The Parable of the Dishonest Steward

[TarkanAttila]

1 He also said to the disciples, "There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 And he called him and said to him, What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' 3 And the steward said to himself, What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, How much do you owe my master?' 6 He said, A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' 7 Then he said to another, And how much do you owe?’ He said, A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations. 10 “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

I am confused by this passage.

First of all, what on Earth is the steward doing that is “shrewd”? Why does he tell the debtors to rewrite their debts? I don’t understand what is clever about a man who must account for his own debts, but who then… erm… lowers the debts of his Master’s debtors?

I don’t get it.

Second of all… I just do not get the point. Is Jesus telling us that how we keep our money (verse 11) can be an indicator of how we keep our heavenly treasures? And if we are unwise with temporal things, we are also probably even worse with eternal things?

I can understand that all sinners, even the evilest of the evil, have their virtues. Even Satan can lead people to the Sacraments before utterly crushing their souls. (Madelane de la Croix is an example of that.) But what virtue was the steward portraying? I don’t get it.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I am confused by this passage.

First of all, what on Earth is the steward doing that is “shrewd”? Why does he tell the debtors to rewrite their debts? I don’t understand what is clever about a man who must account for his own debts, but who then… erm… lowers the debts of his Master’s debtors?

I don’t get it.

Second of all… I just do not get the point. Is Jesus telling us that how we keep our money (verse 11) can be an indicator of how we keep our heavenly treasures? And if we are unwise with temporal things, we are also probably even worse with eternal things?

I can understand that all sinners, even the evilest of the evil, have their virtues. Even Satan can lead people to the Sacraments before utterly crushing their souls. (Madelane de la Croix is an example of that.) But what virtue was the steward portraying? I don’t get it.

No confusion.
Jesus asks us to be as smart ahd the fellow.
Jesus says that if he was smart in Earthly Things, we should be smart on Heavenly things.
Nothing more. Jesus does not say corruption leads to Heaven !!!