Parables VIII

The Dishonest Manager Luke 16:1-9

Some think this is one of the most difficult parables to interpret. Here is the basic story. A rich man hears information that his manager is up to something and calls him to account and orders him to turn over his books. Manager is losing his job. What is his plan now? He is too weak to work and too proud to beg. He better make friends with the people he has been cheating. So he calls them in separately and instructs them to mark down their accounts 50%.for the oil and 20% for the wheat.

Ambiguity of the Greek words.

Many Greek words can be translated in different ways, just as our words can have different meanings. Who is the master in Luke 18:8a? The Greek is KURIOS which can mean any of the following: lord, master or The Lord meaning Jesus or God. So who is doing the praising of this dishonest manager and why?

Questions about the story.

Why would the master praise his dishonest manager? If he knew he was being cheated, why not beat him and throw him in jail? Do not give him time to do further damage.

Maybe the owner isn’t really sure of his servant’s dishonesty but fires him anyway. “charges were brought to him” (diaballo Gk.) There is the suggestion of slander or rumor in the Greek here.

Where does the parable end and the comment by Jesus begin? In any case, why is this apparently dishonest manager praised? The sentence from 16:9b on seems like Jesus talking, ..”for the children of this age are more shrewd…than are children of light. Shrewd is the way the Greek is most often translated and the idea seem to be “careful for his own future” (Phillips} or “knew how to look after himself”. Jesus wants his followers to be as careful about our eternal future as the manager, maybe.

How has the manager solved his problem? The master will surely find out and punish him. He might have “friends” but who would hire such a dishonest person?

Who are the “children of light”? One possibility is that they were members of the Essene Community who withdrew from the world and lived ascetic lives studying the Torah. Is Jesus saying that we should not withdraw from the world, but use “mammon” wisely? We are to “make friends with dishonest wealth (mammon) so that when it is gone they will welcome you into their eternal homes. (NRSV). That sentence has many questions and seems clear as mud.

Some interpretations of the master and his servant.

A possible paraphrase from The Message.

8-9"Now here's a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why, because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior."

Or based on an interpretation by Kenneth Bailey.

The manager was not so much dishonest as “shrewd”. He was not thrown in jail, but shown mercy. He decides to risk everything on that mercy. The debtors would assume that the reductions were made with the master’s approval. Everyone would praise the master for his generosity. What will the master do? His reputation has been enhanced. Everyone thinks he is a wonderful, generous man and his reputation is very important to him. Wouldn’t it be better to praise the “shewdness” of his manager.

With Bailley, the master represents the gracious forgiveness of God and makes this parable similar to the mercifull father in the parable of the prodigal.

A possible application for us is as follows. Recognize that God is merciful and generous. So we use our money (mannon) wisely by building community and being generous. Then we will be welcomed to our tents (homes) in the next age.

The Parable of the Sower

Matt:13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15

This parable is important enough to be all three of the synoptic gospels. In each case, it is coupled by an interpretation of the parable by Jesus and a cryptic quote from the Hebrew Scripture and like God does not want all to hear and understand. How do we understand this?

In most groups where we have looked at this parable, the questions we asked were these. What kind of soil am I and am I growing and bearing fruit? Good questions for individual reflection. But this parable is also about a Sower (God or those who preach or teach), who scatters seed generously everywhere. The seed will eventually bring in a great yield or harvest. In this case, the parable is a statement about the various responses to the message of the kingdom, and has the a promise of a great harvest.

Here is what I think. The followers of Jesus of every age need this prediction of reality coupled with the promise of a great eventual harvest, lest we “weary in well doing” and give up because the results do not seen enough. The quotation does not mean God is blinding some, but that’s just the way it is.

In Conclusion:

final suggestions on reading the Parables

• The simplest application to our day may not be the original interpretation
• Parables are often open ended and designed to stimulate thought.
• The main figure in the parable may not always be God.
• Parables encourage a new way to look at the world.
• Jesus may be describing something new and unique like the kingdom of God.
• It is helpful to compare the parables in different translation.
• In Matthew the kingdom of Heaven is not out of this world or future, but corresponds to Luke’s kingdom of God. Mathew, as a Jew, used heaven as a euphemism for the holy name of God.
• It is safe to assume that the parables originated with Jesus, but the gospel writers place them in their gospel story to fit their purposes.
• I want to thank, Tony, Linda and our WHH fellowship for stimulating my interest and study of the parables as never before. I feel blessed by the opportunity to study and grow with these people. The opportunity to summarize and add to our discussion has forced me to clarify and firm up my understanding. Thank you all. Jerry.