Sermon: 'Luke 16: The Parable of the Unjust Steward' - Howard Katz

Howard Katz preaches on one of the most perplexing parables within the Bible, on July 5th, 2015.

Luke 16:1–11 (NKJV)
1He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3“Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’ 5“So he called every one of his master’s debtors to him, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?' 6And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ So he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. 9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. 10He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Of all the parables that Jesus taught, the parable of the unjust steward seems on the surface to be one of the most perplexing from a number of different aspects. “This parable has puzzled many people through the ages. How is it that an unjust steward, about to be relieved of his position, gains praise from his employer when he ends his career by stealing even more from him?” The real puzzle of the parable is this: “What does Jesus want to teach us from a story about an unjust steward who seemingly benefited from his shrewd but unrighteous conduct?” If Jesus wanted to teach us to act wisely and deal shrewdly, wouldn’t it have been more appropriate if He had used a parable of a righteous man being rewarded for his wise and prudent conduct? However, our Lord never wastes a word and never arbitrarily uses an example. Each parable and every detail is carefully chosen and sculpted to provide us with important insights and truths. I believe this parable holds a number of important truths that will enable us to be more effective in our service to God.