Luke 16: 1 – 9 The Wily Manager

Luke 16: 1 – 9 The Wily Manager

Then he also said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.' The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.' He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?' He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.' Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors 3 of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.' And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. 5 "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.” I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

This in another scripture that for me comes out of left field. The manager is about to have to make an accounting to his owner for “squandering his property”, that is, wasting it or using it unwisely. What does he do? He further dissipates it, marking down what is owed to ingratiate himself to the ones who owe it. What happens? The owner gives him credit for his enterprise! Here he has defrauded his owner and the owner not only accepts it but in a way admires it. Like unto like apparently – or it takes one to know one as my grandmother would say. I’m not sure of the larger point. Any ideas??? Also who are the children of this world vs. the children of light?