The Hardest Parable?
Sunday, September 21st, 2025
Luke 16:1-13
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16:1 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2 So he summoned him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management because you cannot be my manager any longer.’
3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.’
5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.’
7 Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.’
8 And his master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly, for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone they may welcome you into the eternal homes.
10 “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much, and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If, then, you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?
13 No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
What on earth is Jesus trying to teach us with this parable? I don’t know.
On earth, we have rules and regulations when it comes to currency, exchange rates, and business practices. Jesus seems to say that we should not abide by those norms, but instead use every legal loophole, tax shelter, and nebulous strategy to use OTHER PEOPLE’S money to make friends and curry favor.
I grew up watching the cartoon version of Robin Hood in elementary school more times than I count. Robin Hood (the fox) steals from Prince John (the lion) and gives the money to the poor people.
Are you okay with this strategy? Am I? Money and finances seem to be the bottom line for many of us. Is it okay for ME?
Could this be the message that Jesus is imparting? Is Jesus’ economic plan not of this world? Does God have a radically different plan for our relationship with money, business, and our whole notion of security?
Again, I just don’t know.
Is God addressing our competing gods and idols with this challenging parable? Is Jesus taking to task the powers that compete for our allegiance of ultimate trust and security? What if Jesus is trying to elevate the eternal importance and impact of relationship?
No one will remember what your bank account was when you finally take leave of this earth…and yet, could they recall:
the ways that you used those resources to care for others, to help others out of a crushing debt, or
how we share the vast wealth of others who are hoarding it out of fear and greed?
I don’t know. Do you?
