1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations that his manager was wasting his assets. 2 So he called the manager in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in the account of your administration, because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3 Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m too ashamed to beg. 4 I know what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So he contacted his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man replied, ‘100 measures of olive oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write 50.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man replied, ‘100 measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries than the people of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth, so that when it runs out, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Monica Ly

Initially I found this parable puzzling. Why was the master commending his manager after he had been dishonest and wasted his assets? Verse 8 tells us that the master commended the manager because he acted shrewdly - but why is this particular character trait the one that is singled out?

In verses 4-7, the manager seems to have great foresight in anticipating his future financial needs, and he uses his financial leverage to make friends for himself (vs 9). So perhaps the master is impressed because the dishonest manager made the most of the resources he had, knowing what his future would be. That is why he is commended for acting astutely or wisely.

Jesus then says that he expects his disciples to do likewise. He doesn’t mean we should be dishonest, but rather that we should faithfully make the most of our resources now, with the certain future in mind. That certain future is Jesus returning to judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).

This certain future convicts me to be more concerned about gospel needs.  We live in an unbelieving world where many do not yet know Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and there is an urgency because Jesus will return to judge. Perhaps I need to be thinking how I can be wiser with the resources that God has given me? After all, the resources that I do have ultimately belong to God. Those resources could include my money, my possessions, my home, my time, or my skills. How can I be a good steward? By not being complacent but acting thoughtfully now with the resources I have and investing them for the gospel.

Pray now, that God will grant us wisdom in knowing how to be good stewards with the resources He has given us, and to use them well for the gospel as we await the certainty of Jesus’ return. May we look to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to enable us to be generous and cheerful givers, as we support the gospel needs at St Barnabas and around the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Monica is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.