Parable of the Unjust Steward

[Hidden In Him]

Greetings all, and blessings in Christ!

Wanted to throw a parable out there and ask what others thought the meaning of it was, and what Christ was trying to communicate to His disciples. I believe I know the answer here, but I will withhold my responses to give those who wish to an opportunity to answer.

Blessings in advance to those who respond!

___________________________________

The Parable of the Unjust Steward
16 He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was [a]wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’

3 “Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have 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 master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So 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?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what 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 be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

 

Edited July 23, 2019 by Hidden In Him

[Hidden In Him]

Here's a secondary question: What specifically did Jesus mean by telling them, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light"? (Luke 16:8)

Edited July 23, 2019 by Hidden In Him

[missmuffet]

3 hours ago, Hidden In Him said:

Here's a secondary question: What specifically did Jesus mean by telling them, "For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light"?

It helps us if you give the name and number of the verse Luke 16:8

Jesus is drawing contrast between the sons of the world and the sons of light. Once the unjust steward knew he was about to be put out he put others debt to himself. He did this by cheating his master. He made friends of his masters debtors who would then be obligated to care for him once he lost his job. 

[Kristin]

This one is not good. I think he must be speaking to unbelievers and how they get by in the world. Even advice on how to do it. Idk. Seems like that. 

[Hidden In Him]

1 hour ago, missmuffet said:

It helps us if you give the name and number of the verse Luke 16:8

Edited. Thanks for the heads up : )

[Dennis1209]

Secular speaking, it was a win - win - win solution to everyone involved.

1. It was a good and fair deal for the debtor to get out from under the burden of great debt and their heads above water again.

2. It was a good deal for the servant; he made friends and had a plan "B" if he lost his job. He finally showed initiative, resourcefulness and think outside of the box. 

3. It was still a gain and profit for the master of the house. Most likely the debtors owed so much to the master of the house they could never pay it back because; just like today, they were over their heads in debt and settled for a reduced amount. Naturally their credit rating dropped substantially 

His wisdom, shrewdness and forethought were commended, not his dishonesty. This is how the secular world operates; Christian's fail much more to use the world in such a manner as to sub-serve spiritual interests. Those who have been enlightened from above--who are Christians. This may be considered as the application of the parable. It does not mean that it is more wise to be a worldly man than to be a child of light, but that those who are worldly show much prudence in providing for themselves; seize occasions for making good bargains; are active and industrious; try to turn everything to the best account, and thus exert themselves to the utmost to advance their interests; while Christians often suffer opportunities of doing good to pass unimproved; are less steady, firm, and anxious about eternal things, and thus show less wisdom. Alas! this is too true; and we cannot but reflect here how different the world would be if all Christians were as anxious, and diligent, and prudent in religious matters as others are in worldly things. ~ Albert Barnes

Edited July 24, 2019 by Dennis1209

[GandalfTheWise]

On 7/22/2019 at 9:17 PM, Hidden In Him said:

Wanted to throw a parable out there and ask what others thought the meaning of it was, and what Christ was trying to communicate to His disciples. I believe I know the answer here, but I will withhold my responses to give those who wish to an opportunity to answer.

This is one of those sections of scripture I've never really heard an explanation I'm completely content with.

 

[Who me]

I would recomend this link for an explanation that takes account of the middle eastern cultre in explaning the parable:-

https://carm.org/parable-unjust-steward

one quote:-

"

Obviously, the steward knew the master was a generous person, otherwise he would not have taken such a risk; after all, he wasn't jailed to begin with.

In verse 9 Jesus is not praising the dishonesty, but the ability of the steward to recognize the generosity of his master, see what was coming, and use what he had at the time to obtain something far greater: self preservation.

This is significant.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.  God can condemn you to eternal damnation.  It is wise to seek a way out of that. In fact, the judgment of damnation is so terrible, that praise is offered to the one who, in desperation, seeks a way out of it.

If the unrighteous steward was praised for trusting the master, how much more will you be rewarded if you trust the true and holy Master, the Lord Himself."

[Hidden In Him]

6 hours ago, GandalfTheWise said:

This is one of those sections of scripture I've never really heard an explanation I'm completely content with.

 

I was planning on waiting till the weekend to post my interpretation, so tell me what you think when you get a chance. I respect your input : )

Edited July 24, 2019 by Hidden In Him

[Hidden In Him]

5 hours ago, Who me said:

Obviously, the steward knew the master was a generous person, otherwise he would not have taken such a risk; after all, he wasn't jailed to begin with.

In verse 9 Jesus is not praising the dishonesty, but the ability of the steward to recognize the generosity of his master, see what was coming, and use what he had at the time to obtain something far greater: self preservation.

This is significant.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.  God can condemn you to eternal damnation.  It is wise to seek a way out of that. In fact, the judgment of damnation is so terrible, that praise is offered to the one who, in desperation, seeks a way out of it.

If the unrighteous steward was praised for trusting the master, how much more will you be rewarded if you trust the true and holy Master, the Lord Himself."

That's a different take. I'll take a look, and thanks for the link. My interpretation differs from this one, so give me your opinion of mine in comparison after I post it.

Blessings in Christ!

Edited July 24, 2019 by Hidden In Him