Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’
“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’
“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
“‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.
“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’
“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’
“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.
“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’
“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Luke 16:1-12, NIV
I am sure this passage is familiar to most, but it is one of those passages that sits a little awkwardly. What on earth is Jesus saying here? Is He commending fraud? Or just saying “that’s what passes for wisdom in the world”?
Let’s look again. In the beginning, we find a rich man who has a steward, and accusation is made to him that this steward has been ‘scattering’ his estate. That could be just acting without wisdom and diligence, it could be deliberate using of the estate for his own ends. It helps to remember that stewards had wide latitude; they might enjoy considerable discretion in the execution of their responsibilities. Even the actions the steward takes with regard to reducing bills might – in ordinary circumstances – be aimed at long-term mutual benefit for his master and his debtors and be applauded.
But in the context – he has already been asked to render an account of his stewardship, meaning “the accounts” are due in, and has been told he can no longer be steward – calling in the master’s debtors and reducing their bills (100 baths of oil becomes 50, 100 cors of wheat becomes 80) is “trading way past the bell”.
And yet: here is the sticky bit. Instead of getting mad, the master of “this steward of dodgy acts” … praises him for acting with presence of mind. We are all thinking, “he deserves severe punishment”, and the master – and Jesus – appear to be commending him.
Before we look at what Jesus says next, let’s look at what Jesus is doing here. It is somewhat parallel to – for example – the unrighteous judge who fears neither God nor man but who eventually gives in to the persistent widow who is threatening to “black his eye”. Neither of the characters in the story is meant to be a role model, as such – God isn’t an unrighteous judge, and His people don’t need to threaten Him with violence. The point is “even this guy will give justice – so how much more will God…”
Jesus explains this by saying, “the sons of this age are wiser than the sons of the light in dealing with their own people.” But where does that leave us? And are the sons of the light, the citizens of the Kingdom? Or religious people? And if the latter, what are we supposed to say: “go wild, it’s only money”?
So in Luke 16, we can say neither the rich man nor his steward have a sense of what is righteous – but even they can understand that (despite everything you have heard to the contrary) money can buy you friends.
And the point Jesus makes is not that we should live our lives greasing palms and otherwise take a path of corruption to the top of the pole, but rather that we should “make for yourselves friends from unrighteous mammon in order that when it runs out (or you die – the Greek is ambiguous and can mean either of those things; I favour the latter), they can welcome you into the eternal habitations (or tents).”
The references to “sons of the light” and “unrighteous mammon” suggest that, first and foremost, He is saying this for the benefit of the Pharisees who are listening in. This is how they thought and talked about themselves and about money.
This is important, because if so, it is an example of Jesus genuinely saying something for the instruction and benefit of the Pharisees (as opposed to contending against them). The picture of sons of the light not realising they should at least use their “unclean” money to make friends, because they are heading somewhere they will need every friend they can get, friends who can speak on their behalf, is very definitely relevant to the Pharisees. Obviously if they insist on rejecting Jesus, then it will be no help at all; but if they loosen up on this issue of unfounded pride, and become open-handed and generous, then there is hope that they may be able to receive truth from their less-tutored but more faith-filled new friends.
However – Jesus is not only speaking to the Pharisees; He is speaking to us. Generosity – making friends by helping others with your money – is the bottom line. If you get that far, then a major blockage to receiving truth is removed. The reason is simple: the earth system is all about lack, and we are taught to hang on to our money (even if we think it is unrighteous). So if you only accept this much, that you should “make friends for yourself using unrighteous mammon”, then you are postured to receive more truth. The alternative is stark: as He says in v13, “you cannot serve both God and mammon.” If you remain a slave to mammon, that is the end of the story.
Which brings us to the key verses for reframing the whole passage: whose money is it anyway? Even if you are the rich man in the story; what makes you think it is yours?
“Whoever is to be trusted in a little is trustworthy in much, and whoever is dodgy in a little is dodgy in a lot. Therefore if you are not faithful in handling the wealth of an corrupt system, who will trust you with what is true? And if you haven’t been found faithful in handling someone else’s things, who will give you your own?”
Luke 16:10-12, my rendering
So walking back: Jesus is giving His listeners a shock: yes, use money to make friends, just like the dodgy steward. But guess what: there is a kick in the tail (as ever!)
Every single one of us is more like the steward than we realise; not because we are corrupt, but because we are stewards. Whatever we have – bazillions or a handful – is entrusted to us. How we execute that trust, and use that resource will determine whether we can be trusted with more, as well as whether things of real value can be entrusted to us.
In fact, our ability to handle what belongs to another will determine whether we will ever have something that is genuinely “our own”.
Seeing the Kingdom 