Sally A. Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary
Preachers and scholars agree: the parable of the “dishonest manager” (Luke 16:1-13) is arguably the most difficult of Jesus’ parables to interpret. Consternation centers on vv 8-9. In v 8a, the master commends the cleverness of the “dishonest” account manager he intended to dismiss. In v 8b, Jesus declares that “the children of this [secular] age” are wiser in dealing with their “generation” than are the “children of light.” In v 9, Jesus appears to commend using this world’s wealth to win friends who can welcome us into “the eternal homes.” Yet textual details can help us unravel this text.
One detail, often overlooked, is that the manager is “charged” by anonymous others of dishonesty (v 1), not convicted. Perhaps it is convenient for the master to treat him as dishonest (v 8), thus deflecting attention from some creative book-keeping of his own. Second, the manager’s debt reductions may not be dishonest; they may actually represent the righting of a wrong in which he has colluded. Jewish law forbade one to charge interest on a loan, but was nonetheless figured in. The manager’s 50% reduction on olive oil owed may eliminate hidden interest—surely high on this fragile commodity. The 20% reduction of a debt of wheat might serve the same purpose. The upshot? First, the steward cleverly endears both himself and his manager to their debtors. At the same time, he maneuvers his master into observing Jewish law, perhaps raising his master’s esteem in the eyes of religious authorities. The master’s praise of his manager’s “cleverness” is then quite plausible.
A first step in preaching will be to admit to listeners that this parable has stumped even the experts. Then, instead of “talking down” to our congregations, we can draw alongside them to explore in a sermon ways these verses can prod us to think about our own use of material “wealth.” Attention to literary form and social context can bring this text to life in new ways.
First, Jesus’ saying in v 9 may well be ironic; if true “wealth” is God’s reign come among us, as Jesus has been teaching throughout Luke, it is unnecessary to “buy” the favor of worldly comrades in order to secure a spot in “the eternal homes.” Second, we can help our listeners hear the parable against the backdrop of the oppressive debt structure that prevailed in Jesus’ time. Charging poor merchants and farmers exorbitant interest all but guaranteed that the poor should fall deeper and deeper into debt, allowing the wealthy to commandeer their goods, livestock, and land. Given this backdrop, might the “dishonest” manager be “switching sides,” so to speak? Might his suddenly precarious position open his eyes to the truth that it would be among the poorer classes that he would find an embracing community, not amid the ranks of greedy, self-serving landholders?
Both the parable itself and Jesus’ advice in v 9 seem crafted to press us toward deeper reflection about the sorts of wealth in which we invest our energies and our hope. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus insists that material wealth is not only unreliable, but poses a powerful distraction that can, in fact, cause us to forfeit the true treasure of God’s reign. It is essential, Jesus teaches, that we invest our time and our hope in wealth that is neither corrupting nor corruptible. Clearly, we cannot avoid participating in an economic system. Yet today’s text invites us to use our wealth, scant or plentiful, to invest in persons and projects that advance the restorative justice and inclusive love of the reign of God. As to “eternal homes”—we need not worry! Jesus promises that, at the last, those who share generously what God has given them will inherit the abundance and joy of the reign of God.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 