Verses 1-4. "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 [was wasting] his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it [what is it] that I hear this of thee? Give [give in] an account of thy stewardship, for thou mayest [canst] be no longer steward. 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. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.”
THE possession of wealth, and the privileges and opportunities which wealth brings, is a stewardship for which an account must be rendered to God hereafter.
Riches and influence may be so employed that, should a reverse of fortune come, those who have been helped and benefited in the time of the steward's prosperity may be disposed to act as friends in the days of his adversity. But the claims of God, and the account to be rendered to Him, must not be overlooked; for He requires truth and uprightness in all the dealings of His servants and stewards.
Verses 5-8. "So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures [baths] of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures [cors] of wheat. And he said, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely [prudently]; for the children [sons] of this world [age] are in their generation wiser [more prudent] than the children [sons] of light.”
This transaction shows the character of the steward, and his utter want of integrity and fidelity in his office.
Two examples are given as a specimen of his conduct, in seeking to ingratiate himself with his fellows by lowering their estimate of the claims of his master upon them. And this may be done by lowering the claims of God in regard to holiness and truth, by giving a false estimate of what God requires.
In all this he has no regard to the interests of his lord, and his just claims on them.
We here notice that it was not the Lord Jesus who commended his conduct, but the person spoken of in the parable.
There is much that is highly esteemed in the world, "for men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself," which, from its want of principle, may be an abomination in the sight of God.
Verse 9. "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon [by means of the riches] of unrighteousness, that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations [tabernacles].”
The advice of the Lord Jesus to His disciples is, that they should learn a lesson from the prudence and foresight often exercised by men of the world, but at the same time carefully avoid acting upon their principles of conduct. The possession of wealth, influence, position, leisure, or opportunity, may be so employed during the short span of human life as never to be forgotten in the eternal state. The pecuniary assistance rendered to the poor and destitute in the court, garret, cottage, or the poorhouse, may fade from the memory of the donor in a very short time; but when the heirs of glory meet in the inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled, no gift will be forgotten, no cup of cold water administered will lose its reward.
Then the children of God in the everlasting habitations of the blessed will welcome with gratitude and love those from whom, while on earth, they have received the manifestation of Christian love, even though it might then have assumed the form of some temporal gift.
What a thought! Friends for eternity may be secured by the employment of temporal means in the spirit of Christian love. Meanwhile we must never forget that we are responsible to a Divine and Heavenly Master for whatever gifts, whether temporal or spiritual, He has committed to our stewardship.
Verses 10-12. "He that is faithful in that which is least [a very little] is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least [a very little] is unjust also in much. If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon [riches], who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?”
The children of God are to act at all times as under a responsibility to a Divine Master in the smallest matters as well as in the greater, and not only with regard to spiritual gifts, but also in the management of their temporal affairs.
It has often been found that a course of patient perseverance and conscientious exactness in the discharge of duties connected with some secular situation has been over-ruled by God as an effectual means of training for the discharge of spiritual service of the most important, extensive, and enduring character; whereas persons of dilatory and uncertain habits are little fitted for spiritual and important work.
So, also, the gifts of the Spirit, such as those of the evangelist, the pastor, and the teacher, bear fruits lasting as eternity. The spiritual children of the evangelist will in the ages to come rise up and call him blessed. Those who have benefited by the labors of the pastor and teacher will be their joy and crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus. "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever.”
In the Church of God there is not only gift, but grace, and the grace of God may be so exercised and manifested in time as to leave its fruit, or memorial, on the ages to come.