Dishonest Wealth

Luke 16:1-18

Sometimes scripture is confusing. Parables in particular can be difficult to decipher and this parable is one which faithful followers of Jesus and even scholars have troubled over. Jesus tells the parable to the disciples (rather than the Pharisees) which is important to note because it lets us know he is in teaching mode. He tells the story of the manager of a rich man's property who is accused of dishonesty. The master tells the manager to "give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any more." (Luke 16:2) The manager then goes to the various debtors of the master and lowers their debts. This action of course will cost the master wealth, so he should be furious. But the master praises the manager for being shrewd. "And the master commended the dishonest manager because he acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their generation than are children of the light." (Luke 16:8) It would appear that the manager's actions are for the sole purpose of self-protection. He will lose his job but gain new friends with the debtors, who may offer commensurate benefits to the manager at a later time. Perhaps the master was so impressed that he will hire him back. So, what is the point of this parable? Is Jesus praising dishonesty? Or he is making some other kind of point?

It would be shocking if Jesus were endorsing the dishonest way the manager handled this situation. Jesus speaks repeatedly against those who put wealth ahead of God. (see Luke 6:24, 12:34, among many others) The interpretation of the parable in part depends on who we assign to the role of the master.  If the master is God (as we often assume) then it would seem that Jesus is endorsing dishonesty in a way which directly contradicts his teachings. But if the portrayal of the master and the manager are meant to be a description of the corrupt economic system of Jesus' day, then the parable is an indictment against greed and dishonesty. I believe this interpretation is most helpful and is validated by Jesus' statement: "No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Luke 16:13) The master and the manager were both focused on wealth and Jesus calls us to put God first in our lives. While, the dishonest and money obsessed may achieve some form of earthly success, they do so at the expense of their relationship with God. For those who strive to be faithful, the earthly sacrifice of material wealth will be rewarded with riches in heaven and the presence of God in their life.

The other dynamic at play in this parable comes from a field of biblical study called redactive criticism. Redactive criticism is focused on the continuity within a particular scripture passage and tries to discern whether a particular passage has been edited or added to by scribes. Some scholars would argue that the parable itself ended after verse 8 and the rest was either added later or spoken at a different time. Other scholars believe that the parable ends with verse 9. What we need to understand as readers of scripture is not only have faithful people often disagreed about the meaning of the text, but also the composition. The fact is that the scriptures were written without punctuation and without header titles or verse numbers. The work of scholars sometimes requires them to make interpretations of when a passage might start and end. In most cases this is not a difficult decision and does not affect the meaning of the text. In this parable it does matter and there historically has been spirited debate which remains unsettled. Ultimately, the interpretation of scripture requires each individual believer and community to discern the meaning of the text. The Holy Spirit is our guide and will help us see when our limited human skills are inconclusive.