Intent vs. Interpretation

This morning I was reading in Luke, the parable about the 'Unrighteous Stewart'. The use of wealth is the major topic of Luke 16. Its point is clear enough--be generous and responsible with your resources. Wealth can be a blessing or a curse, depending on whether used as a means to exercise power, a tool of self-indulgence, or a resource to serve others. However, to possess money is also to hold a sacred stewardship. I was reading from the Greek-Hebrew Study Bible. I also studied commentaries that differ in interpretation based on the standard translations, not the literal Greek.

Luke 16:1-13 Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.' '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; I am ashamed to beg. 'I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship people will receive me into their homes.' "And he summoned each one of his master's debtors, and he began saying to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' "And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.' And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.' "Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?' And he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.' He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.' "And his master praised the unrighteous steward because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you? "And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and mammon."

Two important words: The word dieblethe in verse 1 is translated as 'reported', should actually be translated 'falsely accused', derived from diabolos, devil. The devil's accusations are always false. The unjust person in this parable is not the steward, but the rich employer who fired him on hearsay or false accusation. The next word is metastatho, was a word used by the Greeks to denote 'ones removal from this world to the next'. The basic lesson in this parable was that the steward was required to collect the bad debts due his master his removal. He engaged in the forgiveness of partial debts due his lord; so must Believers act from the moment he is saved. In view of our metasasis, our 'removal from this earth', Believers must engage in forgiveness of debts (sins). This forgiveness of sins is the most important thing that any believer can do during his life of faith before departing this earth (death). Note: After being falsely accused, the steward still offered forgiveness of debts.

The steward collected part of the debts due his master, thus pleasing the master, who otherwise would have received nothing. It pleased the debtors who were unable to pay in full, and they became his friends. When the steward later found himself in need after losing his job, they gave him hospitality. In this same way, the Lord says to us in v. 9 that the friends, the people we win to Christ by using the mammon of the unrighteousness (money) to make the Gospel available, will be our welcome committee in heaven. The true riches are not money, but the forgiveness and eternal life with those we brought to Christ.

One thing we need to know for clarity in the translation of v.8. The word "master" is actually kurios, Lord, indicating that it is not the servant's master commending him. The literal translation is "And the Lord (Jesus) commended the economist (steward) of unrighteousness (or injustice)," Unfortunately, the "economist of unrighteousness (money)" has been translated as the "unrighteous steward". The Lord would never commend an unjust steward. The word adikia, 'unrighteousness' in many instances in the NT stands for money, because money was/is used for unrighteous purposes much of the time. (Consider Judas) The word translated "shrewd" and "more shrewd" in v.8 is phronimos which means "prudent" and "he who knows how to regulate his affairs with people."

In standard interpretation, the steward was seen as a thieving weasel looking out for himself. Knowing the use of original words in Greek, we see a man using generosity and forgiveness, though he received neither. The Lord, for this, commended him.