November 25, The Parable of the Unjust Steward, Luke 16:1-9
This is one of the more puzzling parables. It doesn’t seem to fit the image and form of the kingdom of God. The context has not changed. In the beginning of chapter 15, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law are complaining about Jesus spending time with sinners. Notice in 16:14, the Pharisees were still listening.
In verse 8, the master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly. The Charles Ryrie Study Bible note says, “What is commended is the ingenuity, not the dishonesty, of the steward in using his present opportunities to prepare for the future.” The application for us is that we should use what we have in this life in the service of God in order to assure rewards in heaven. The rest of chapter 16 has to do with the greed of the Jewish religious elite. The next parable, often not called a parable, speaks of the rich man, Lazarus, and Hell.
1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 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 be manager any longer.’
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— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “‘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.’
7 “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.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 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.—Luke 1:1-9
No comments:
Post a Comment