Why does Jesus praise the dishonest manager? Is his example worthy of emulation? Such questions are asked by several people. This parable is difficult to explicate. It has given rise to a number of misinterpretations. At the first sight the message of the parable seems to be unchristian. But a detailed examination will show us it is not so.

The first problem is that the dishonest manager is commended. How did he become worthy of praise despite the evil he did? Why does Jesus recommend his shrewdness? Before we attempt to answer these questions we should clearly pinpoint his wrongdoing. Was it altering his debtors' bills or the former evil act of mismanagement that he was accused of? According to chapter 16, verse 1, the rich man was preparing to punish the manager not for altering the debtors' bills but for squandering his master's property. The complaint brought to him was that the manager had mismanaged all the property left to his charge. Therefore, he demanded an account of his steward- ship. The owner had decided even to dismiss him. It was when the manager was sure he would be sacked that he attempted to rewrite his debtors' bills. It is said that the manager had the right to rewrite them. Also, the amount accrued as interest or commission from the master' property could be appropriated by the manager. It is the interest due to himself that he cuts down. It does not affect the master's property at all. Therefore, we understand that the fault of the manager is not that he altered the debtors' bills, but that he mismanaged the property.

Apparently Jesus is commending the manager's action. The reason is that we mistake this parable for an allegory. In an allegory, all the factors and details are important. Every point is meaningful. Whereas, in a parable, comparison is only in the matter of an important factor. Everything else only leads to the central idea conveyed by the particular factor. It is when we misunderstand this parable to be an allegory that we ascribe a meaning to each of the factors, and incorrectly suppose Jesus is praising the wrongdoing of the manager.

In fact, Jesus is praising only the cleverness and shrewdness of the manager. We realise this from our day- to- day life- experience. We happen to read in the papers about a well- engineered theft. The ingenious methods used and the intelligence that came into play, somehow command our amazement. Unconsciously we remark, "How clever this man is!" It is not his act or the values behind it but the cleverness and dexterity that we praise. Likewise, the manager was commended not because his action was praiseworthy; but because he was ready to forego the commission from the debtors in order to win their goodwill.

The explication of this passage is exactly similar to that of the parable of the widow and unjust judge "Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my opponent. ' For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming. '" And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them'" (Lk 18: 1- 8). A judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people, grants justice to a widow, who importunes him, just because he wants to be rid of her nuisance. If that is so, God, our loving Father, will surely see that justice is soon done to his children who cry out to him day and night. This is the explanation of this parable. In the parable of the dishonest manager, the man utilises the property left in his care to ensure a bright future for himself. If that is so, should not the children of light, use their wealth and talents much more to gain heavenly glory?

The expressions "children of this age," and "children of light," should be clarified. "children of this age" means those who live according to the spirit of this world, those who have made the evil, hypocrisy and wickedness of this world their own. While "children of light" refers to those who are filled with the Spirit of God, those who give love, mercy and peace to this world. Those who advocate evil and injustice have always excessive enthuiasm and spirit. They will use any crafty means to fulfil their end. While the children of light, who are Christ's disciples, are deficient in these qualities. They do not know how to act prudently and obtain God's favour. In other words, the cleverness and dynamism possessed by the children of this age are badly lacking in those who profess to be on the side of righteousness.

The concluding discourse that Jesus gives (Cf 16: 9- 13) is, "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes"( Lk 16: 9). The meaning of the Aramaic word "mammon" is money, particularly the money acquired by unlawful means. There are two reasons why Jesus calls wealth dishonest. First, wealth is generally amassed unlawfully. Secondly, we should not totally depend on wealth. It can deceive us at any time. The parable of the rich fool illustrates this very well( cf Lk 12: 13- 21). Therefore Jesus advises us to use our wealth well and acquire friends. By "friends" he means the poor people we help and the merits we gain by sharing what we have with others. The duty to share our wealth with the poor is highlighted here. The words of St Ambrose, "The lap of the poor, the houses of widows and the mouth of infants are your permanent barns," are relevant in this context. In other words, just as the dishonest manager used his wealth to make friends, the disciples of Christ should acquire friends through the sharing of their wealth.

They will "welcome you into the eternal homes". The phrase "eternal homes" should be understood against the background of the Old Testament. The Israelites who escaped from Egypt and journeyed towards Canaan, pitched their tents in the desert and stayed there. This fact was always alive in their mind. Moreover, "eternal homes" denote heaven, because the Jews envisaged heaven as a mansion with several rooms (cf Jn 14: 2).

The message Jesus wanted to convey through the parable is very clear. The dishonest manager used his ill- gotten wealth prudently and made provisions for a secure future. Likewise, the disciples of Jesus should, through the sharing of their talents and wealth, try to enter heaven with prudence and enthusiasm.
 
 
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