The Dishonest Manager

What Kind of Employee Are You?

Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NLT)

Every employer desires faithful employees—workers committed to enhancing a business’s reputation and success. God also desires such workers in His kingdom. How can we know if we’re meeting His expectations?

To help us understand what God expects, Jesus told a parable about a dishonest manager who had squandered his employer’s possessions. The employer discovered the manager’s fraudulent behavior and fired him (Luke 16:1-2).

Unemployed and homeless, the manager wondered, “What shall I do now?” (v. 3). His dire circumstances motivated him to look beyond short-term satisfaction toward long-term benefits. Before he left the job, the manager “called in each one of his [employer’s] debtors” and reduced their debt. He reasoned that if he was merciful, others would be merciful to him (vv. 4-7).

When the employer discovered what the manager had done, he didn’t excuse the man’s past wrongdoing or rehire him. But he did praise the manager for recognizing the value of sowing kindness, mercy, and generosity so he’d reap it later (v. 8).

Jesus’s point is this: If this shrewd manager could figure out that his present actions influenced his future welfare, those who desire to work in God’s kingdom certainly should be able to deduce that too. Concentrate on long-term results, Jesus is saying. Quit being so shortsighted. Value what God values.

Jesus then gives three characteristics of long-term thinking. First, use money in a way that has eternal benefits (v. 9). Second, be faithful in short-term earthly matters so God will be able to trust you with long-term, eternal matters (vv. 10-12). Third, choose what God values over everything else (v. 13).

In the parable, when the employer confronts the dishonest manager, he says, “What is this I hear about you?” (16:2). His question implies that he had expected more of his manager. He had trusted him, and his employee had betrayed that trust.

I wonder what Jesus would say about me. Would He turn to God the Father and say, “What’s this I hear about Denise? I expected more of her.” How I long to be a faithful employee who’s focused on what matters most to my heavenly employer.

What would Jesus say about you?

DIG DEEPER:

Why do you think Luke positions this parable between the parables of The Lost Son (Luke 15:11-32) and The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? What similarities in subject matter and themes do you see among the three stories?

Notice the Pharisees’ reaction to the parable of the dishonest manager in Luke 16:14. How does Jesus respond to them in verse 15? What is He implying about their values and God’s values?

Read 1 Timothy 6:6-12. In what ways is Paul’s instruction to Timothy similar to Jesus’s teaching in this parable?

Denise K. Loock

This devotion is part of a series, The Parables.