The parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16 is difficult because Y'shua praises the behavior of a man who cheats his employer so that he will look good in the community and not have to do menial labor once he is fired. The key seems to be that the manager is a shrewd judge of the master's character and commits himself to that understanding without reservation.

In Luke 12 there are two parables about an absent master. In the first, he is at a wedding feast and is coming home late and presumably happy. In the second he is away for a much longer period and has set a manager over his household. In both cases finding his house in order and his servants alert results in blessing. In the second parable if he finds the manager has misbehaved, things get much darker.

In Luke 12 there are two themes running through the commentary. The first is 'inside and outside.' There the contrast is between how things seem on the surface and how they are in reality. The second theme is 'possessions.' There the rebuke is that the Pharisees' focus is on wealth, status and possessions where it should be on the Kingdom.

In Luke 11, Y'shua is invited to dine at a Pharisee's house. The series of conversations that follow are about the contrast between what is visible and what is hidden. On the surface everything is righteous and correct; underneath there is greed and corruption.

Teaching His disciples about His future return, Y'shua warns that there will be many false messiahs. He tells them not to be fooled. His actual return will not be subtle and everyone on earth will learn of it directly from Heaven.

This is an extremely Jewish prayer reflecting a difference in focus between the synagogue and the church. The focus of both the synagogue and the early church was bringing Heaven down to earth or repairing the creation. About 300 years ago the church shifted focus to getting people into heaven and began neglecting earthly governance.

Being accused of casting out demons by Beelzebul was a watershed in Y'shua's ministry. Before that He spoke plainly; afterwards in parables. He used the occasion to teach on the divided nature of Satan's kingdom and on the dangers of division within the Kingdom of God.

Continuing the theme of prayer, Y'shua tells of a corrupt judge who is persuaded to give a widow justice because of her chutzpah. The points are that God is not unjust but that He appreciates boldness in prayer.

In this first parable about prayer, a man goes to a neighbor in the middle of the night to borrow bread to entertain an unexpected guest. The point of the parable is that, just as a friend would not refuse such a request, God would also bestir Himself to help those who need it.

The Lord's Prayer, or as some call it, the model prayer sets up the parables of the friend at midnight and the unjust judge. In this, it is a straight-forward compilation of the content of prayer. The prayer also highlights a difference between Hebrew thought and contemporary Christian thought on the purpose of prayer.