PARABLE OFTHE UNJUST STEWARD

[The Story of the shrewd and dishonest manager]

a. "And he said also unto his disciples, 'There was a certain rich man who had a steward. The steward was reported to him that he had wasted his goods. The rich man called the steward and asked him, 'How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship for thou will bo longer be steward for me'.

"Then the steward said within himself, 'What will I do? For my Lord will take away from me the stewardship. To beg, I am ashamed. Okay, I know what to do, so that when I am fired, they might receive me into their houses'.

b. "So he called everyone of his debtors unto him and said unto the first, 'How much owest thou my master?' And he answered 'A hundred measure of oil'. And he said unto him, 'Take my bill, sit down quickly and write fifty'. Then he said to another 'How much owest thou?' And he answered 'A hundred measure of wheat'. And he said to him, 'Take the bill and write four score (80)'.

c. "And the 'lord' (the rich man) commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than than the children of light.

d. "And I say until you make yourself friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail they may receive ye into everlasting habitation. He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much..." (Luke 16:1-13)

Was The Steward's Attitude Noble?

This is the most complicated parable Jesus shared. It has so many messages and lessons weaved into it. The first question is 'was the steward right?' Was it noble for him to adjust the accounts to his benefits? Look at part 'c' (verse 8), his master commended him for doing so.

But, did Jesus commend him? No. Jesus condemned this act in verse 12 'If therefore ye have not been faithful in another man's (property) who shall give you that which is your own?' Jesus himself called him 'unjust steward' in verse 8. The wisdom he applied is worldly.

The Worldly Wisdom

This steward demonstrated the Worldly kind of wosdom. The Today's English Version (TEV) refer to him as 'shrewd'. This means sensual smartness. This is the worldly kind of wisdom. Why is this worldly? It is not God's word. He was fired. Yes. That is not a reason to be dishonest.

Although some part of the story seem somewhat unclear, but the subject of the manager's morality is highly questionable. Apostle James gives us the two kinds of wisdom in James 3 verse 13-17.

Verse 17 in a sharp contrast says 'But the wisdom that is from heaven is first pure, and peaceable, gentle, without partiality and without hypocrisy'. These are qualities of divine wisdom. (While) verse 14 and 15 gives the nature of worldly wisdom: 'but if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descended not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish'.

Choose Honesty

Some gain may be very appetizing, but they're dishonest and unrighteous. It could makes all the sense to the human mind, but spiritually it is not right. Choose honesty. God which sees you in secret will reward you openly. Where no eye is watching, choose honesty.

Look up my article "The Two Kinds of Wisdom" for more on this subject. God bless you. Enjoy your day. 🌷🌷🌷

Goodlife Writes

Comments

Posts most visitors viewed

PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT

Jesus teaches on forgiveness “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king, who took account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25) But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26) The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all'. 27 Then the Lord of the servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28) But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence. He laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me that thou owest’. And his servant fell down at his feet, and besought him saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all’. 30) And he would not listen, but went and cast him into prison till he would ...

Full article...

PARABLE OF THE TWO WORSHIPPERS

(The story of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee) a. “ And he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. b. "Two men went up into the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee and the other a Publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess’. c. “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heavens, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner’. d. 'I tell you', Jesus continued, 'This man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18: 9 – 14) Do not Trust in Yourself/Your Works Jesus shared this particular parable because he wanted to cor...

Full article...

UNITY AND TOGETHERNESS

The scriptural guide to a peaceful coexistence " I say to all of you, do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and each one of you judge him according to the amount of faith that God has given him. (Verse 3) " Love one another warmly as brothers in Christ and be eager to show respect to one another . (Verse 10) " Show the same spirit towards all alike. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourself as wise. If someone does evil to you, do not pay him back with evil. Try to do what all men consider to be good and honest. (Verse 16-17). " Do everything possible on your path to live at peace with all men. Never take revenge my friends, instead let God's wrath do it. For the scripture says, 'I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.' " (Romans 12:3, 10, 16 - 19) This is God's Way; It May Not be Popular The recommendations promoted in this article may not s...

Full article...

