Luke 16:1-13 (NRSV)
Read Luke 16:1-13 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 16Then 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. Verse 2So 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.' Verse 3Then 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. Verse 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' Verse 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' Verse 6He answered, 'A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' Verse 7Then 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.' Verse 8And 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. Verse 9And 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. Verse 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. Verse 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? Verse 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? Verse 13No 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."
Devotion
Surprised again? Does Jesus' telling this parable not surprise us just a little bit? Why so?
Perhaps the title "The Dishonest Manager," inserted by the editors of some study bibles—based justifiably upon the phrase rendered "the dishonest manager" in v. 8—predisposes us to hear the parable only in one narrow way. But how might our understanding be expanded upon learning that this phrase can also be rendered as "the manager of unrighteousness?"
Disciples of Jesus live in two worlds simultaneously: the here-and-now world—the undeniable one staring us squarely in the face daily, the one requiring "street smarts"—and the already-but-not-yet world—the one existing through the promises of God. By pointing to the master's commendation of the "manager of unrighteousness" because he acted shrewdly or prudently—because he exhibited resourcefulness in dealing with the here-and-now world—Jesus exhorts us who are children of light, ones who have been grasped by God's promises, to interact with this generation vigorously, energetically, and resourcefully in the light of God's promises.
Prayer
Triune God, we long for the day when the already is reality; strengthen us on our pilgrimage as we engage the not-yet world. Amen.