The Parable Of The Dishonest Manager

“The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” – Luke 16:8-9

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot, October 28, 1949 journal entry

This parable, found only in Luke, can be confusing. In it, Jesus tells the story of a manager who, on finding out he is being fired for wasting his master’s money, rewrites the contracts of his master’s debtors to decrease their debts so they might help him after he’s unemployed. The master then, surprisingly, commends him for this. Of note, “unrighteous wealth” refers to worldly wealth—earthly wealth that is part of this unrighteous world—not wealth gained through unrighteous means. Some have speculated that the manager reduced the debts by cutting out his own commission or interest, which would explain why his manager praised him. 

Regardless of how dishonest or not the manager was, the main point of the parable is the same: we “sons of light” need to be at least as shrewd about how the kingdom of God works as the “sons of this world” are about how the earthly world works. The word for “shrewd” here, Greek phronimos, is only ever used this once in the Bible, and is translated in some versions “wise.” Jesus commends not potentially dishonest means, but the kind of shrewd wisdom behind it. And being wise means understanding that, like the manager about to lose his job, worldly opportunity and wealth is fleeting. Most of us who are relatively young don’t think on this, but it is a sure thing: Jesus says “when it fails,” not if. The most intelligent plan we can make is to use our earthly money to buy what will last eternally. 

How do we do this? Jesus goes on to explain that we earn “true riches” in eternity by proving ourselves faithful with worldly wealth (Luke 16:11). If fund managers are not using money the way their clients want, or are taking more for themselves than was agreed upon, they’re not being faithful with the money given them—one could even say they’re stealing, and the same is true for us. We manage, but do not own, all we have in this world. In our meritocratic culture, this can be difficult to work into our hearts, but it is no less true. What matters is being faithful to the intent of our master in stewarding what we have. One day we too may hear, “turn in the account of your management” (Luke 16:2).

But this parable has something more specific to say about how to invest in what lasts. It comes right after the parable of the prodigal son, and if you layer them together, a similar parabolic narrative emerges. Both the younger son and the manager squander money; the same Greek word diaskorpizo is used. But both learn that money is not as important as relationship, whether between father and son, or between friends. Michael Wilcock puts the point of the parable in Luke 16 this way: “Although these things—your property, ability, and time—belong to this life only, Jesus says, what will happen to you then, when you pass into the afterlife, will depend on what you were doing with them here and now. Make sure that the use of your money brings you into a fellowship of friends which will survive beyond death.”

Thinking on this, I keep recalling the last scene in Monsters, Inc., the way Sully’s entire face lights up as he opens the door to another dimension of reality, not because of any object or reward, but because he sees his friend. Which friends will welcome me home in eternity? In the end, none of the material things around me will last: but the souls around me will. This parable is a good reminder that it is always worthwhile to invest in building eternal relational capital, to deepen and widen that fellowship of friends which will survive beyond death.