Parables of Jesus - The Parable of the Shrewd Manager - Luke 16:1-13

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Luke 16:1-13

King James Version (KJV)

16 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.

More than any other particular subject, Jesus thought more about Finance. Because he knew the consequences of not using it properly will bring greater disaster. Just after the three parables of the lost - The Lost Sheep, The Lost coin and The Lost Son. Jesus tells us the parable of an Unjust Steward.

In the parable the certain rich man had a steward of whom there were accusation, that he was wasting the goods.
Stewardship is one of the most trusted job and here we find the steward as unjust, untrustworthy and negligent. This is the case with many of us, either working in corporate or looking after the goods and accounts of another person. 

Now when the rich man asks him to give the account of the stewardship and also says that he can no longer be a steward to him. This makes the steward to think about the consequences of what may happen if he is taken out of the stewardship. 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.

He acts proactively here, by doing what anyone should do. 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.

When he was in the process of resolving the issue.
The first thing he did was to forgive the debt of others,
The second thing he did was, as he had good relationship with his debtors. HE said when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
Thirdly he acted upon what he had with him. That his lord would know about.
 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.

After completing the parable Jesus says few more things:
1. To have good relationship with others - 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.
2. Faithful in least - 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.
3. Serve only God - 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.