Christian Family Services Ministry

7-3-2023 – A Word to the Wise – Luke 16:1-13

This passage has always been difficult. It is clear God calls into judgment dishonest practices. That message is clear yet there may be another issue involved. It is easy to call the actions of the steward illegal, but were they?

During this time unjust interest was added to accounts by adding illegal interest to the balance owed after all “Everyone did it’ In reality what may be occurring is the unjust steward is subtracting the illegal interest making himself more acceptable to others probably not cheating his master at all but setting accounts straight. If that is accurate about this passage, we are looking at a 50% interest rate!

Read the passage again and see how this insight affects your understanding of the situation.

16 And he also said to the disciples, “A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. 2 And he summoned him and[a] said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, because my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I should do, so that when I am removed from the management they will welcome me into their homes!’ 5 And he summoned each one of his own master’s debtors and[b] said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your promissory note and sit down quickly and[c] 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 promissory note and write eighty.’ 8 And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.[d] 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it runs out they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings.

10 “The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?[e] 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you your own? 13 No domestic slave is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.”