Santos, Ian Felix T.

Christian Formation

“Parable of the Wise Steward”

(Luke 12:42-48)

42
And the Master said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward whom the Master will set
over His house servants, to give the portion of food in season?”
43
Blessed is that slave when His Master comes and will find him so doing.
44
Truly I say to you, He will set him over all His possessions.
45
But if that slave should say in his heart, My Master delays to come, and should begin to beat
the men servants and the female servants, and to eat and to drink and be drunk,
46
the Master of that slave will come in the day in which he does not expect, and in an hour
which he does not know. And He will divide him and will put his portion with the unfaithful.
47
But that slave knowing the will of His Master, and not preparing, nor doing according to His
will, will be beaten with many stripes.
48
But he who does not know and does the thing that is worthy of stripes will be beaten with
fewer stripes. For anyone who is given much to him, much is required from him. And to he
whom they have committed much to him, much more they will require by his hand.

 The Meaning of the Parable of The Wise Steward

- To illustrate more clearly what He means Jesus tells another parable, which begins in verse 42.
“And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in
charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?” Jesus did not directly
response to Peter’s question. Instead Jesus tells another parable. The parable uses a picture of a
steward or manager placed in charge of the master’s household. “Puts in charge” seems to
indicate those given the responsibility of direction or leadership. Verse 43 again proclaims God’s
future blessing upon His faithful servants. “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing
when he comes. ”Jesus pronounces a blessing on that steward whose behavior is faithful [apart
from any calculations of the early or late arrival of the master]. This is the third time in this section
that Jesus promises blessing to those who live their life preparing for Jesus return. Blessed is the
one living daily in the expectation that the Son of Man might return. The good servant is the one
who living his life in expectation of his master’s return. This steward is faithfully serving his
master’s interests during his master’s absence. He will be the object of the master’s special favor
or grace. Verse 44 indicates the promised reward for the faithful steward. “Truly I say to you that
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

he will put him in charge of all his possessions.” “I tell you the truth” indicates a solemn vow. Jesus
uses the phrase “puts in charge of all his possession” to describe the reward coming to those who
by faithfully serving the Lord are preparing for His coming (12:21, 33, 18:22, 30, 19:17, 19).
Christian stewardship brings the potential for great reward (12:46, Jas. 3:1).So again Jesus
promises to reward those who have been faithful to Him. While we sometimes experience
immediate and material rewards for our obedience to God, this is not usually the case. If so, we
would be tempted to do good only for our earthly prosperity. Jesus implies that if we look for
rewards now, we will lose them later (see Mark 8:36). Of course, not all stewards will be faithful.
What if the steward’s service is blatantly unfaithful? An unfaithful manager’s response his lack of
direct supervision is given in verse 45. “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long
time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and
get drunk; Jesus is addressing a stewardship that is opposite of a faithful steward. They think to
themselves that what they think and what they want is what is important. They not concerned
about answering to God but only about getting their way, about controlling others to get them to
do what they want. Even if it takes some intimidation or hard hammering to get them under their
will or control. Instead of [loving &] caring for others, they abuse others. Ascertaining the time of
the Lord’s return as far away or unlikely has a negative influence on behavior. These leaders or
pastors failed in their primary task of feeding the sheep with the Word of Life because they were
not looking expectantly toward the next kingdom, but establishing their kingdom on earth. The
result of saying the Lord won’t come today causes a two-fold tendency: self-importance and
carnality. How would we treat one another if we truly believed Jesus would return in the next
twenty-four hours? One may lash out at people or beat up on people [verbally or otherwise] if he
or she thinks they’re not answering to Jesus today. A daily awareness of the return of Christ or the
Rapture is not escapism. Quite the opposite. Jesus said a realization of His return leads one to living
rightly and He will eternally reward such stewardship of life. The penalty exacted on leaders or
shepherds who fail to portion out the Word of God to the people is stated in verse 46. “The master
of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know,
and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. In verses 47 and 48 Jesus
elaborates on the degrees of discipline [or punishment]. Two types of servants are mentioned with
verse 47 referencing servants who exercise poor stewardship. “And that slave who knew his
master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes. As for
leaders (those who know the master’s will, Luke 12:47-48), their privileges and responsibilities are
greater, but so will be their punishment for unfaithfulness. This servant suffers many blows, but
apparently he is saved and does not suffer eternal separation like the blatantly disobedient and
unbelieving or lost manager in verse 46. This punishment is the discipline of an unfaithful steward
with some knowledge of what he should do but who refused to do it. Verse 48 provides the
principle on which recompenses are differentiated. “but the one who did not know it, and
committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given
much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

