A reading from the gospel according to Luke 16:1-8
1 Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.
2 He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’
3 The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’
5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’
8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
Reflection: Stewardship
The parable of the unjust steward in the reading above is also a parable of the unjust master. The steward was unjust in his management of the master’s property and the master knew it. Instead of condemning the steward’s mismanagement of his property and his improper dealings with the debtors, the master commended him.
Jesus never condones unrighteousness. Both the acts of the stewards and his master are unrighteous. They are both worldly or sons of the world as described by Jesus Himself. They are shrewd in handling money. Yes, they both know how to deal with each other in a manipulative situation so that in the end, they make personal gain.
Jesus is calling us to be sons of the light. He does not condemn money but definitely he does not condone the evils by which people use to make money and how they spend it. As sons of the light, let us join Him in condemning greed and corruption which are present all around us. Let us also note that the squander of wealth or extravagance is bad stewardship.
The gospel above is a reminder that all of our wealth or possessions including our talents are gifts from God. We must be good stewards of them. That means we ought to use them for the good of all and for the glory of God.
*****The gospel reading above is one of the most difficult to understand. For purposes of learning a lesson or two, let us focus our attention to the actuation or behavior of the manager after he learned he’s going to be fired.
Instead of becoming bitter for losing employment, the manager used his remaining time to do something good for himself and for others. He went out of his way to reduced significantly the debts of His master’s debtors. When the master learned of this, the parable says he commended the manager. We ask the question, “why did the master called the manager’s action as prudent when in fact, his wealth was reduced?”. Perhaps this could give us a clue to the reason or reasons why the manager was fired. Perhaps the debts were very high because the manager exacted a high interest or his fees were unreasonably high. We could assume that some of the debtors were the unmentioned complainants. So, it looks like the manager was just making things right by reducing the debts. It is a sort of making amends to his previous dishonesty. That is why when the master looked again at the records, he was happy.
On the other hand, we could also assume that the manager was actually a victim of injustice. There was no actual mention of his misdeeds except that the master heard some reports of mismanagement. If indeed the manager was a criminal, he could have been dismissed immediately with no authority to go around and reduce the master’s debts. Instead, the parable ended with a commendation for the manager. From this angle of the story, we could draw the message that there is hope and justice after all.
Many times, bad things happen to us although we think we don’t deserve them. Injustice is being committed everywhere but we don’t have much time to wallow in self-pity or bitterness. The gospel passage is inspiring us to go above and beyond unpleasant experiences and to use our imagination to help people. As sons of the light, let us be shrewd enough to do what is necessary in order that justice, goodness and love will prevail. We may never know, the person we help today is God’s instrument to give us untold blessing in the future.
*****
Jesus tells a parable that can be challenging to understand. It describes a manager accused of wasting his master’s resources, facing impending dismissal. Knowing he will soon be jobless, he decides to reduce the debts of his master’s borrowers, hoping to win favor with them for the future. Surprisingly, the master commends the manager for his shrewdness, not for his dishonesty but for his cleverness in planning for his own future.
At first glance, this story can seem to endorse unethical behavior, but that is far from the lesson Jesus wants us to take. Instead, the parable reveals essential truths about wisdom, discernment, and the urgency of making choices aligned with God’s eternal Kingdom. The manager’s example challenges us to think about how we are “managing” the resources and opportunities God has entrusted to us, and it pushes us to act with purpose and foresight.
The parable emphasizes the importance of using worldly resources with a view toward eternal outcomes. Jesus is not condoning dishonest actions but instead calling attention to how worldly people, like the manager, often show remarkable skill and determination in securing their futures, even if it is only a temporary, earthly future. This is a call to followers of Christ: if people can work so hard and creatively for things that won’t last, shouldn’t we, as Christians, be even more motivated to act wisely and thoughtfully for a Kingdom that will last forever?
We are each “managers” of resources that belong to God, entrusted to us to use wisely. The time, skills, relationships, and even wealth we possess are all gifts from Him, meant to be used not only for our benefit but also for the growth of His Kingdom. Are we investing them in ways that align with God’s purposes, or are we using them only for short-term gains? This parable reminds us that wise and intentional use of our resources can have an impact that goes far beyond our earthly lives.
Jesus’ teaching also reminds us of the urgency of aligning our lives with God’s priorities. We cannot be complacent, nor can we delay. Like the manager who recognized his limited time, we too must remember that our time on earth is short. The opportunities we have to serve, love, and reach out to others are not unlimited. Let us, then, be proactive, finding creative and bold ways to live out our faith, to help others, and to invest in things that carry eternal significance.
Ultimately, this parable encourages us to combine wisdom with faithfulness. A life lived in alignment with God’s purposes brings a deeper sense of fulfillment and peace. The shrewd manager teaches us that purposeful planning, even when it requires sacrifice, reflects a heart that values what is lasting. When we commit to stewarding our lives, time, and resources for God’s Kingdom, we honor Him and build a legacy that impacts both now and eternity.
In short, Jesus calls us to be both faithful and shrewd, wise enough to see the bigger picture and intentional enough to act on it.
