Luke’s gospel, Chapter 16 features one of the most difficult to read parables I have come across.

The storyline

“He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made to him that this man was wasting his possessions. He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, seeing that my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’

Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ He said, ‘A hundred batos of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred cors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light” (verses 1-8, World English Bible).

To summarise, we are told that a rich man is about to sack his steward as the manager of his affairs. The steward is concerned that once the sacking is official then he will no longer be able to earn a living. Thinking on his feet, he approaches all his master’s debtors and does a discounting deal whereby he hopes to gain favour with them once the sacking comes into effect. When his master learns of this he is impressed and compliments his steward.

Understanding the context

To our 21st century eyes this looks like a classic case of fraud and cheating. That is how we see it. But then why on earth is the master praising these actions? Why would anyone recommend a cheat?

Effectively the culture of first century 2nd Temple Judaism was very different to our own.

I remember, some years ago, a scholar from the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research sharing insights into this story from the archaeological studies they had been privy to. It so impressed me that I made notes in my bible. Effectively the culture of first century 2nd Temple Judaism was very different to our own.

Whereas today we would pay an employee (say a steward) to manage and monitor our business activities and to stay on top of our debtors, back in Jesus’ time it was very different. In that culture the employee (steward) did not get paid a wage. He earned his wages by adding a fee to the bills, a kind of commission.

Therefore, if a payment came in once the steward was not around then the master would not know what the steward’s commission amounted to. Only the steward knew the proportion of the commission. So what this steward is doing is using what would have been his commission to position himself with these business associates.

The minute we read this story with our cultural preconceptions, we get out of kilter with what was really happening. In doing so we can easily create a scenario where we intimate that Jesus is applauding criminal behaviour.

With our cultural preconcptions ... we can easily create a scenario where we intimate that Jesus is applauding criminal behaviour.

Fresh insights

Yet you would be justified for asking why this is called the parable of the unrighteous steward, even though such titles were not part of the original biblical text. If nothing is wrong, why was this title chosen? Well, if you look at the levels at which the invoices are discounted, then I think you can see that the level of commission being applied by the steward is so high as to be extortionate.

Maybe this is what got him the sack in the first place. However, his action in applying these discounts could easily have been seen as generosity on his part by the debtors and could have positioned him well for future opportunities.

It is fascinating to see how an understanding of the context behind a parable can give it a new meaning and provide fresh insights for readers.