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Parable of The Unjust Steward |
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Luke 16:1-13
1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?
13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Notes on Customs
House Stewards had the overall charge of the business of the house, and especially the care of the heir. This is referred to in Gal. 4:2, where the word is rendered “governors.” Among his duties was to manage household and business affairs, including overseeing the financial dealings of the estate. The office is a very ancient one. Abraham had his devoted steward, Eliezer. The steward was many times an old faithful slave, though at times free servants were so employed. The honorable position of the steward is seen in the fact that he was considered to be ruler over the household business
Within vast estates there would be several stewards in charge of the various operations of the estate. In such estates there would be a head steward who was the overseer of all the others. Rarely would the owner or lord of the estate involve himself with the business of the household or of his holdings, these all being appointed to his stewards. His requirement was that his stewards be faithful and honest in their service to him. As long as his commands were followed and his needs were satisfied he rarely asked for an accounting of his business.
Through the steward the contracts were made, and to him debts were paid. An extensive landowner (lord) entrusted the rentals of his lands and dwellings to his steward. He collects the rents from the tenants, usually paid by goods produced: wine, oil, wheat, etc. The contracts or obligations were in the handwriting of the tenants and countersigned by the steward.
Language Notes
In this parable it is crucial to have a critical understanding of words used. Because of a willingness to accept the words of the translators without challenging them has resulted with multiple problems. Various interpretations given are vague in some points and desperate in others, trying to reconcile these language problems.
Verse 8.
“Wisely” has the meaning of prudent, sensible, using practical wisdom in relationships with others. Also meaning skillful.
“world” is age. Age is time, this differs from the matter of the material existence, or the physical. Jesus is speaking of the children (sons) of this age, of this time, as contrasted to the children (sons) of light, in respect to their generation.
Verse 9.
“And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.”
Here are the possibilities for this verse.
“Friends” can be friendly, which would render it to be, “make friendly to yourselves the usage of the mammon of unrighteousness…”
"Mammon" is riches, but not necessarily riches of wealth of money. It can be riches in any variety of material things or the abstract, such as popularity, fame, power, esteem, honor, good looks, abilities, etc. Mammon of itself is neither good or evil. It is how it is regarded or employed by men that determine its quality of good or evil.
"Unrighteousness" is usually evil, without good, some have unrighteousness as being the absence of goodness. But there is a more in-depth meaning. The basis of which is being deceitful, false, not to be trusted, undependable or untrustworthy. That it cannot be relied upon for it is not secure. In the end, riches or mammon can be very unfriendly, by betraying those who possess them.
The words together suggest the following; that riches (mammon) are not to be relied upon for they are untrustworthy. This can convey the phrase to be, “make friendly of the unreliable (unfriendly) riches to yourselves”
“when ye fail” The actual word is not ye but it. “When it fails.” Also, the word “fail” means, “to cease to be.” The antecedent of it is mammon. That is, when mammon (these undependable, untrustworthy riches) fail, or cease to be they may….
Points of the Parable
The highlight point is when the master commends the unjust steward for his skillful and intelligent dealings with the debtors. Of course the owner of the estate has been injured even more because of the steward’s cunning. But, while the steward was not officially out of his office he legally had it in his power to do these transactions. So no recourse of action could be taken against him or the debtors.
Jesus contrasts the wisdom and prudent actions of men of this age in tending to their business to that of the failing wisdom of the children of light in their generation or age. The unjust steward gave careful thought and worked for the preparation of his future. While the children of light have their future destination secured, have they prepared themselves for that future or have they wasted opportunities, possessions and the gifts of God? Are we using wisely what has been entrusted to us?
Jesus gives us the course of action to take with the riches we may have. First of all, they are definitely not our own, for they are not permanent and can flee from us at any time. They may bring a temporary security in this life, but it is inevitable that they will fail us. We cannot count on them. As long as we do have them we are taught to use them as prudently as the unjust steward did in preparation for our future. We are to remember the plight of the rich fool with all his riches (mammon) and they failed him when his soul was required of him. Riches can be a temptation and a trial to those who have them. It is very easy to be distracted from the purpose, which we are called and serve them. Wealth can be hazardous to our spiritual life. Christ makes it clear to us that we cannot serve God and mammon. We need to make the mammon serve us in our service to God.
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A. T. Robertson in his Word Pictures comments, “Earthly wealth is ours as a loan, a trust, withdrawn at any moment. It belongs to another. If you did not prove faithful in this, who will give you what is really yours forever?
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Wisdom cries out to us that if we are faithful in these things, given to us temporally, then a better reception will await us in eternity. By such actions we prove that we are worthy to receive rewards to be committed to us by God. These riches are called true. They can be trusted to always be with those who have been granted them, and they are permanently given. Any riches here cannot be compared with the riches of heaven.
Given Interpretations
I present here seven interpretations. They have some similarities with subtle differences. Read carefully and reflect on what is being said.
1) Barnes in his commentary on verse 11 wrote.
