The Pharisees had made riches an evidence of God’s blessing and a sign of personal righteousness. By calling it “unrighteous,” the Lord is saying that money itself has no moral value.
Mammon is a transliteration of an Aramaic word referring to wealth. How marvelous that what is temporary and transient can be used for God’s eternal glory! The Lord calls on us to use “unrighteous mammon” for His purposes. Those saved and blessed through our funds will welcome us into heaven. The great value of money is that it can be used to finance God’s work on earth, financing missionaries, funding Bible translations, building new halls, helping believers in need. The true value of money lies in its potential to be used to make “eternal friends.” By using our resources to fund gospel outreach and to assist fellow believers, we make friends for heaven. Christians are to use money for spiritual purposes as wisely as the world uses it for temporary gain. The Lord is teaching His disciples that, like the shrewd manager, they should use their present resources to accumulate eternal riches. The wisdom of the steward is that he used his position and wealth to prepare for the future (v9). While the parable commends the man for his shrewdness in using money to secure his future, the Lord clearly condemns the man as a “dishonest manager.” MEANING OF THE PARABLE Perhaps the Lord told this parable to emphasize a singular point: the importance of using money to achieve future benefits. While some parables are rich in symbolism (i.e., Parable of the Sower), others are designed to highlight a single truth. However, the text is silent on this point. This interpretation has the advantage of being most consistent with the conclusions the Lord draws about wealth beginning in verse 9. The master is able to rightly commend the unjust servant, as he was not harmed.
Parable of the unjust steward full#
So, the debtors received a discount, but the master received full payment. The steward thus won the favor of the debtors and the commendation from his master for his shrewdness.Ī second interpretation is that perhaps the unjust steward used his own funds to make up the difference to his master. The master could not protest the amounts without admitting to unlawful practices.
Under this interpretation, the steward effectively called the notes and had them rewritten for the original debt, excluding the interest amounts. By this method, the creditor earned a return while avoiding the technical prohibition against charging interest. So, a man wishing to borrow 50 bushels of wheat might sign a note to repay 60 bushels. However, this prohibition was circumvented by drafting notes for a higher face amount including the interest. The Jews were forbidden to charge interest on loans to fellow Jews (Exo 22:25). One interpretation of the master’s commendation is that the parable should be understood in the context of the business practices of the day. Expositors have puzzled over the Lord’s commendation of a man using corrupt business practices. This is one of the more difficult parables to interpret. Money’s true value lies in its potential to be used for eternal purposes. We learn that money is not an end in itself, but rather a test of faithfulness. However, in the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-14) the Lord gives us the proper perspective on money. The Christian is not immune to the desire to accumulate wealth. The exponential growth of casinos, lottery schemes, fantasy sports, and preoccupation with the lives of rich celebrities all reflect a society that worships money. The culture of 21st-century North American idolizes money and wealth.
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