NOTES for Luk 16:1-9
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. |
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. |
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. |
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. |
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Today Christ tells His disciples an astonishing parable. He compares the relationship between God and the human being with the relationship between a master and an unfaithful steward. Facing the inevitable threat of dismissal, this steward decided, perhaps for the first time, to show mercy to the Master's poor debtors. In the same way, before elections, increases in salaries, pensions, and benefits are regularly announced. In essence, the steward does this at the Master's expense, but the Lord does not condemn him. He only makes an ironic comment about the shrewdness of the sons of this age.
Far more important is that those who have benefited at the Master's expense receive the steward not merely into their own houses. Here the Lord goes beyond the limits of the parable and speaks of eternal dwellings. Thus mercy shown to people turns into a completely undeserved but real opportunity to enter the eternal dwellings of the Lord Himself.
And it is also striking that it is not the master who admits the steward there, but those whom the steward had pitied. That is why it is so important for us to be grateful and to pray for those who have helped us in one way or another.
Readings for 27 November 2025
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