I do not understand this parable

[Guest]

Note to content police: This content is not copyrighted. Books by this title which have copyrights, have them based on formatting, not on Dr. Campbells writing. I apologize for any apparent typos, the process of scans and optical character recognition is not perfect.

I was reading G. Campbell Morgan's "Parable and Metaphors of our Lord" today, and got to this parable, an I remembered this thread, so I'll toss it in:

The Unrighteous Steward

Luke 16:1-13

THERE is a certain unusualness about this parable which has oftentimes given pause to interpreters and expositors. A superficial

reading of it might leave the impression on the mind that our Lord, by using this figure of speech, was condoning a fraudulent proceeding.

That impression is impossible, and incorrect by a careful reading of the whole story. We note first, then, the subject which our Lord was

intending to illustrate ; secondly, the figure He employed in the story He told ; and from that twofold consideration we deduce the teaching

for all time.

When our Lord used this parable, what subject was He intending to illustrate ? That is an important question, in view of the possible

difficulty created by a superficial reading. To see the subject He was intending to illustrate, we must once again go back to the context.

We find ourselves still in the last Sabbath afternoon recorded by Luke (xiv.-xvii. IO). Here, then, first notice that the words of this whole

paragraph were addressed to His disciples, though not to them alone. That is found in the opening verse of the chapter, “ And He said also

unto the disciples.” He had spoken the parable of the lost things specially to the criticizing scribes and Pharisees, but also to the listening

crowd of publicans and sinners. Now continuing, without any break, “ He said also unto the disciples.” This is the first thing to be noticed.

That little word “ also ” is significant, indicating that He was not leaving out those scribes and Pharisees, and the listening multitudes ;

but He was specially addressing Himself to those close to Him, His own disciples, in the hearing of the rest.

Glance on to the fourteenth verse of this chapter. We read, “ And the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things.” They

were listening, “ and they scoffed at Him.” He spoke then to His disciples immediately after He had uttered the threefold parable, in

answer to the criticism of His attitude towards sinners by the Pharisees and scribes. Why did they scoff at Him after they heard this parable

of the unjust steward-and His application of it ? We are told the reason, “ They were lovers of money.” That lay behind all this criticism

of Jesus on the part of all these rulers : “ lovers of money.” Not money, but the love of it. The Bible never says money is the root of

evil, but the love of it. “ The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” is a very profound saying. He was talking in the hearing of these

men, to the disciples especially, but to these men also who were lovers of money. That was the motive behind everything, the motive of their

criticism of Him, and of their aloofness from the unwashed multitudes and sinning crowd. They were “ lovers of money.” He talked about

money, and began with a story.

We see therefore that the subject illustrated was that of motive, the method in the use of mammon, that is, of material possessions.

Our Lord had much in His teaching of the larger life, and the world beyond this, and spiritual verities ; but here He was dealing literally

with the subject of money ; talking to His disciples, but in the presence of men whose master passion was money, wealth, possessions. That

is why He told them this story, and applied it as He did.

What a strange story it was. Look at it carefully. It was a story of two rogues. Two ? Yes. Who were they ? The steward who

defrauded his master, and his master who condoned the sin. He was as big a rogue as the steward. If a man condones sin in another he is

partner with the rogue, even though the rogue be his servant, if he commends him for his wrong-doing. We must be careful in reading

the story. Many have become perplexed when they reach the eighth verse, “ His lord commended the unrighteous steward.” But it is

“ his lord,” not “ the Lord.” Our Lord did not commend him. He had no commendation for that action. It is an arresting fact, however,

that his lord commended him.

What do we see 1 First of all cleverness practised. This steward when he discovered that he was found out, was perplexed at first.

He said, “ What shall I do ? ” There is really a note of exclamation here, a sudden discovery in what he said, “ What shall I do ? ” “ I

am resolved what to do.” He was in difficulty. He had been defrauding his master, but when he was found out, he looked at the situation. He

had lost his job. “ I have not strength to dig.” The lack of strength was probably disinclination to work. It often is. “ To beg I am

ashamed.” That was pure pride. Then suddenly, I know what I will do. I will defraud him a little more to my own advantage, in order

that the people who will reap the benefit, will take me in, when the lord, my master, has cast me out. So he proceeded, “ How much owest

thou unto my lord ? A hundred measures of oil. Take thy bond and write fifty.” ” How much owest thou ? A hundred measures

of wheat. Take thy bond and write fourscore.” I have often wondered why in one case he suggested a fifty per cent. reduction, and only a

twenty per cent. in the other. Probably he knew the situation of those people, that some were better off than others. It was extremely clever.

