Lk 16:9-12  :

• Jesus is telling us a parable to help us prepare for our lives after our time on earth.
• We are stewards of the money and gifts that God gives us. Therefore...
• We are to use money for good, to "make friends", and help others so that we will be welcomed in the eternal dwellings after this earth. And this means we are to take care of the money as well. We can't squander it! (note to self!!)
• If we can't be trusted to use money well, how can we be trusted to use even greater gifts well?
• If we are faithful with the little things we will tend to be faithful with a lot! If we are unfaithful in a little we will tend to be unfaithful with a lot.
• The steward erased people's debts as paid so as to curry favor with them after he was "removed".
• Jesus' death and resurrection allows us (if we believe in Him and accept his gift of grace!) to present our bills as paid in full!

Conclusions from Lk 16:13  :

• Lk 16:13 is pretty Clear! We are not able to serve wealth and God at the same time. We cannot have a divided mind. And we are to serve God! (i think it is important to note that Jesus invoked the name of a pagan god in his explanation! Jesus is comparing the LOVE of money to idolatry! It is a direct comparison. He is not really mincing or parsing words.)

Relevant and Irrelevant Details

• Relevant -- 1)  the steward was accused of embezzling or squandering resources of his employer(was he guilty or falsely accused?)  2)The employer decided that the steward would be fired and that the steward can not do hard labor and is too proud to beg(this could be seen as character flaws)  3)  the steward makes a quick decision to engender good grace with other people(people in debt to the rich man)  4)  the steward cuts each one of them a break (almost as if what the rich man thought was happening is now going to happen)  5)  the rich man unexpectedly praises the steward for acting shrewdly and gaining good favor with others who may be able to help him after he is fired from his job with the rich man.
• Irrelevant -- 1)  what the debtor's owed   2)the steward's guilt or innocence (please refer to study of Lk16:9-12  )

Central or focal idea of the parable

• The central idea of the parable is that we show our ability to be trustworthy (and this our ability to be trusted with more both in this world and in the eternal dwellings!) by how we deal with whatever God has given us.  (this parable deals mostly with money).  And we are also given instruction on money's proper place in our lives. (ie: how we are to use what we have been given)   This translates in to 1) How we care for it (ie: not squandering it, or spending it on things of the world for wrong reasons) and 2)  Making sure we use what we have to help others in some way.

Cross-references and Commentaries

For the cross-references to Lk 16:9-12 and Lk 16:13  please see the study notes on those sections of Scripture.

• Lk 16:1 --  Lk 16:9 (two parables back to back that start with a "rich man")  Lk 12:42  1Co 4:1-2  !!  Titus 1:7  !!  1Pe 4:10-11  2Ti 1:14  Lk 19:13 (we are not owners of the gifts!  we are stewards!  When Jesus comes back there will be an accounting!)
• Thoughts --  The idea of us being good stewards of whatever gifts God has granted is VERY strong throughout the Bible!  This would include trustworthiness, wise investment, hard work to generate increase(?), using all this for good (charity!)  (that is a bare bones breakdown!  there is more to being a good steward)
• Lk 16:2  --  Ecc 11:9  Mt 12:36  1Co 4:2  1Co 4:5  2Co 5:10  1Pe 4:5 
• Thoughts  -- It still gnaws at me a little whether or not the guilt or innocence of the steward is important to the parable.  I still lean  (as seen in the notes to Lk 16:9-12 )  towards the idea that it is not relevant.  So in one sentence, Lk 16:1 , Jesus used the word for falsely accused.  And then in another Lk 16:8 Jesus does call the steward unrighteous!  So the stewards guilt or innocence seems up for grabs and not necessarily relevant to the story.
• Lk 16:3  --  Pr 13:4  Pr 18:9   etc.
• Thoughts -- This again seems irrelevant to the main theme of the parable.  Was the steward lazy?  Or we he really NOT strong enough to dig?  Does not matter as it is not the focus of what Jesus is trying to teach as seen in Lk 16:9-13  Jesus doesn't discuss laziness or being to weak to did.  He only explains trustworthiness, and using money in the way that God want us to use it!
• Lk 16:4  --  Oddly enough there does not seem to be many cross-references UNLESS we look at the Thompson Chain Marginal notes under PRUDENCE:  Lk 14:31 (suggesting that the steward's thoughts in Lk 16:3 were just prudent!)
• Lk 16:5  --  Lk 7:41-42 
• Commentaries  --  The Wycliffe Bible Commentary:  Notes that the steward's plan was dishonest it was also effective.  It showed forethought.
• Lk 16:6-7   --  These verses are relevant in that they show the Steward's plan in action.
• Lk 16:8  --  Ex 1:10  Ps 49:10-19 
• Thoughts  --  It IS indeed odd that the manager complemented the steward but it seems to be more of a compliment given out of respect for the stewards cunning plan than his actual behavior?  More important to us is the fact that we should be thinking AHEAD as to how we can better prepare ourselves for when our time comes and we are no longer a part of this earth!

