Luke 16 contains, I think, the most difficult parable to understand.
Below is a brief explanation which I believe makes a lot of sense. This explanation is inspired by the book Social-Science Commentary of the Synoptic Gospels by Bruce J. Malina and Richard L. Rohrbaugh.
The first thing to know is that parables are simple stories told to teach a lesson. They are not allegories. The characters in the stories are not necessarily allegories representing other people. The master in this parable, for example, does not represent God — he is exactly what the story says he is: a rich man. The next thing to know is that 1st century Judea was an honor/shame culture. To be honored was more important than having money. The third thing to know is that most of Jesus’s audience were very poor and had a lot of debt. Therefore, this parable is about forgiveness of debt, restoration of honor, and mercy.
It’s interesting to note that the four explanations given by Luke (1. vs 8; 2. vs 9; 3. vss 10-12; 4. vs 13) do not seem to help understand the parable that much. Alas…
The steward publicly dishonored his master by squandering his wealth without his knowledge. The master had to be told by a third party what was happening, which was very embarrassing for the master. Everyone knew what was happening in his own business before he did. He was dishonored.
The master could have had the steward thrown into prison, but instead chose only to fire him. The master was merciful.
In like manner, the steward showed mercy to the debtors in hopes of gaining their favor to be able to call on them for help after being fired. This action caused the community to praise the master for his great generosity. The master’s honor was restored, and he commended the steward for that.
It ends up being a restorative situation for all: The master is more honored than ever before, the steward keeps his job, and the people receive much needed debt relief. Such is the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees (who heard Jesus tell this parable) were unmerciful, dishonorable, and lovers of money. What they highly esteemed was an abomination to God. (Luke 16.14-15)
Here is an uplifting article about Canada’s bright future…
A secret RCMP report is warning the federal government that Canada may descend into civil unrest once citizens realize the hopelessness of their economic situation.
“The coming period of recession will … accelerate the decline in living standards that the younger generations have already witnessed compared to earlier generations,” reads the report, entitled Whole-of-Government Five-Year Trends for Canada.
Pursuit of Percipience 