His lord commended him for his wisdom, rather, for his prudence, his smartness. Cleverness practised, and admired ! There is no record

that the lord reinstated him. He simply looked at what he had done.

He was clever.

But Jesus told us why he commended him. Mark the word “ for I’ in the middle of verse eight. He commended the unrighteous steward

because he had done wisely, smartly. Why did he do it ? “ For the sons of this age are for their own generation wiser than the sons of

light.” There is no word there of approval for the action of the steward or his lord, but there is a declaration that on the earth level, for this

age, the sons of this age are wiser than the sons of light. The action of this steward, and that of his lord in admiration were actions influenced

by the fact that their thinking was bounded by the age in which they were living, and bounded by their own generation, It was

purely selfish ; a selfish steward and a selfish lord, both lovers of money, because they were looking at things from the standpoint of

the present age, limited by their own generation. The sons of light are those who are not limited in their outlook by the present age, and

are not limited in their calculations by the generations in which they live. The sons of light are those who see far more than the near.

Yet Jesus said-and this is the arresting, the acid thing-that for their own age and generation, the sons of the age are wiser than the

sons of light. Note that intended contrast of our Lord. There they are, the sons of the age, of their own generation, with limited outlook,

a certain rich man and his steward. They saw nothing before their birth, and they did not see that very clearly, but they knew it was a

fact ; and they saw nothing beyond the end, and they were not very much concerned about that. They were living in the age, in their

generation. That was the limitation. The sons of light are those who see far more than that. They see far more than the near. Peter,

when describing certain people, wrote in one of his letters, “ seeing only what is near.” What a condemnation

that is. I commend to thought the word of the Old Testament, “ The eyes of the fool are in the ends of the earth.” People say it means that

a fool is a man who, instead of attending to things near him, is engaged in things in the ends of the earth. That is not what it means. He

is a fool because he sees nothing beyond the ends of the earth. He is bounded by the material. He is acting as though the earth were all,

and the generation everything, and the age in which he is living is the only thing that matters. The sons of light see beyond. They see the

earth, they see the near ; but they walk ,in the light. The Light is now shining upon men, the One Who said, “ I am the light of the world ;

he that followeth Me shall not walk in the darkness.” They see the near, but they always see more. They put upon to-day the measurements

of eternity, upon the dust the values of Deity, upon the age the measurement of undying ages, upon the generation, “ the generation

of the age of the ages.” Sons of light 1 It is a descriptive phrase. If that contrast is seen, what was our Lord doing ? While He had

in mind those critical Pharisees who were lovers of money, He also saw the group of disciples round about Him, and His words constituted

a rebuke. He was rebuking them because of their absence of acumen in the highest things. Look at this rogue. See the cleverness with

which he manipulated things. But said Jesus-and He spoke with infinite knowledge and understanding-on the earth level, within the

boundaries of the age and the generation, they are so bounded ; but they are more astute, more filled with acumen than the sons of light,

who are supposed to be living with the measurements of eternity placed upon all the things of time.

We cannot finish there, because all He said in immediate connection has its bearing. He then gave them instruction on the right use

of money, of mammon. Notice first with great care the nature of mammon. The word mammonghere signifies material wealth. We

are justified in saying money, because that is the symbol of wealth. He said to those listening to Him, Make friends by means of the

mammon, or money, of unrighteousness, a phrase that needs careful understanding. Mammon He called the wealth that was possessed

by that rich man, the thing that the rogue had been trafficking with to his own advantage, “ the mammon of unrighteousness.”

What is “ the mammon of unrighteousness ” ? What is the meaning of unrighteousness there ? Not wickedness, but the absence of wickedness

; not goodness, but the absence of goodness. In other words, the mammon of unrighteousness is neither moral nor immoral ; it is nonmoral.

Mammon, or money, is an instrument, an agent for good or for evil. Everything depends on how it is used, and how we use it depends

upon how we think in our deepest life. Nothing reveals the thinking of a man more clearly than the use he makes of money. Our Lord

had one thing to say. Make friends to yourself by means of it. That is an alteration from the Authorized rendering. He never told men

to make friends of mammon, but to make friends by means of it. So use money as to make friends. Friends ? Yes. A man may say, I

have got some money, but I want it for myself. Is he using it for himself alone ? Christ said, Do not use it that way. Make friends by

means of it. So use wealth as to gather friends.

