The Unrighteous Stewart
The Unrighteous Stewart
November 15th, 2005 Several years ago I heard a preacher deliver
a sermon on "The Unrighteous Stewart." The sermon was so bad
that I was left feeling confused. This preacher had tried to
explain that it is alright to steal as that was his
understanding of this story. I knew Jesus never meant the lesson
to be one of theft so I prayed and asked for HIS understanding
of the story and this is what Jesus gave me. I want to share it
here with you.
Luke 16:1 - 8
To understand this story we must look at the scene laid out
before us. Jesus had evidently just left the house of one of the
leaders of the Pharisees which he had entered in chapter 14:1 to
teach and eat. We see him in chapter 14:25 leaving with
multitudes following him which included the Pharisees who were
looking for any excuse to accuse him of breaking the law. In
chapter 15:1 he is accused of receiving and eating with sinners,
and Jesus again begins to teach.
It must be kept in mind that Jesus was a Jew and his earthly
ministry was to the Jewish Nation. In Matthew 15:24, Jesus says
"I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
And in Matthew 10:5 when he sends his disciples out, he tells
them, "Do not go in the way of the Gentiles." The ministry of
Jesus was a microcosm of that which the Jewish Nation should
have been. Jesus being one man was going to do what the Jewish
Nation as the "Chosen People" should have done. And only by
being God the Son born in the flesh could he accomplish that
which the children of Abraham had failed.
God had chosen the Hebrew Nation to be a witness to the world
that there is but one God, a powerful God and a loving God. God
manifested his power through the Jews and blessed them with the
circumcision to set them apart from the Gentiles. Blessed them
with the priesthood and gave to them both the written law and
the oral law. God bestowed upon them blessings upon blessings.
Throughout all of this the Jews began to think of themselves as
the only people of God, and instead of being witnesses to the
world of God, they became recluses, hoarding the gifts and
blessings given to them by God. So Jesus came to be that witness
so the world should not be lost. But first he had to be a
witness to the very people who in the first place had been made
witnesses and failed.
The story of the unrighteous steward was told for the benefit of
the Pharisees who were the doctors of the law and should
understand that the Blessings, Gifts and Promises which they had
hoarded and squandered where now going to be given freely to
all, administered under a new steward (Jesus Himself) and that
while there was still time they should endeavor to give what was
given to them by God to those who were to receive the blessings
under the new covenant which would shortly be instituted.
Breaking down this parable by verses, we have:
Verse 1-2
Lu 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain
rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him
that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto
him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy
stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
The rich man is God who is rich and freely gives of his wealth.
The steward is the Jewish nation who were given the
responsibility of administering the wealth of God. But because
Gods wealth was being wasted, the Jews were to be replaced by a
new steward (Jesus Christ).
Verse 3-7
Lu 16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do?
for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig;
to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am 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 lord's debtors unto him,
and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And
he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take
thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he
to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred
measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and
write fourscore.
Here they are being told that if they would understand this,
they should plan for the future. They will no longer be in a
position to take what isn't theirs because God's blessings would
come by way of another steward. If they are not to be left out
in the cold they must take that which they stole and give to
them who are in debt. In that way they will be remembered when
those who are in debt have the blessings and the former stewards
are in debt.
Verse 8
Lu 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he
had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their
generation wiser than the children of light.
The Lord commends the former steward not for his
unrighteousness, but because he made provisions for his future.
Though he will no longer be in a position to administer the
blessings from God, he can still be a partaker of those
blessings.