17 · Jesus' Parable

The Dishonest Manager

Luke 16:1–9

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A manager sits at a table with debt records and accounts, pointing to a document with a writing tool in hand as two men sit opposite him.

A manager facing dismissal reduces other people's debts to secure his own future.

What is praised about the manager?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: Can we learn from shrewdness without approving the action?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

B and C are closest to our understanding. B captures what is explicitly praised: the manager recognizes that his present situation is ending and acts decisively with the future in mind. C matters because the story continues to call him dishonest. Jesus need not approve his conduct in order to use his foresight as an example.

17 · Luke 16:1–9

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Text & context

Full translation

1 Jesus also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was accused before him of wasting his property. 2 So he called him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.’ 3 The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now that my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that people may receive me into their homes when I am removed from the management.’ 5 He called his master's debtors to him, one by one, and said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He answered, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He answered, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ The manager said to him, ‘Take your bill and write eighty.’ 8 The master praised the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children of this age are more shrewd toward their own generation than the children of light. 9 And I tell you: Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
The manager knows his present position is about to end. He uses the authority he still has to reduce debts for people who may later help him. The master still identifies him as dishonest but praises his shrewd action. Jesus then applies the story to temporary wealth and the future.
Notice this

He is accused of wasting his master's property and described as dishonest. The point cannot therefore be that everything he does should be imitated. The master praises him because he acted phronimōs. This distinguishes moral goodness from strategic shrewdness. The manager knows his current position is ending and immediately plans for what comes next. His stated goal is that people will receive him into their homes later. He uses present opportunities with future circumstances in view. The text states that he reduces the debts but does not explain exactly which economic component is removed. Some interpretations propose his commission or interest; others understand further fraud. Luke does not explicitly settle the reconstruction, so none should be presented as certain fact. Jesus observes that people can be remarkably strategic when their material future is at stake. The contrast challenges the children of light to take matters of greater and lasting importance seriously. The phrase does not necessarily mean every possession is intrinsically evil. It describes temporary wealth within the present world's order. Jesus' wording echoes the manager's strategy but redirects the horizon toward eternal dwellings. The parable should not be read as teaching that money purchases salvation. Luke's wider teaching repeatedly connects possessions with generosity and care for the poor. Jesus can use a morally problematic character to illustrate one specific quality without making the whole character an example to imitate.

Language & translation

From the Greek

οἰκονόμος -- oikonomos

manager / steward

ἀδικία -- adikia

unrighteousness / dishonesty

φρονίμως -- phronimōs

shrewdly / prudently / wisely

μαμωνᾶς -- mamōnas

mammon / wealth

ἐκλίπῃ -- eklipē

fails / comes to an end

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read the whole passage and look for the contrast on which the story is built. What do the people in the story expect to happen, and what actually happens? Then consider whether the card's main point lies simply in the outcome or in the difference between expectation and Jesus' response.

    Continue the conversation

    Discuss further
    1. What is the difference between shrewdness and moral goodness?
    2. Why might Jesus choose a dishonest person as an example?
    3. What do we actually know about the debt reductions, and what is reconstruction?
    4. What does it mean to use temporary resources with the future in mind?
    5. How does verse 9 fit Luke's wider teaching about wealth?
    6. Can we learn from someone without making them a moral model?
    Parallel passages
    • Luke 12:16–21
    • Luke 14:12–14
    • Luke 16:10–13
    • Luke 18:1–8
    Sources
    • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Luke 16:1–9
    • Standard Greek lexical resources for oikonomos, adikia, phronimōs, mamōnas, and ekleipō