Then mark how He swept out beyond the age and the generation. ” That when it “-the mammon a man has made use of-” shah fail,

they,” the friends made by the use of it-“ shall receive you into the eternal tabernacles.” He is beyond the age and the generation.

He is looking at the vastness of the life that lies beyond, and He is saying plainly, So make use of money as to make friends who will

greet us on the other side of the line that divides between this life and the eternal ages. Make friends by means of the mammon of

unrighteousness, for it shall fail. It always does. We can use it, and it is still there, but we have used it, whether we have got it, or someone

else. We that use it, and the others that get it, will die on the earth level ; and then, as Jesus in another parable said of the rich fool,

“ Then whose shall these things be ? ” Oh that wonderful list of wills and bequests in our papers. I would fain write that word of Jesus

over every such list. Men die, and leave a hundred thousand, twenty thousand, five thousand, ninety pounds ! “ Leave ! ” What had

they done with it when they were here ? Were they so making friends that they were met by them on the other side ? Many call the hymn

doggerel, but there is a truth in it.

“ Will anyone there at the Beautiful Gate,

Be watching and waiting for me ? ”

Have we done anything with the wealth, the means we have, to get

ready for that day that lies beyond ?

See how He linked the now with the forever, the present with the eternal. When He had made that direct application to the use of

money, and had shown the true use of it, He gave the principle of fidelity ; faithful to the much, in order to be faithful in the little. If

we want to be faithful in the little things, the mammon, we must be faithful in the big things, the much of eternity and God, and relationship

thereto.

Then He gathered everything up in that sentence that stands for ever blazing in light. “ Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” How

this comparison of Jesus remains true. How much there is in the world to prove its truth to-day, that the sons of the age are more acute, are

more business-like, have more acumen than the sons of light. Many a tine business-man on the earth level, honourable and capable, becomes

a fool when he enters into the business of the Christian Church. If all the acumen and business ability of the members of the Christian Church

were consecrated in the light as they are dedicated to the earth level, there would be no Missionary Society problems, and no other missionary

problems. It remains true, sons of light are failing to walk according to the light, lacking wisdom, and there is no more revealing symbol

than money, and the use men make of it.

Many years ago I remember in the home of a very wealthy man, who was a Church member and a Christian, one morning at Family

Prayers he was eloquent and tender as he prayed for the salvation of the heathen, and for the missionaries. He was startled beyond

measure when the prayer was over, one of his boys, a lad of ten, said to him, “ Dad, I like to hear you pray for the missionaries.” He

answered, “ I am glad you do, my boy.” And the boy replied, “ But do you know what I was thinking when you were praying, if I had your

bank book, I would answer half your prayers ! ”

Two motives. The one, love of money, which is love of self, and forgetfulness of the needs of others. The other, love of man, which

is always the outcome of the love of God. How are we using anything God has committed to us ? Is the true passion of life, love of self, or

love of man, because we love God ?

[nebula]

Interesting perspective - thanks, Omegaman!

[gdemoss]

1And 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. 2And 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. 3Then 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. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then 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. 8And 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. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10He 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. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No 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.

The parable is teaching about stewardship using an unsaved carnal man for the illustration. This is why Jesus says that "the children of this world are in their generations wiser than the children of light". He was putting down those who had the Word of God and thought they were following it by calling an ordinary sinner smarter than they. The end of the parable is to teach men that they ought to be using their resources to save men's lives so that when the day of judgment comes and all things are made right there is no man with aught against you. Also he continues and says that we must use the money of this world in a worthy way before God will entrust to us the true riches which are the revelations of the mysteries of God. People excuse themselves from living as our brothers and sisters did in Acts 2 and 4 by speaking about the culture of the time to their own peril as the hidden wisdom of God remains locked away from their knowing because of their covetousness.

Surrender all to God. Present your body as a living sacrifice unto God that he may walk in you and preform his work through your mouth and hands, then you will be exceedingly amazed by that which you once were ignorant of. I am amazed every day at the new discoveries our God reveals unto me and simply desire no less than to die unto myself and live for him who died for me.

In Jesus Name,

Gary

[enoob57]

They weren't called anything at the time but "disciples." After Pentecost, they were called "Followers of the Way." They were a Jewish sect.

This reply shows one of two things:

1. willful blindness to the truth of Scripture ... thus perverting it.

2. ignorance of a very simple fact of hermeneutics.

