In yesterday’s post we looked at four interpretations offered by Brian Stoffregen who surveyed the scholarly works and offers several models of interpretation for this notoriously difficult parable: The Dishonest Steward

5. The parable can be about the right and wrong use of money. If the steward or the master were charging a high rate of interest, money may have been the most important thing in their lives. Jesus says to make friends with your money — use it rightly. Use it for human services. The steward gains friends by sharing his profits and helping out the poor debtors. He is our example. Our profits should be used in the service of love — helping to ease the plight of the poor. Otherwise, they can compete with God for our allegiance.  This understanding anticipates the parable (Lazarus and the Rich Man) which ends the chapter.

6. Related to the right and wrong use of money, another approach might center on the word for “squander” (diaskorpizo). The same word is used concerning the “prodigal son” (15:13). However, the literal meaning of the word is “to scatter” (see Luke 1:51). It is used of “scattering” seed (Mt 25:24, 26). By extension, the word was applied to money — the “scattering” of money = “wasting” money or perhaps, “throwing it away.” Some have even suggested “failing to make a profit” or “sloppy record keeping.” What makes such “scattering” wasteful? I think it’s because there is no hope of any return on the “investment” — like scattering seeds where they won’t grow. Perhaps, it is the rich man’s greed — always wanting to increase his wealth that is a fault and the manager’s shrewd use of money to make friends revealed another use.

7. The use of this life’s goods to secure hospitality in the future. By reducing their loan agreements so generously, the manager has done these debtors a significant favor; because he is still this wealthy man’s manager, moreover, his agreements with these debtors are binding. In this way, the manager has entered into his own patronal relationship with his master’s debtors, apparently themselves also persons of means. He has become their benefactor and, in return, can expect them to reciprocate by extending to him the hospitality of their homes. The manager has thus taken advantage of his now-short-lived status, using the lag time during which he was to make an accounting of his management (v. 2) and his position to arrange for his future. (Green, 592-3).

A Suggestion: As with most parables, there are many layers of meaning – as Stoffregen has shown – but overall, one should always give weight to the simple explanations – in this case, the steward is dishonest and he continues to squander his master’s goods. Yet his actions cast an aura of honesty and goodness on his master and shrewdly provided for his own future.  As did the steward, Jesus urges his disciples to be even more vigilant and seize the moment to make provisions for their future before God. The kingdom is at hand!

Parable of the Unjust Steward | A.N. Mironov | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0