1. The Parable of the shrewd manager Luke 16:1–13
Douglas S. Huffman

2. Luke 16:1–13
1 He [Jesus] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management 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 when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’  

3. Perhaps the most difficult parable!
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.’ 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 manager 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 wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Luke 16:6 100 liquid measures = about 875 gallons (or 3,200 liters)
Luke 16:7 100 dry measures =between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels (or 37,000 to 45,000 liters)
Perhaps the most difficult parable!

4. Parable: “a teaching illustration, esp. common in Jesus’s teaching”
We like illustrations—they draw us in.
Some parables spell out the application.
Parables invite us to be better listeners.
Generally, parables operate on the principle of ANALOGY (not allegory).
What is analogy?
a partial comparison

5. Parables The Parable of the Shrewd Manager Five NT Uses of “Parable”:
—“earthly stories with heavenly meaning”
“use of analogy—partial comparison with mundane realities—to illustrate important life principles”
Five NT Uses of “Parable”:
Simple simile
—e.g., the Mustard Seed in Matt. 13:31–32.
Simple metaphor
—e.g., the Fig Tree in Matt. 24:32–34.
Simile story
—e.g., Wheat & Weeds Matt. 13:24–43.
Metaphor story
—e.g., the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:3–7.
Example story
—e.g., Pharisee & Publican in Luke 18:9–14.
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

6. Perhaps the most difficult parable!
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.’ 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 manager 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 wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Luke 16:6 100 liquid measures = about 875 gallons (or 3,200 liters)
Luke 16:7 100 dry measures =between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels (or 37,000 to 45,000 liters)
Perhaps the most difficult parable!
Is Jesus commending bad behavior?

7. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager—Luke 16:1–13
What is Clear in this Parable:
The manager is in trouble with regard to his future.
The manager uses his resources to care for his future.
The manager is commended for planning ahead.

8. It is better to let the tension stand.
Attempts at Making Sense of the Shrewd Behavior:
“The master was charging too much interest.”
—But shifting focus to the master is not in the parable.
“The manager was giving up his commission.”
—Perhaps, but those reductions are drastic.
“The manager was correcting his own overcharges.”
—But at those rates, the (rich) manager is untrusted.
“The manager was in charge of accounts receivable.”
—Yes, but the manager’s reductions are drastic.
If really important to our understanding, Luke could have made these things clearer.
It is better to let the tension stand.

9. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager—Luke 16:1–13
What is Clear in this Parable:
The manager is in trouble with regard to his future.
The manager uses his resources to care for his future.
The manager is commended for planning ahead.
Remember the Analogy Principle:
“Partial comparison” is the norm.
“From minor to major” is a normal analogy argument.
E.g., Luke 11:11–13 and 18:1–8.

10. If the ungodly can plan ahead, then the faithful should be doing so.
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.’ 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 manager 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 wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Luke 16:6 100 liquid measures = about 875 gallons (or 3,200 liters)
Luke 16:7 100 dry measures =between 1,000 and 1,200 bushels (or 37,000 to 45,000 liters)
Does Jesus commend bad behavior? No.
If the ungodly can plan ahead, then the faithful should be doing so.

11. Jesus’s expanded commentary.
10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, 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 money.”
“The use of resources is a litmus test of spiritual stewardship.”
—Darrell Bock
We should faithfully, righteously use every means at our disposal to accomplish the goal of serving God.
Jesus’s expanded commentary.
If you are planning ahead for your future, be sure it is centered on God.

12. questions