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“Unrighteous mammon. The word unrighteous, here, stands opposed to ‘the true riches’ in heaven (v. 11), and means deceitful, false and not to be trusted. It has this meaning often. See 1 Tim 6:17, Luke 12:33, Mat. 6:19, 19:21. It does not signify, therefore that they had acquired the property unjustly, but that property was deceitful and not to be trusted. The wealth of the steward was deceitful; it was liable to be taken away at any moment. The wealth of the world is deceitful. We cannot calculate on its continuance. It may give us support of comfort now, but it may be soon removed, or we taken from it, and we should therefore so use it as to derive benefit from it hereafter.
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True riches – the riches of heaven, which, if once given to us, may be considered as ours – that is, it will be permanent and fixed, and will not be taken away as if at the pleasure of another. We may calculate on it, and look forward with the assurance that it will continue to be ours forever, and will not be taken away like the riches of this world, as if they were not ours. The meaning of the whole parable is therefore thus expressed: If we do not use the things of this world as we ought – with honesty, truth, wisdom, and integrity, we cannot have evidence of piety, and shall not be received into heaven.” [1]
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(Barnes’ commentary is good until his last sentence.)
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2) The “friends” in verse 9 have been suggested to be angels, some as Christ, and by others as people who have benefited from the wise use of mammon. So that mammon is to be used to make persons our friends. The point being, that by employing riches on the behalf of others, they, by their gratitude, will receive that person into eternity.
4) It appears that the love of money is the real target of our Lord’s parable. Mammon of course, means wealth. It appears that the lesson is twofold: (1) to use money to make friends (2) to look beyond the immediate needs and pleasure in spending money. Money spent on the right things here will add to one’s rewards and benefits into the eternal ages. A practical illustration is that a man who uses his money forwarding the cause of Christ will be greeted on the other side by those who have been befriended.
5) “He that is faithful” – or, to paraphrases the word (pistos), he that has proved himself, is accredited – “in the least, is also faithful [accredited] in much; and who in the lest is unjust is also in much unjust.” Therefore, in the language of the Parable – if they had not proved faithful in mere stewardship, “in that which was another’s,” could it be expected that they would be exalted from stewardship to proprietorship? And the ultimate application of all was this, that dividedness was impossible in the service of God (verse 13). It is impossible for the disciple to make separation between spiritual matters and worldly, and to attempt serving God in the one and mammon in the other. There is absolutely no such distinction to the disciple, and our common usage of the words “secular” and “spiritual” is derived from a terrible misunderstanding and mistake. To the secular, nothing is spiritual; and to the spiritual, nothing is secular: No servant can serve two masters; ye cannot serve Gad and mammon.
6) In our Lord’s application of the parable to His disciples, He told them to learn a lesson from the prudence and foresight often exercised by successful men of the world. Mammon, the symbol of wealth, was that possessed by the rich man in the parable, but “mammon of unrighteousness (unrighteousness being the absence of goodness) is neither moral or immoral but non-moral. Here, Jesus is not telling his disciples to make friends of material wealth, but to make friends by means of it. Those whose lives had been enriched by the prudent use of wealth would greet the giver on the other side.
7) Riches in themselves have no moral character, are neither good nor evil, but in their tendency only. The context is one of instruction for disciples, inasmuch as the teaching is about good stewardship. Jesus is not saying to the uncommitted that they should use money to earn their salvation, but he is telling those who already are his followers that they must demonstrate the fruits befitting repentance even (or perhaps especially) in the area of worldly wealth.
Taken in the sequence of the parable and using the familiar allegorical referents for master, servant and debtors, these lessons might be rephrased as:
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1. All of God’s people will be called to give a reckoning of the nature of their service to him.
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2. Preparation for the reckoning should involve a prudent use of all our resources, especially in the area of finances.
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3. Such prudence, demonstrating a life of true discipleship, will be rewarded with eternal life and joy.
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(In the above views, it is surprising how the connection of salvation is made with the prudent use of money. This can only be concluded with the teaching of salvation being purchased by works. The concept of “making friends on the other side” is a novelty and not found substantiated in Scripture. Nor is the idea of having a praising reception committee waiting to receive the generous benefactor, who in the final accounting has only done what was required of him and no more. All the praise is due to God for He is really the one responsible.)
The Interpretation
The parable itself is interpreted by Christ in verse 8. The lesson is how miserably God’s children prepare for their future. The wisdom of the worldly gives us a display of prudence, intelligence and forethought of purpose, from which we should learn. Actually, we who have such a greater motive than the world to prepare for our future appear foolish when measured to them.
The Application
The verses 9-13 all build on the lesson of the parable. Make a friendly use of earthly mammon, do not serve it, but use it in such a way that God would give His approval. We cannot trust to forever have what is not ours. Mammon is given as a test. We need to ask ourselves, how have we done in this test. Have we been faithful or unjust? If faithful, then good, God will give the lasting riches, the true riches for our own.
Verse 13. This is the whole conclusion of the matter. It is one that every child of God should give careful attention and to think long and hard about it. We cannot serve both God and mammon. They are absolute masters over those who serve them. It is not a question of whom we will hate and despised or love and hold to, but rather whom we yield ourselves servant. That decision will dictate our devotion.
[1] Barnes’ Notes on the Old and New Testaments. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Vol. Luke and John pages 112,113
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This page last updated October 4, 2004 at 2:49pm
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