Landscape with Figures. Copyright Lee van Laer 1979. Used by persmission.
From the Christian New Testament: Luke 16: 1-8; The Unjust Steward [my reconstruction from the Peshitta Aramaic interlinear (Younan)]. Recall that in Luke 15, Jesus has been speaking to “publicans and sinners, Pharisees and scribes.” In Luke 15 Jesus tells several parables: vs 4-7 The Lost Sheep, The Repentant Sinner, vs 8-10 The Lost Coin, vs 11-32 The Prodigal Son.
Luke 16 is actually a continuation of the same event that takes place in Luke 15. And it is important to remember this context because the parable of the unjust steward is a continuation of a single stream of teaching. But what makes it different, in context, is that Jesus now turns to his disciples and addresses them directly.
Verses 1-8. And then Jesus turned to his disciples and told them this parable: There was a certain rich man and he had a steward who stood accused of mismanaging his master’s wealth. His master called to him and said, “What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me a reckoning of your stewardship for you are no longer able to be my steward. The steward thought to himself, “What should I do? My master has taken the stewardship from me. I am unable to do hard labor and am too ashamed to beg. I know! I will do something so that when I am dismissed from the stewardship, people will still receive me in their homes.” And he called, one by one, the debtors to his master. He said to the first one “How much do you owe to my master?” He replied, “One hundred measures of oil.” The steward said to him, “Take your book, sit down and quickly write down fifty measures.” And he said to another, “And you what do owe you to my master?” He replied “one hundred bushels of wheat.” The steward said to him, “Take your book and sit down and write eighty bushels.” The master then praised the unjust steward because he had done wisely. For the children of the world are, for their generation, wiser than are the children of light.
This parable has caused no end of trouble for those attempting a religious interpretation. Basically, Jesus tells a parable where cheating one’s master in order to ingratiate oneself with others, so they will shelter you later, is praised and approved behavior. On the surface there appears to be no repentance or forgiveness in sight. More than that, it feels out of synch with the four previous parables, all of which had to do with the joy of finding something that had been lost.
For instance, Pastor David Guzik’s commentary on this parable:
“So, the steward makes friends with his master’s debtors by settling their accounts for less than they actually owe. The steward, knowing he will be called to account, used his present position to prepare him for the next stage of his life. […] So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly: While not approving his conduct, the master did in fact approve the steward’s shrewdness. […] We need to use our present resources to plan ahead for eternity (Guzik via BLB).
This is, in general, about how most religious commentaries view this parable. Another interpretation comes from the very thorough work of Dr. David Landry, Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas, and he provides a more contextually historical read of this scripture. Dr. Landry refers to this parable as “Honor Restored” and, in that sense, picks out how it is comparable to the parable of the prodigal son and how it fits into the string of parables that connect Luke 16 back to Luke 15:
“In the same way [as the parable of the prodigal son] the master does not need a statement of repentance or an apology from the steward. The fact that he has acted to restore his master’s honor is sufficient. What we really have in each story is a character who has acted immorally and who then tries to make up for the wrong. In both stories the “prodigals” are met more than half way by the parties they initially offended (“Honor Restored”).
This is an excellent read of the parable and approaches the seeker level of interpretation. What it misses is the fact that, in historical context, Jesus is speaking directly to his disciples – and that means the parable is geared more towards the seeker’s needs.
First, consider that the religious interpretation of any text is based on the external, judgmental, authoritative deity. The steward at this level can be seen to be working “in the world” – recall that this requires: “imposing God’s will, however defined, on the natural environment and its inhabitants. Here, the ends will justify most means” (See the post “What Makes Seekers Different”). So both Guzik and Landry make that point: the steward, in order to effect the ends of redemption, justifies a means that is dishonest. And, the master recognizes the justice in this action. The steward (as mankind) functions as his master’s (God’s) emissary in the world and dispenses justice in the forgiving of partial debt. It does, as Landry suggests, restore “honor” in the process.
So what do seekers hear with their ears, allegorically? For the seeker, the interpretive process is based on the indwelling presence of God that must be “heard”. The work is still to be done “in the world”, but means are all important and the key is compassion/agape: acceptance, tolerance, inclusion – and this is, in a single word, Love. So the seeker reads the text with compassion and not judgement. For instance the fundamental translation of vs 2 is not:
His master called to him and said, “What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me a reckoning of your stewardship for you are no longer able to be my steward.
…but is rather:
His master called to him and said, “What is this that I hear concerning you? Explain to me your intent in your management of my trust. Are you unable to represent me anymore?”
This translation of the text is done in an entirely different perspective; in the first the master rejects/dismisses his steward, on what is essentially rumor, but in the re-translation he does not; compassion dictates different action. And then the interpretation changes as well. In this way, the verse mirrors the purpose of the parable format itself; this is to direct the student to reflect inwardly on its meaning. And sure enough, in the next verse, the steward does exactly that. He doesn’t justify his actions to the master, instead he goes within himself to struggle with letting go of his prior actions, which were in error, and find the means with which to return to right action. He must, in a sense, forgive himself for the past and return to the right path from which the ends make themselves:
In the seeker interpretation, we see the master as God and the steward as a disciple. The disciple has lost the core of God’s message of love in his actions in the world (the master’s squandered wealth). He has become entangled in materiality — but he hears the voice of his master (God calls him across the ground of his being) who says to him kindly, tell me what happened, and do you wish to continue in my service? The steward finds himself deeply worried about being separated from his master (realizing that he has lost connection with the Ground); he reflects within himself to correct his path, he listens with Love. He sees that ALL of the clients of his master are important (love your brothers as yourself), and he wishes to repair that relationship first so that he will continue to be welcome in their houses, in their hearts. As he is welcome, so is his master – and this is the task of the disciple; to carry the message and with it, the Presence. And this action, this means, leads out of the renewed connection that he finds within himself with his ground of being. And the master/God is well pleased with the steward/disciple because he, who was lost on the path, is now found.
And with that, this parable connects with, and completes the cycle of, those that preceded it. It is of a piece with the man who desperately searched for that one missing sheep out of a hundred, and was overjoyed when he found it. It is of a piece with the woman who turned her house inside out to find the one coin out of ten that she had lost and rejoiced in doing so. It is of a piece with the father who has found his son and insists on celebrating that event. From the unity state the message is even more powerful:
It is IN THE WORLD that you work, and your witness to your brothers, your generation, is the path and purpose you have set yourself to. Those of the light, those realized, assist but cannot do this for you. Do not despair when you find you have become beguiled by the world; listen to the voice within for it speaks to you with Love. You are love, you are your brother, God is always with you. All is one.
The arc of the parables which Luke presents demonstrate faith as action in the world. In the early verses, from Luke 15, the audience identifies with the simple analogies of everyday activity. The listener becomes the shepherd seeking the lost sheep or the woman searching for the lost coin. The search is objective; it has a defined goal. As the tales progress the search moves to a more subjective realm; in the prodigal son the listener understands the temptations of desire in the world and the inner struggle to accept that we are accepted. In Luke 16, the next step encompasses both of the prior levels of empathy and projects forward; in the unjust steward we have the transformative battle to stay connected with the Ground of Being in a material world filled with distractions. In each level the desire for Wholeness, in the search to find what was lost, guides action.
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The artwork for this post comes from Lee van Laer. This painting, “Landscape with Figures”, is a cubist work that demonstrates how modern art reflects the seeker challenge of “looking within” for meaning. More of Lee’s transformative work will be featured on future posts and can be found here.
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On The Path of the Adept 