On Line Bible Study - For the Week March 28-April 3, 2011

Lesson 486

Luke 15: Luke 16: 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.

Scholar Darrell Bock lists no fewer than 6 possible interpretations for this parable, and writes: "The parable of the 'unjust steward' is one of the most difficult of Jesus' parables to understand."

His "preferred view" is that this "is an exhortation to use money wisely and generously so as to enter heaven fully blessed". It "lacks any note of approaching crisis."[1] Given how difficult the parable is to interpret, Bock acknowledges there is broad consensus among scholars that this is an original parable with Jesus; the church is “not likely to have created such a difficult parable.”

Some of the interesting – and difficult – details include the following: The steward kept careful records – he apparently did little to hide the fraud. At the same time, he seems not to have known what was owed his master by some fairly large accounts. This seems to be a contradiction. Or – Does he have the debtor state aloud the amount they owe so they will better appreciate the deal he is making with them? And, when the master confronts him, the steward says nothing in his own defense. Finally, the master commends the steward for precisely the kind of behavior that got him into trouble in the first place.

The steward acknowledges his laziness and pride – not strong enough to dig, ashamed to beg… His fate is sealed with the master; he must build other bridges. What exactly was the steward doing when he lowered the amount owed? Was he undercutting the boss? Was he removing the interest that had been added, bringing the transaction into alignment with the Mosaic Law (Exodus 22:25)? Was he sacrificing his own commission? Which would be the most likely to create sympathy for him when he was fired?

Verse 8 seems to reveal the point of the story – shrewdness. Bock points out this is the only time the phrase is used in Luke’s writing. But there is also a sense of generosity here. Is that what Jesus is commending?

Darrell Bock sums it up this way: “Jesus is saying that God’s children, who have a heavenly future, should be as diligent in assessing the long-term effect of their actions as those who do not know God are in protecting their earthly well-being.”

In other words – not just prudence (shrewdness), but generosity must be the rule.

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[1] Darrell Bock, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament – Luke – Vol. B. Published by Baker Publishing Group, PO Box 6287, grand Rapids, Michigan 49516. © 1996. Page 1338.