 My Reflection:
Our generation shuns words like "duty" and "obligation." Instead, we
exalt ideas such as Maslow's "self-actualization." But there is a very real sense
in which our self-actualization as people will come to fruition in learning to be
faithful, dutiful servants of Jesus. I know it runs across the grain of our
somewhat selfish souls, but then, Jesus' teachings often did grate on self-
absorbed people.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from
the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke
12:48b)

It will be good for that servant whom the Lord puts in charge of his
fellow servants. His reward will be large .If he carries out his duties a reward
he will earn .When the master finds him doing so after his return .He will give
him charge of all his possessions. But concerning his return, suppose the
servant questions “My master is taking a long time to come", And beats some
servants and abuses them .He becomes legalistic or perhaps even lawless .His
performance is to say the least far from flawless .The master of that servant
will come when he does not expect .Even though that servant may think he's
one of the elect .He'll be cut in pieces and assigned a place. With the
unbelievers, rather than in God's grace. If he does not act, though the master's
will he knows .He will then be beaten and that with many blows. But those
who do not know, though behaving bad ,will be beaten less than his fellow
comrade from those given much, much will be demanded. So act responsibly
or else be reprimanded.
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

“Parable of the Unjust Steward”

(Luke 16:1-13)
Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1__2Wu9sfA

Chapter16:
1
And He also said to His disciples, a certain man was rich; and he had a steward, and this one
was accused to him as squandering his wealth.
2
And his master called him and said to him, what is this that I hear concerning you? Give to
me an account of your stewardship, for you are not able any longer to be a steward for me.
3
And the steward said within himself, what shall I do, for my Master is taking away the
stewardship from me? I am not able to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
4
I know what I will do, that when I am removed from the stewardship, they will receive me
into their houses.
5
And having called to him each one of the debtors of his Master, he said to the first, How
much do you owe my Master?
6
And he said, A hundred baths of oil. And he said to him, Take your statements and sitting
quickly write fifty.
7
Then he said to another, And you, how much do you owe? And he said, a hundred bushels of
wheat. And he said to him, Take your statement and write eighty.
8
And the Master applauded the unrighteous steward, because he acted prudently. For the sons
of this age are more prudent than the sons of light themselves are in their generation.
9
And I also say to you, if you make for yourself friends from their wealth of injustice, when it
is consumed, they will receive you into their everlasting habitations.
10
He faithful in the least is also faithful in much. And he unrighteous in the least is also
unrighteous in much.
11
Then if you were not faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true to you?
12
And if you were not faithful in that of another, who will give to you that which is yours?
13
No servant is able to serve two Masters; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the
other; or he will cling to one, and he will despise the other. You are unable to serve God and
wealth.
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

