II. NOTES ON THE PARABLE:
VERSE 1 – Two possible scenarios:
1) Manager/Steward had charge of the leasing of the land of a wealthy landowner and collecting rent from the farmers. Rent was paid in the produce of the land to the land owner.
2) Merchants who purchased from the Owner through the Manager (Wholesale/retail). “Steward” comes from “sty” and “ward” and was used of one who watched over the pigs.
VERSE 2 – “hear; reported” – “reported in a hostile way”
Tampered with the accounts of the Owner. Hands deep in the owner’s pockets.
The business manager had been dishonest. He was a rascal! He had pilfered! It was his responsibility to keep up with all of the books. But he bilked money from his master. He was a crook, a scoundrel, a scallywag! He was bilking money out of the corporation while lining his pockets with a Swiss bank account.
The owner hears what has happened. Fuming, the owner immediately calls in the business manager. “I have heard you have pilfered. I have heard you have stolen! You’re fired! And, not only are you fired, but you will give an account of all the books that you managed. There is about to be an audit.”
VERSE 3 – “what shall I do?” – tone of disaster, despair, desperation.
“not strong enough to dig” – manual labor is out!
“too proud to beg” – begging is out!
The business manager thinks to himself, “Oh no! My lucrative position by which I have been able to get my spacious house, drive the latest model chariot, and get my 5G cell phone and iPad. . . I see it all slipping away! What on earth am I going to do?!”
Having graduated into the white-collar class he had lost the calloused palms.
VERSE 4 – Caught in the act of squandering, he conceives a plan of calculated fraud. Can you see him like the Grinch, his fingers nervously drumming his desk, thinking up how he can keep Christmas from coming down in Whoville.
Eureka! He has one last ace he can play and with daring he proceeds to play it! He knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. He decides to risk everything on the role of the dice! Having lost the boss’s confidence he devised a scheme to win over the boss’s creditors.
VERSES 5-7 – “quickly” – Debtors don’t know the manager has been fired!
- 100 baths = 900 gallons. Equivalent to 3 years wages.
- 100 kor = 1100 bushels. Equivalent to 7 years wages.
The difference in percentage could be explained by concept of “hidden interest.”
Oil was a 50% markup. Wheat was only a 20% markup? Risk!
Suppose as a credit card holder you get a letter from the credit card company that says, “ The balance of your credit card is $8000. What we are going to do is allow you to pay only half of it. You only have to pay $4000.” What would be your response? You would be dumbfounded. You would be amazed because credit card companies do not do that. Now here is what is going on behind the scenes.
All of these merchants write emails and thank you notes to the boss, the land owner, and say “thank you for your generosity,” he is put between a rock and a hard place. He has no recourse; he can’t go back on the deal because his name is mud.
The shrewd manager sought to feather his nest by plucking his employer!!
He took material value, and by a simple alchemy, changed it into friends! He made out of it grateful hearts, who, when lean grey days would come, would receive him into their houses. Out of worldly possessions that were not his he provided for himself a future home!
VERSE 8 – “shrewd, astute” – same word used in Matt. 10:16: “shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves.” He benefited his employer, clients, and himself. He was wholehearted in his rascality.
He stole from the owner and in a backdoor way benefited him all at the same time.
“Sons of this age” – unbelievers.
“Sons of light” – Christians.
Owner’s commendation is akin to a burglar breaking into your house; you catching him in the act; and then commending him on his lock cracking skills!
Manager a skilled public relations man. Ingenuity. Strategic planning. Lives by his wits. Street smart.
Difference in saying: “I applaud the clever steward because he acted dishonestly” and saying “I applaud the dishonest steward because he acted cleverly.”
His shrewdness is that he derives advantage for himself.
With a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile he presents the doctored books to the owner.
VERSE 9 – “mammon – money” – name of a Syrian god who presided over wealth. Belongs to this world, often gained by dishonest means, and tends toward corruption.
“make friends of” – 1) convert into an ally; 2) “of” means “by the use of” – use money to secure eternal well-being.
“when it is gone” – 1) when the money is gone, 2) when life is gone, 3) when this age is gone — Latter two best with option 3 best choice.
“they” – cf. Luke 12:20 – circumlocution for God.
“eternal tents” = eternal home with God
I can just see the estate owner at first fuming: “That dirty rotten scoundrel! He has feathered his own nest and used my resources to do it! He has cheated me once again! What gall! Then, upon reflection, I can hear him say laughingly: “Son you beat everything I’ve ever seen. I am just amazed at what you’ve done. You’ve ingratiated me to the merchants, along with yourself, while at the same time stealing from me again! You will probably be able to find a job over there now with one of them! You are one cool customer. You are one shrewd dude.”
Summary – “Put yourself in a good position through your use of money, which so easily leads you astray, so that when this age is over God will welcome you into his eternal dwelling.”
VERSES 10-13 – Jesus further explains the point of the parable in verse 9.