Wednesday, September 4, 2024

The Parables of Jesus Series

Tonight’s Study – Session 32: The Parable of the Unjust Steward

Introduction: In the Parable of the Unjust Steward, Jesus is teaching about the dangers of greed and the unfaithful stewardship of God’s resources. This parable is also about the shrewdness of the evil unbeliever and the lesson to be learned by the righteous believer. The text of the parable can be broken down into two parts: the parable and the application. We will also see that the audience who heard this parable was a mixed crowd of disciples and Pharisees.

The Parable of the Unjust Steward is only found in the Gospel of Luke.

Let’s Look at Our Passage Where this Parable is Found

He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. So, he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’

“Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ “So, he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’

So, he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So, he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ So, the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.

“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:1-13)

A Verse by Verse Look at The Parable of the Unjust Steward

The Parable – Verses 1-7

Verse 1

A steward was a trusted servant, usually someone who was born in the household who was chief of management and distribution of household provisions. He provided food for all the other servants, thus managing his master’s resources for the well-being of others.

He acted as an agent for his master, with full authority to transact business in the master’s name. This requires the utmost level of trust in the steward. Now, it may not be apparent this early in the parable (but is made more evident later), but the master is probably not aware of the steward’s dishonesty. The steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed.

The steward was accused of wasting his master’s goods. His prodigality is a thread that ties this parable to the preceding parable of the Lost Son (Prodigal Son) in Luke 15:11-32. Like the prodigal son in the previous parable, this steward was guilty of wasting resources available to him. Unlike the prodigal, however, he had enough sense to make sure that his wastefulness did not leave him friendless and unprovided for in the future.

Verse 2

The rich man called his steward to account and was going to relieve him of his duties as a steward. The unjust steward was going to have to give an account of his stewardship to his master. All believers will have to give an account of their stewardship of God’s resources one day.

So, then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2(Corinthians 5:10)

Verse3

The steward did not consider himself fit for physical labor.

Verse 4

-resolved what to do – Cleverly, the steward arranged to give large discounts to his master’s debtors, which they would eagerly agree to pay.

-receive me into their homes – By reducing their debts to his master, he gained their indebtedness to him. They would thus be obligated to take him into their homes when he was put out of his master’s home.

Verses 5 and 6

The transactions that took place between the steward and the borrowers was a secret transaction unauthorized by the master. The borrower was guilty of deliberate complicity in the man’s fraud.

Verses 7

The steward continues to fraudently reduce the borrowers’ debt.

The Application – (Verses 8-13)

Verse 8

The master commended the unjust steward who had outwitted him. 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.

Though while he lives, he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself) (Psalm 49:18)

-more shrewd – Most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the world than some believers (“sons of light”) are toward the things of God.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

Verse 9

-unrighteous mammon(money) – The unjust steward used his master’s money to buy earthly friends; believers are to use their master’s (God’s) money in a way that will accrue friends for eternity – by investing in the kingdom gospel that brings sinners to salvation, so that when we arrive in heaven (“an everlasting home”), those sinners will be welcomed in. Christ did not commend the man’s dishonesty; He pointedly called him “unjust” (v.8). Jesus only used him as an illustration to show that even the most wicked sons of this world are shrewd enough to provide for themselves against coming evil. Believers ought to be more shrewd because they are more concerned with eternal matters, not just earthly ones.

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Verse 10

Jesus quotes what was probably a common proverb. A common proverb that teaches that the dishonest sinner can be just as faithful doing evil as the honest believer can doing right.

Verse 11

-true riches – Faithful use of one’s earthly wealth is repeatedly tied to the accumulation of treasures in heaven.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Verse 12

Jesus is stressing the point that if one cannot be a good steward of what belongs to another (God), how could he possibly be a good steward of his own possessions. Tithing teaches the believer to be a good steward of the ten percent that belongs to God and the ninety percent that belongs to them. God ultimately owns it all, but only asks for the ten percent back, allowing the believer to learn faithful stewardship in all that he or she possesses.

Verse 13

Jesus emphatically taught that a believer could not love God and money at the same time, it is spiritually impossible. God must always come first in a believer’s life. When money becomes the focus, it becomes a god and a believer violates the first commandment.

“You shall have no other gods before Me. (Exodus 20:3)

-You cannot serve God and mammon – Many of the Pharisees taught that devotion to God and devotion to money were perfectly compatible (Luke 16:14). This went hand-in-hand with the commonly held notion that earthly riches signified divine blessing. Rich people were therefore regarded as God’s favorites. Jesus spoke against wealth as a sign of God’s favor and salvation, which flies in the face of the Prosperity Gospel being preached from many pulpits in the American church today.

And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

Conclusion: To be a good (just) steward of all the resources God has given us means that God must always be first in our lives as Christians. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). We cannot serve God and money, it a spiritual impossibility. If God is our Master, then our wealth will be at His disposal. In other words, the faithful and just steward whose Master is God will employ that wealth in building up the kingdom of God.

Next Week, Session 33 – The Parable of The Rich man and Lazarus