At Pentecost there were many dialects of peoples, gentile and Jew, three thousand were saved. How can they be just a Jewish sect....? Later we see property being sold to maintain these that were saved because they were remaining with the newly formed Church. Love, Steven

This is way off topic, and I am sorry for being the one that inadvertantly steered it in that direction, but I have to point out that the early church was referred to as the way or this way by at least the apostle Paul (acts 22:4) and weren't called Christians until Antioch Acts 11:26, as I am sure you are all aware. Describing Christianity as a Jewish sect is not off the wall. It was primarily seen that way until Rome increased it's persecution agains Jews, and it was a good thing not to be Jewish. Of course as we know, Rome later stepped up persecution on Christians as well. Jesus was a Jew, obviously, as was Paul, certainly there is no doubt that Christianity evolved out of Judaism. Paul never ceased calling himself a Jew. The term Christian, is an anglisized version of the Greek word for Messianic. Of course we have to separate out the notion of a Jew as a race, or a Jew as a religious indentity. I am not a Jew by race, but I do see my faith as Jewish. I beleive in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I am a follower of the Jewish Messiah. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, I am still part of a Jewish sect.

As far as the 3000 saved at Pentecost, it does appear that they were primarily Jews: Acts 2:5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. The passage mention many languages, but refers to Jews and proselytes, but also mentions Arabs and Cretans, with out specifying wheter they were converts or not. Remeber, that a Jew is not who is one outwardly, but who is one inwardly (Rom 2:28), so there is nothing wrong with the idea that a Gentile, can be a Jew, spritually.

So, unless I am missing the point that you are making enoob, with regards to the quote above, I think it is a little misdirected. Perhaps when it is said by some that Massorite is a false teacher, this might be so, I do not know, I have not followed his posts. However, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with what he said in the quote above. Did we really come here to this thread to try to knock people down and criticize, or is this thread about a parable, it is getting hard to tell. Maybe all this petty bickering is why I do not come here (to the forums) very often. People can be so caustic.

Perhaps it was a bit caustic and my intention was to clarify Pauls mind set of what

the Church was. Remember Him with Peter Gal 2:14-21 and to the direct point Col 3:8-16...

Thank you for your correction of me! I do not always have a clear sight of myself...

As with the truth of this I appologize to you Massorite for the harshness!

I was looking at the dates... whoa I'm just a wee bit slow

Love, Steven

[Guest]

Ah, it's all good enoob! If I ever say anything good, then by all means, listen, if not, then just ignore it!

[JCISGD]

This too has made me wonder as we know Jesus does not condone unrighteousness. Please dont take my opinions anymore than that, but here is my take on it. A bit like the verse "the knigdom of God encourages violence and the violent take it by force" NKJV ? i think its because we no longer use the word violence in the same context, we also dont undertsand what would be considered shrewd and what would be

offensive to our modern sensibility.

Words inbtween scripture are mine and are intended as opinion only. Words in brackets are also my undertsanding of meaning.

Luke 16

1 "and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions".

The manager having almost full discretion to use his masters money was reported as "squandering it". He was not stealing it as such as it was within his power to make such expenditure.

2 "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management"

The manager was not fired on the spot but given a chance to bring in the books to prove otherwise and may have been given a lessor role if he could show some redeeming factors.

"for you can no longer be manager"

3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig ; I am ashamed to beg".

He had the option to be a labourer, but saw himself as not strong enough. The other option left was begging.

4"I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes".

He comes up with a plan that is risky but worth a go, what has he got to lose?

5 "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master ?' 6 "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe ?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty".

He was still effectively manager and decided to use his last moments to cut a deal with what was still within his power.

' 8 "And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly".

Here we learn that the manager although unrighteous (wrong in his character and previous choices), made quite a clever choice that surprised even his master.

We sometimes hear of things done by another, and wonder that we had not thought of it or seen it in that way. It does not follow that we condone it but we might even praise them (secretley perhaps)or allow it on the grounds of sheer guts. A bit like the men who broke a roof to get their friend to Jesus.

"for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness",

Far from condoning the unrighteous manager, Jesus uses the fact that even those of this world will use their cunning to get from each other, to teach us that we should be imaginative and explorative to find ways to win the lost

"so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings"

10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much ; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 "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?

The unrighteous (temporal) wealth of this world wil perish, those who use it for selfish gain alone will not be entrusted with true wealth or be given "that which is anothers" (Gods kingdom), nor a place in eternity perhaps?