SHREWD
STEWARD
LUKE
16:1-9
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.
Susan: Let’s
start by explaining the function of a steward in the time of Christ.
This
steward was a freeman, had full charge of his master's affairs and could use
them to his own advantage if he chose, was fully accountable to his master and
had to render an account when called upon. If unfaithful he was usually
discharged at once.
Susie: Back
in Luke 12:42, Jesus spoke of another steward. We saw that we as Christians are
to be wise stewards of all the Lord has given to us. In the present verse,
Jesus speaks of a steward who, in the best case was simply unwise with his
master’s assets; and in the worst case, had been caught embezzling or
deliberately wasting what belonged to the master.
Luke
16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee?
give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
Susan: The
Lord does not say who exposed the steward’s improper dealings with the master’s
goods . . .
Susie: . . .
but it is clear, that someone ratted him out. Nevertheless, sin that people
think is well hidden is always exposed to God.
Numbers
32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be
sure your sin will find you out.
Susan: The
master needed to see how much damage had been done and required the steward to
give a full reckoning of all accounts, all transactions.
Susie: He was
to bring all books up to date and give a full report to the master before his
termination date.
Luke
16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh
away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
Susan: The
steward says to himself, “Oh no! What am I going to do? I’m not capable of
strenuous labor. What’s going to become of me when my position is gone?”
Susie: He had
to admit to himself that he had too much pride to become a beggar. What I find
interesting in this is that he never considers finding another job! Of course,
he would never get a good letter of recommendation from his master.
Luke
16:4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they
may receive me into their houses.
Susie: The
steward knew he would never work in a trusted supervisory position again.
Therefore, he concocts a devious plan to ingratiate his master’s debtors to
himself.
Susan: His
plan was to “forgive” a portion of what each person owed his master.
Susie: As
steward, he had that power; but that was with the assumption that the master approved.
He did this behind his master’s back.
Luke
16:5-6 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the
first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of
oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write
fifty.
Susie: He
called in every man that owed his master money or goods. The first man’s debt,
he reduced by half, telling him to quickly cross out 100 and write 50.
Susan: The
operative word here is “quickly” as in before anyone sees you. He had to
accomplish these agreements before they came to the master’s knowledge.
Susie: The
steward’s urgency and clandestine approach to writing off these debts should
have raised concern with the debtors. By agreeing to his plan, they were
complicit to his actions.
Luke
16:7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred
measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
Susie: He
reduced the second man’s bill by twenty percent. No reason is given for the
differing percentages. Some commentators say he may have just written off his
own commission. Others believe his master had grossly overcharged the people in
the first place. Either of those theories imply there would be no true net loss
to the master.
Susan: However,
the gain to the debtors would be significant and would make them feel indebted
and obligated to the steward. They would be so ingratiated toward him that he
felt he could count on them to come to his aid in whatever way he asked them once
he was out of a job.
Luke
16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for
the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of
light.
Susie: The
master is not praising the steward’s underhanded dealings with goods that were
not his own but belonging to the master. He is praising his worldly wisdom, his
shrewdness or cunning in using the situation to his advantage. John MacArthur
gives a good explanation of this verse:
MacArthur
Study Bible
16:8
the master commended the unjust steward. Outwitted, he applauded the
man’s cunning. His admiration for the evil steward’s criminal genius shows that
he, too, was a wicked man. It is the natural tendency of fallen hearts to
admire a villain’s craftiness (Ps. 49:18). Note that all the characters in this
parable are unjust, unscrupulous, and corrupt. More shrewd, i.e., most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the
world than some believers (“sons of light,” cf. John 12:36; Eph. 5:18) are
toward the things of God.
Luke
16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of
unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting
habitations.
Susie: Jesus
teaches that we are to be like sheep in this world, not participating in sordid
gain. However, we are to be wise to the ways of the world, not to be tread on
by it.
Matthew
10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore
wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Susie: This
unjust, shrewd servant was using his wily ways to prepare a future for himself.
As stewards in the kingdom of God, we should use our means and all our
blessings to share Jesus with others. Those who come to know Christ are truly a
treasure of friends we will have in the Kingdom of God, both here on earth and
in our forever home with Him. Benevolence toward others in Jesus’s name is one
way we store up treasure for our future.
Matthew
6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Ponder
this and Apply it: Money in and of itself is not evil. It is the
love of, the coveting of riches, the selfish used of it, that can be sinful. As
wise stewards of all the Lord has given us, we should be laying up treasure in
Heaven. Believers should be characterized by generosity. I had a pastor who
said a man’s checkbook can be quite revealing regarding his relationship to the
Lord. These days, it might be a man’s online transactions. At any rate, would a
close look into your finances reveal your heart for God?
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