🌱PARABLE OF THE SOWER (3) 🌱

[The stony ground] "And He taught them many things by parables and said unto them in his doctrine, 'Hearken, behold, there went out a sower to sow. And it came to pass that as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on a stony ground where it had not much earth, immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched and because it had no root, it withered away’. Mark 4:2-6 Not Much Earth The stony ground represents the second phase in the heart and faith level of a believer or one who is yet to be saved. Here, God's Word is sown and immediately it springs up. This condition is better than the way side at least. At this stage, you receive God's Word with gladness and immediately begin to act upon it. Consequently, the Word begins to grow towards fruition and then before the fruits show up, a season of tests set in. The sun beams on it. The plant could not wi...

Full article...

PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL

Jesus' lessons on covetousness, greed and giving " And he spoke a parable unto them saying, 'The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he (the rich man) thought to himself saying, 'What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?' And he said, 'This I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 'And this I will say to my soul (the rich man continued), 'Soul, thou has much goods laid up for many years. Take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry.' "But God said unto him, 'Thou fool, this night, thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou has gathered?' So is he that lay up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God." (Luke 12:16-21) The Story Something led to this parable being shared. Someone in the congregation Jesus taught brought a petition: 'Master, speak to m...

Full article...

NOT JUST A GOD, BUT A FATHER (1)

“And Jesus said, 'As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then your Father in heaven will give you good things to those who ask him!' ” (Matthew 7: 11) Parents Care Have you seen a mother monkey bear hee young on her shoulder at her bosom? Such a lovely view! I remember watching a monkey dragging her baby with a crocodile who violently pulled the baby into the water. After a long struggle, the monkey won. She took the baby, but unfortunately, the baby died. However, the monkey was partly satisfied that she returned with her kid. She kept her down, cleaned the stains and blood from her skin and patted with her hands in a bid to revive the baby, but to no avail. For a long time, she sat there with the baby. She had done her very best. She cared. How Much More the Father of Us All That is an example of a mother monkey, demonstrating so much concern for her young in danger. All around you, you notice how c...

Full article...

I AM HE

Revealing the person of Jesus “ The woman said unto Him, ‘I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When He comes, he will teach us all things’. Jesus said unto her, ‘I that talk to thee, I am he’. ” (John 4:25 – 26) Are You Expecting a Saviour? At this time, the Jewish community had always expected a messiah, a sort of saviour who would save them from the grip of their tax masters. The prophesy common among the Jews then was that the Messiah will establish the kingdom of God, thereby nullifying the oppressive government. The Samaritan woman also anticipated this messiah. I am He 👤 Right beside this woman, was the very Messiah she and the rest of the people were waiting for, but she never knew. Right beside her was the living water, but she never recognized. Remember, in the early verses of this text, Jesus had told this woman that if she gave him a drink, he would give her water that she would no longer thirst. Yes, Jesus is the living ...

Full article...

Father Abraham

This man.. Small boy like you don get pot belly. For your mind, you be big man. 😂 Gerrout jor. AB, you no try o.. You know say I no dey hide my mouth. I met Udeme last two months, and she said you evicted her. Guy wait oh, shae you be father of nations, or father of your small head. 🤷 AB, you don forget wetin Abraham mean? It means 'father', and to be father no be beans. I understand the stress of bearing other people’s burdens and excesses. Remember school days guy.. Na you teach us hospitality by example. 💚💚💚 Na you ask am make she come stay with you since she lost her job and could not renew her rent. Guy you forget say she be your sister; and family should be there for one another. 🫂🫂 She was making plans to leave, which you knew she was 80% ready. 🖐️ Ette, keep your excuses, it is never easy to be good sometimes. Like Jesus, you may have to walk long distance to raise Lazarus. I guess this one was tough for you, but you acted hastily. She told me wh...

Full article...

HOW CAN I?

This was the question Joseph asked himself when Potiphar's wife asked him to lay with her. " How can I do this wickedness and sin against my God?" For Joseph, having an affair with Potiphar's wife wasn't only going to displease Potiphar if found out, but it would affect his relationship with his God. How often have you called yourself to order? Where are your standards? Where are your deliberately upheld principles? What are your no no's? Your never never! For Joseph, prison was better than compromising. Laying with his master's wife was a NO NO! Daniel decided in his heart that he will not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. This was the resolution Daniel made in his heart in honour to his God. (He refused to eat because the royal delicacies were dedicated to Babylonian gods.) Have you made this kind of resolution to honour God with your choices, your body, to please Him in the face of opposition or r...