Taken from: http://www.awmi.net/bible/luk_16_01
Luke 16:1- And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
Note 1 at Lu 16:1: This parable of the unjust steward has been interpreted in more diverse ways than possibly any other teaching that Jesus ever gave. Although most of the interpretations expound sound Biblical truth, this one parable cannot be teaching all these different doctrines. In an instance like this, where the meaning is somewhat unclear, how the teaching harmonizes with the context must be the primary consideration for interpretation.
Here in this verse, the words "and" and "also" are used to introduce this parable. The word "and" is a conjunction and means "together with or along with; in addition to; as well as." "Also" means "in addition; besides; likewise; too." These words make it clear that this parable is a continuation of Jesus' teaching from the parable of the prodigal son and his brother (Lu 15:11-32).
In Lu 16:14, the Pharisees are shown taking offense at the interpretation of this parable (Lu 16:9-13), because they were covetous. This reveals that any interpretation of this parable must expressly counter covetousness. Also, in Lu 16:15, Jesus responded to the Pharisees' covetousness and continued His teaching on through the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
Therefore, this parable, taken in context, is continuing Jesus' teaching begun with the parable of the prodigal son and his older brother (see note 6 at Lu 15:25 and note 8 at Lu 15:29). It deals with covetousness and is compatible with the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Lu 16:19-31).
The unjust steward was certainly covetous. He had not been faithful to his master or to his master's debtors. He had wasted his master's goods on himself. When found out, his self-serving nature, after considering the options, decided there had to be a change. He decided to use his lord's money to make friends so that when he was fired he would have someone to help him.
His master was apparently wealthy enough that he didn't take offense at the steward discounting the debts owed to him (see note 5 at Lu 16:6), but rather he commended the steward. He didn't commend his dishonest ways, but he was commending the fact that he had finally used his lord's money to plan for the future instead of wasting it on himself. Although the steward was motivated by what he would ultimately gain, his actions showed a prudence that was lacking before.
In this sense, the children of this world (lost people) are wiser than the children of light (born-again people) because they plan for the temporal future. Jesus began His interpretation of this parable in Lu 16:9 by telling us to use money (the unrighteous mammon) to make to ourselves friends who would receive us into "everlasting habitations." The use of the word "everlasting" denotes that Jesus was talking about our eternal future.
Our material possessions have been given to us by God so that we are actually stewards of His resources. The Lord gave us this wealth to establish His covenant on this earth (De 8:18), not so that we could consume it upon our own lust (Jas 4:3). If we consume all that the Lord has given us on earthly things, then we are unjust stewards. The Lord was instructing us to use money (the same would apply to talents and abilities) to further His kingdom and bless others, and there will be eternal rewards (Mt 6:19-21). The people who have been saved and blessed by our investments in the kingdom of God will literally receive us into our everlasting homes when we fail (Lu 16:9), or pass on to be with the Lord.
Money is not true wealth. But if we haven't been faithful stewards of the money that the Lord has given us, then He will not entrust to us the greater riches of the kingdom. Our material stewardship mirrors our spiritual stewardship and determines what the Lord will entrust to us (Mt 25:20-23 and Lu 19:17). Lu 16:13 is identical to Mt 6:24 (with the exception of the words "man" and "servant"). In Mt 6, Jesus' teaching is very clear and leaves no doubt that He was preaching against laying up treasures (covetousness) for ourselves here on earth (see note 36 at Mt 6:19, note 37 at Mt 6:20, and note 38 at Mt 6:21).
This certainly went against the Pharisees' beliefs and practices. Jesus said the Pharisees devoured widows' houses (Mt 23:14). In Mt 15:3-9, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for allowing money that should have gone for supporting parents to be given as an offering, and it is very likely that they were taking more than their fair share of the offerings. Lu 16:14 makes it very clear that it was because of this covetousness that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus' parable.
Jesus continued His rebuke of the Pharisees in Lu 16:15-18 by exposing their hypocrisy and followed with the story of the rich man and Lazarus. That story once again shows the vanity of making provision for this life only and is perfectly compatible with the teaching of this parable of the unjust steward.
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