Welcome to this episode of Sonday Life. In this episode, we’re going to look at the meaning of The Dishonest Manager parable from {Luke 16:1-9}.
But before we get into the parable, I did receive a question that I want to answer.
The question is: What Bible translation do I use and why?
All of the references I use in the stream are from the NIV or New International Version. I use the NIV because is the closest to the original languages of the Bible while at the same time being the most modern English. If I use a different translation for a text, I’ll note the translation.
If you ever have any questions, just leave a comment. I’m happy to answer any questions you have.
In most parables by Jesus, there’s a comparison between a common earthly story and a spiritual truth.
The parable of the Dishonest Manager isn’t one of those parables. This parable is interpreted by its twists. The twists in this parable are the keys to understanding the point Jesus is making.
The question that everyone has about this parable is, “Did Jesus say someone can buy their way into heaven?” The point or even the application Jesus is making in this parable is in the last verse, Luke 16:9.
It sounds like Jesus is saying to use money to get friends so that when you run out of money, they’ll take you in. But that isn’t what he’s saying. Let’s find out what he’s really saying.
{v. 1} Jesus told his disciples: There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions.
- Wealthy people didn’t manage their household or estate finances. They hired a financial manager to manage the wealth of their estate.
- This was more than being accused of wasting the possessions of the owner. In Jewish law, any accusation needed at least two witnesses to the wrong. So the owner had proof that his financial manager was cheating him.
- The accusation was that the manager was “wasting” the “possessions” of the owner. This means he was siphoning off either the goods and/or money of the owner. He was embezzling.
- It’s important for us from the beginning of the parable to make some correlations between the “Master” and “God”.
- {Kyrios} is the Greek word used here for “Master”. Kyrios means Lord. Here we have the Master of the estate, but God owns everything, and like being a manager for the “Master” we are managers for God, and we are entrusted to do what’s profitable for God’s estate or his kingdom.
{v. 2} So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management because you cannot manage any longer.’
- The owner wants an accounting of the books, not to see if the accusation is true, but to put the financial manager on notice that he’s been caught. How do we know this? Because in this meeting he fires the manager. The owner is basically saying, “Clean out your office and bring me the books. You’re fired”
- Again there is another concept in this parable that we should pay attention to and that is the similarity between the owner dismissing the manager from his estate and asking for an accounting of his management, and when people are dismissed from life in this world and an accounting is required.
{v. 3} The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg.
- How can I look out for my future? He is looking toward his future in this world.
- My master is taking away my job; not just his position with this household, but by being fired, no one will hire him as a financial manager again. He recognizes he’s not qualified to do day labor work and he’s too proud to beg.
{v. 4} I know what I’ll do so that when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.
- He uses his problem-solving skills and cunning or intelligence to hatch a plan.
- His goal is to be rewarded by his neighbors with being welcomed into their homes.
{v. 5-7} So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ “’ Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “’ A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
- The steward is stealing from his master by reducing what’s owed from his debtors.
- At the same time, the manager is ingratiating himself with the debtors (making friends) by reducing their debt. He’s paying down the debts of the debtors with his master’s money.
- He’s literally stealing from his master to secure a place for himself.
- Again, if we correlate the master with God, we have to ask ourselves if we are using God’s resources for God’s purposes or our own. Just something to consider about what Jesus is implying as we move forward with this parable.
{v. 8} “The master (Lord) commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly (intelligently). For the people of this world are more shrewd (intelligent) in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.”
- This is the first twist in the parable. Why would the master commend the dishonesty of the manager?
- Jesus specifically states that the steward was ‘dishonest’. What he did by changing the bills was stealing. Many say he was reducing his commission which wouldn’t be dishonest. But Jesus calls out his dishonesty.
- Also, this manager isn’t being nice or forgiving to the debtors, he’s cheating his boss.
- Why does the master commend him and say he acted intelligently or prudently? Because prudence was a virtue in Judaism. The Rich man respected him for his cunning or street smarts by securing his future in the community.
- But Jesus uses the example of the dishonest manager as a cautionary tale for the disciples by saying the people of this world are more “intelligent/prudent” in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. What does Jesus mean by this?