 The Meaning of the Parable of The Unjust Steward

- The Parable of the Unjust Steward can be found in Luke 16:1–13. The text can be broken down
into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application (verses 9–13). Luke 16:1 identifies that
Jesus is speaking to His disciples, but there is a suggestion that His audience is mixed—disciples
and Pharisees. Luke 16:14 states that the Pharisees “heard all these things and ridiculed [Jesus].”
We also see in verse 1 that Jesus “also” said to the disciples; the “also” would suggest that this
parable is connected to the previous three in Luke 15 and that the audience was a mixed crowd of
disciples and Pharisees. It is important to know to whom Jesus is addressing this parable. The
parable is for the benefit of the disciples, but there is also a not-so-subtle critique of the Pharisees,
as was evident in Luke 15. Verse 14 is Luke’s commentary on the motivation of the Pharisees, and
in verse 15 we see our Lord condemn their motives. And what was the Pharisees’ motivation? They
were those who were “lovers of money” and who “justify themselves before men” and who exalted
that which was an “abomination before God.” With that as a backdrop, let’s look at the parable.
It’s a fairly simple, if somewhat unorthodox, parable from Jesus. The story is simple, but the setting
is unusual. In most of Jesus’ parables, the protagonist is either representative of God, Christ, or
some other positive character. In this parable the characters are all wicked—the steward and the
man whose possessions he manages are both unsavory characters. This should alert us to the fact
that Jesus is not exhorting us to emulate the behavior of the characters but is trying to expound
on a larger principle. The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform
him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. A steward
is a person who manages the resources of another. The steward had authority over all of the
master’s resources and could transact business in his name. This requires the utmost level of trust
in the steward. Now, it may not be apparent at this point in the parable (but is made more evident
later on), but the master is probably not aware of steward’s dishonesty. The steward is being
released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is able to conduct a few
more transactions before he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or
executed. The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals
behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange
for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked
servant had done, he commends him for his “shrewdness.” In His application of the story in the
remaining verses, Jesus begins by saying, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing
with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). Jesus is drawing a contrast between
the “sons of the world” (i.e., unbelievers) and the “sons of light” (believers). Unbelievers are wiser
in the things of this world than believers are about the things of the world to come. The unjust
steward, once he knew he was about to be put out, maneuvered to put others’ debt to himself. He
did so by cheating his master (who more than likely was cheating his customers). He made friends
of his master’s debtors who would then be obligated to care for him once he lost his job.What does
this have to do with believers being wise about the life to come? Let’s look at verse 9: “And I tell
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may
receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with
their wealth in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them “into eternal
dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus
exhorts His followers to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).The term unrighteous (or
worldly) wealth seems to strike readers the wrong way. But Jesus is not saying that believers
should gain wealth unrighteously and then be generous with it. “Unrighteous” in reference to
wealth can refer to 1) the means in acquiring wealth; 2) the way in which one desires to use the
wealth; or 3) the corrupting influence wealth can have that often leads people to commit
unrighteous acts. Given the way in which Jesus employs the term, the third explanation seems the
most likely. Wealth is not inherently evil, but the love of money can lead to all sorts of sin (1
Timothy 6:10).So, the principle that Jesus is trying to convey is one of a just steward rather than
an unjust one. The unjust steward saw his master’s resources as a means for his own personal
enjoyment and advancement. Conversely, Jesus wants His followers to be just, righteous stewards.
If we understand the principle that everything we own is a gift from God, then we realize that God
is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s
resources to further the Master’s goals. In this specific case, we are to be generous with our wealth
and use it for the benefit of others. Jesus then goes on to expand in verses 10–13 the principle
given in verse 9. If one is faithful in “little” (i.e., “unrighteous” wealth), then one will be faithful in
much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much. If we can’t be faithful
with earthly wealth, which isn’t even ours to begin with, then how can we be entrusted with “true
riches”? The “true riches” here is referring to stewardship and responsibility in God’s kingdom
along with all the accompanying heavenly rewards. The climax of Jesus’ application is verse 13:
“No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be
devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (see also Matthew
6:24). 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.

By : Jeffrey W. Hamilton
Santos, Ian Felix T.
Christian Formation

 My Reflection:
The story itself sounds quite contemporary. A dishonest manager is about
to lose his job because he has misspent his employer’s assets. Because he
doesn’t want to do manual labor or receive charity, he goes around to all the
people who owe his employer money and reduces their debts. He does this so
that they will be hospitable to him after he loses his job. The parable is a Jesus’
gentle humorous way saying that we have to deal with life as it is, and it would be
great that we would be as passionate in the cause of good as your man was in
looking after himself! Jesus used this situation to teach us a lesson about money
and God. He uses many situations to widen our view of God who is total love, total
mercy, and total forgiveness. Let’s leave judgment to him and widen the
compassion of our hearts. The parable makes us think that we get into messy
situations, and this man was trying to do his best. Probably letting the debtors off
the huge interest and on what was owed, and which had been got in corrupt
dealings! God is bigger than any of our small laws and rituals. The message as
well is to use money in the service of God, ‘tainted though it is’. We know how our
wealth and prosperity can lead to greed or corruption, or to improving the lives of
others. As with all we have, all is gift and to be used for the common good.