There is a parable of Jesus that I (and many others) find difficult to understand. Most of Jesus’ parables make sense to me. There is no doubt about Jesus’ lesson in the Parable of the Sower or the Parable of the Lost Son (Prodigal Son). But that one parable about the shrewd manager always confuses me.
The parable is found in Luke 16. “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. And he summoned 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.’ And the manager said to himself, ‘What am I to do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred jugs of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ And his master complimented 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. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is all gone, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:1–9, NASB 2020)
One thing that always confused me was that Jesus seemed to be commending the manager’s dishonesty and possible theft. That doesn’t seem right at all. And while Jesus’ explanation in verse nine makes sense on one level, it confuses me on another level. Sure, it is good to use our worldly goods to bless others, but who are the “they” that will receive us into the eternal dwellings? Is this about money or something else?
I think there are two levels of lesson in this parable. The first is the rather mundane but important lesson to use our physical resources (wealth, possessions, time) to connect with others outside the Kingdom of God. The accumulation of wealth is not wrong, but it is not the true measure of our faith or God’s blessings. Neither is the lack of wealth a sign of God’s displeasure. The wise use of our resources (whether little or large) is something that God does bless. Jesus taught, “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true wealth to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?” (Luke 16:11–12, NASB 2020)
The second level, the deeper and more robust level, is about God’s Word. The Pharisees were “lovers of money.” But Jesus reminds them they have been squandering something more valuable and precious. He reminded them, “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John came; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” (Luke 16:16, NASB 2020). For the “force” part, think of running towards the Kingdom with great desire. Jesus was, in essence, telling the Pharisees that they were squandering and misusing the treasure of God’s Word.
Jesus proclaimed several “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. Consider this one in the light of the parable above. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!” (Matthew 23:23–24, NASB 2020) They strictly followed the Law and missed the spirit, intent, and heart of God’s Word for justice, mercy, and trusting God in all things (faithfulness).
As followers of Jesus, we also carry a valuable treasure—one we can squander or lavishly spend on others. That currency, revealed in God’s Word, is love, joy, peace, grace, mercy, forgiveness, prayer, comfort, encouragement, acceptance, welcome, hospitality, truth, and the Gospel (and so much more). We can squander and mismanage God’s treasure by withholding it, hiding it, or using it in judgment rather than with mercy.
And if there is a choice between whom to serve, Jesus answered that in connection with this parable as well. “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”(Luke 16:13, NASB 2020)
I’m perhaps a bit more comfortable with this parable. Not only do we need to shrewdly use our worldly wealth (again, no matter how little or how much), but we also need to be intentionally lavish in using God’s grace that He has poured into our hearts. Not to buy our way into heaven but to pave the way for others to also join us in our eternal home with Christ.
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