- In Judaism, there’s the concept of two creations. We know this from the writings unearthed in the Dead Sea scrolls. They talk of the old creation and the new creation. The world of darkness and the world of light;
- The old creation – This world which is fallen and filled with sin. Those who live in This world are the children of darkness.
- The new creation – The world to come is a new world that replaces this world. Those who will live in the New world are the children of light (John 12:36). Also Isaiah says God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth (Isaiah 66:22).
- Therefore the manager, who is a son of this world, is thinking ahead. He is more intelligent than the children of the world to come. The dishonest manager is taking things from his master to secure his future in this world.
- The children of light, the ones who will live in the coming world aren’t as intelligent or prudent.
{v. 9} I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
- This is the application of the parable; Make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth. Worldly wealth simply means the money of this world. Use the money that this world provides to secure an eternal dwelling when worldly money is gone or fails. When does worldly money fail? When we’re no longer part of this world.
- Eternal dwellings aren’t this world’s dwellings because this world isn’t eternal. This is the second twist; don’t use the wealth of this world to make friends in this world, like the dishonest manager, rather use the wealth of this world to make friends in the coming world. Use the money of this world to pay the debts of those who will be in the world to come so that they will be received into eternal dwellings. Use the wealth of this world for the economy of the world to come, which is eternal. Use the wealth of this world to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Pay off the debts of other people with the Lord’s money, the master’s money, the money that doesn’t belong to you, so that when we’re dismissed from this life we’ll be received to heavenly dwellings. How do we pay off the debts of others with God’s money? By showing them Christ so he can forgive their debt of sin.
Jesus speaks of using wealth for the kingdom of God in the parable of the Rich Fool in Luke 12:13-21. The rich farmer hoarded his abundant crop not knowing he would die that night. In verse 21 the parable concludes with, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Using this parable of the dishonest manager the Rich Fool should have used his harvest to make a deposit in the economy of the world to come (Luke 12:29-34).
We know how the economy of this world works, but how does the economy of the next world work? Everything we have in this world doesn’t belong to us. We’re like the manager in the parable, managing what God has entrusted to us.
We live life in this world with house money; God’s house money. We’re to disperse God’s money to pay the debts of the debtors. All are debtors to God because of our sins against God, but there are also those debtors who live in this world that need mercy, forgiveness, grace, compassion, and love. They need the Word of God and the light of God. What debtors? As managers of God’s estate, we are here in this world to use the resources God provides to us to pay the needs of those debtors also. These are the ones who can’t repay us.
Listen to what Jesus says in (Luke 14:12-14).
Jesus wasn’t approving of the dishonest manager. He was a cheat and a thief. But he was pointing out that he exercised the kind of foresight about his future that those who seek the kingdom of God’s righteousness should also exercise. All who seek the light of God should be preparing for the new world that is coming. Jesus said the children of darkness are more prudent than the children of the light. The children of darkness secure a future that will come to an end. How much more should the children of light secure a future that’s eternal?
A final observation that ties into this parable is I’ve said when interpreting scripture we must pay attention to what the author is trying to convey to their audience. At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, he tells us he’s writing this account of the ministry of Jesus Christ to Theophilus, a Gentile believer, and a very wealthy and respected person.
It’s clear from this parable and the other examples in Luke that he’s showing Theophilus he should exercise foresight and use the wealth God has entrusted to him to prepare for his eternity in the new world to come.
Even as believers in Christ, there will be a day of recognition in heaven for our actions as believers. This was called by Paul “the judgment seat of Christ”.
Paul talks about how believers will spend eternity in the next world in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. Paul says we will all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and we will stand there with confidence because our salvation is guaranteed. This is what is called our “Eternal Security”. As far as our actions before we believed in Christ those are forgiven and forgotten. And the “Judgment Seat of Christ” has nothing to do with our eternal salvation. But as those who are recipients of eternal life, we must still be good managers of God’s resources.
How do we please God? By being good managers and exercising foresight toward our future eternal dwelling.
We put down lots of investments in this world for our future here, and this world is ending. What kinds of investments are we making for our future in a world that will never end? What is the balance of our spiritual account with the Lord’s estate? I’ll leave that to you and the Lord to discuss.
What a great parable. It gives us a lot to consider. I pray that the Word of God will grow in your heart and strengthen your confidence in Christ.