Some final thoughts on the relevance the steward's guilt or innocence:

• One other possibility for the seeming contradiction of Jesus' use of a word meaning falsely accused in Lk 16:1 and then actually calling the steward unrighteous in Lk 16:8  (implying guilt) is found in the term Greek word for removed in Lk 16:4  The Greek word used here is methestemi (G3179) which according to The AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary is a word used by the Greeks to  "denote one's removal from this world onto the next."  (also se Ac 13:22 )   We are all going to be removed from this world!!  And the wealth of this world will eventually fail all of us, both the just and the unjust:  MT 5:45   Ge 3:19  Ecc 3:19-20  Ecc 12:7  Ps 89:48  James 4:14 
• After further thought and prayer I THINK  that  the somewhat confusing topic of the steward's guilt or innocence is intentional because the steward's guilt or innocence are NOT relevant to the story because of:  1)  We are ALL going to be removed from this world (regardless of guilt or innocence) and this parable is intended to help our behavior NOW so that we are better prepared for later (Jesus Himself mentions that following these commands will allows us to be welcomed in the "eternall dwellings."  (see above for details)  and 2) If Jesus had said definitively whether or not the steward was guilty or innocent it would cause people to interpret the steward's actions from a particular paradigm of guilt or innocence!  Thus causing people to rationalize the main explanation found in:  Lk 16:9-13  By taking the steward's guilt or innocence out of the picture we are forced to deal completely with the only paradigm that matters:  Jesus' explanation!!  Period!!

AND FINALLY:

• After doing some "double check" reading in The Pulpit Commentary, it was brought to my attention that I forgot to look at one VERY important word in this parable.  One that brings everything to light! And reinforces much of what was said in my summary below while adding some emphasis to other points!!  That word is squandering (or  sometimes translated as wasting in certain translations) in Lk 16:1   In many ways I let myself be led astray by the "TITLE"  (the man-given title) of the parable:  "The parable of the unjust (or unrighteous or even dishonest) steward."  That is what this parable is always called.  And a few of the commentaries even harp on this a bit.  But squander does not mean steal!  It means to waste money and/or talents and opportunity!  To use unwisely!!  WOW!  Does that bring into light Jesus' explanation is Lk 16:9-12 !!  Jesus is telling us not to WASTE what we have been given by God!  No matter how much or little it is.  The amount is not important.  What IS important is what we do with what we have been given.  Everything we have is given to us by God, so we are ALL stewards!   And we will all be "removed" from our stewardship when we die.  At that point we will have to give an accounting.  And we will be judged on how we have managed our "accounts" to decide what TRUE gifts we will be given in the eternal dwellings.  (of course FIRST and FOREMOST is to manage our soul by accepting God's gift of grace through the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ!!  That is FIRST!)
• Paul eludes to this judgment of actions in  1Cor 3:5-15  (notice that Paul emphasizes that with Jesus Christ as our foundation we will be saved even if much of our "work" is lost)  Paul also refers to this  final judgement of our "work" in 2Cor 5:10 
• And another thing:  This parable shows us it is NEVER too late!  (see Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol")   The steward only thought of his future at the last minute (and somewhat deviously which is why Jesus then refers to the steward as unrighteous), and he was still "commended" by his (soon to be ) ex-boss!  None of us know how much time we have but we CAN always begin to make the best use of it.
• And some last final thoughts!  The AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary (and Vines!) states that the term "unrighteous steward" in Lk 16:8  is literally "steward of unrighteousness".  Hmm?  Jesus calls it "unrighteous wealth" in Lk 16:11.  So!  Jesus may or may not be calling the steward unrighteous in Lk 16:8  !!  He may have been just referring to the steward as a steward of money (unrighteous money) as we ALL ARE. 
• In other words:  1)  the steward was "falsely accused" according to the Complete Word Study Dictionary.  2)  He was not accused of stealing but of WASTING the rich man's money (which could imply some stealing)  3)  Wasting of the resources is an important part of this parable because in the explanation, Lk 16:9-13  Jesus tells us not to waste or squander what we have been given!  Why would He make the point of the story about stealing??  Of course we aren't supposed to steal!!  We all know that!  But do we all know or think about squandering the resources God has given us?   I know I don't think about it enough!  4)  The steward finally used the resource of money that he was entrusted with to help others!!  THAT is the point! 
• We are not to squander what God has entrusted us with!  (be it money, time, talents, people etc. etc.)  We are to use them for good and to help others and to make ourselves ready for the final judgement!!  That!  Is what this parable is about!  Because if we squander or waste the gifts that God has so graciously given us it is kind of like we are stealing anyway isn't it??

Summarizing

• We are stewards of the money and gifts that God gives us. Therefore...
• We are to use money for good, to "make friends", and help others so that we will be welcomed in the eternal dwellings after this earth.  (The steward erased people's debts as paid so as to curry favor with them after he was "removed". )   And this means we are to take care of the money as well. We can't squander it! (note to self!!)
• As Jesus tells us in Mt 25:35-40  when we give to others we are giving unto Jesus!!  We are following His commands, and thus proving that we love Him and believe in Him. Jn 14:15  Jn 14:21  Jn 14:23-24  So we are making friends who welcome us into the eternal dwelling but even more to the point we are "making friends" with Jesus by showing that we do indeed love Him!
• If we can't be trusted to use money well, how can we be trusted to use even greater gifts well?
• If we are faithful with the little things we will tend to be faithful with a lot! If we are unfaithful in a little we will tend to be unfaithful with a lot.
• We are all going to be "removed" from THIS world!  So we need to be prudent and "shrewd" and PREPARE for that moment NOW, not later!  OR it will sneak up on us and we won't be prepared and then we WON'T be welcomed into the eternal dwellings.
• Jesus' death and resurrection allows us (if we believe in Him and accept his gift of grace!) to present our bills as paid in full!

Topics for further study

• Traits of a good steward (IE:  what God expects of us as stewards!)

Bibliography

 

• Brand, Chad, Charles Draper, Archie England, ed. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
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• God's Word: Today's Bible Translation That Means What It Says Holiday, FL: Green Key Books, n.d.. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
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• – Holman Christian Standard Bible Nashville: Holman Bible, 1999. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
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• H.D.M. Spence; Joseph S. Exell (2009-02-09). The Pulpit Commentary-Book of Luke (New Testament). GraceWorks Multimedia. Kindle Edition.