Then he also said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. 2 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.’ 3 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. 4 I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ 5 He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 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.’ 7 Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ 8 And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.
Jesus tells his disciples a story about a steward—a household manager—about to be dismissed for squandering his master’s property. This is not an endorsement of wrongdoing but a call to act wisely before the reckoning (when God calls us to account).
A steward manages what belongs to another (v. 1). When the rich man demands an audit, the steward faces a crisis: he will lose his position and lacks other options (v. 2). His internal dialogue shows clear self-interest, but also clear foresight (v. 3).
He forms a plan: before he is removed, he reduces what the master’s debtors owe (vv. 4-7). The figures are large—“one hundred measures of oil,” “one hundred kors of wheat”—signaling major commercial accounts (vv. 6-7). Some think he cut his own commission; others think he lowered the bills to win favor. Luke doesn’t linger on the tactic, because the point is elsewhere: the steward reads the moment and acts in time.
The surprise comes when the master commends the steward—not the wrongdoing but his prudence: he recognizes the crisis and acts decisively (v. 8). Jesus then names the contrast: “the children of this world” can be more strategic within their horizon than “the children of light” are within theirs (v. 8). The point is not to imitate the wrongdoing but the foresight—seeing what is coming and using the present wisely, placing what we manage at the service of God’s kingdom.
In plain terms, Jesus wants his disciples to think with eternity in view. Accountability is real, opportunities are brief, and what we manage is not our own. Holy shrewdness means reading the moment in the light of God, acting promptly for what truly lasts, and letting even ordinary affairs serve the purposes of the kingdom.
The early Church Fathers matter because they wrote in the Church’s first centuries, and their preaching and catechesis show how Scripture was received in the Church’s worship and teaching. Augustine (354-430) says we should imitate the steward’s foresight, not his fraud: if the unjust are clever for a passing future, the faithful should be wise for an eternal one. John Chrysostom (c. 349-407) notes that prudence appears in timely decisions that direct earthly means toward merciful ends.
Jesus’ teaching is clear: we manage what belongs to God, and a day of accounting is coming. He does not praise the steward’s wrongdoing; he highlights his foresight. Disciples should use today wisely—turning ordinary resources, opportunities, and relationships toward God’s purposes.
Lord Jesus, give us clear sight to read the moment, firm resolve to act in time, and generous hearts to place what we manage at the service of your kingdom. Amen.
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Sources and References:
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- Bernard Orchard et al., A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1953).
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Luke (2008).
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), Luke 16:1-8.
- Raymond E. Brown et al., eds., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), Luke.
- Augustine (354-430), Sermons on Gospel texts.
- John Chrysostom (c. 349-407), Homilies on the Gospels.
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