Today's gospel reading, Luke 16:1-8, is truly a ride on a roller coaster. To better understand the content of the parable that Jesus offers, we need to know something of the Palestinian weights and measures scales for the time. Likewise we have to understand that stewards, perhaps like the tax collectors, were understood to have the "right" to include what we would call a commission for their work! Seems it must have been a nice life! Also, we have to realize that we do not know what the steward had done to squander the boss' property. It was serious enough to earn termination, however. Let's look at the weights and measures issue first.
A "measure," also called a "bath," equaled a unit of liquid measure equivalent to 8 or 9 gallons. So the boss' first debtor owed 100 measures of olive oil. That would equal 800 or 900 gallons of olive oil. But the crafty steward offers the debtor a 50% "deal,"reducing the debt to some 400 or 450 gallons of olive oil. Not a bad deal! The second note holder owed the steward's boss 100 kors of wheat. A kor, a unit of a dry product like wheat or other grain was equivalent to 10 or 12 bushels of the produce. So, another good deal: a reduction from 100 to 80 kors. 20%: from 1000 or 1200 to 800 or 950 bushels of wheat.
What is important to realize is this: the reductions were simply the removal of the steward's commission. The steward's boss did not lose anything! As noted in the New American Bible, New Testament section, Luke's gospel, page 127), in short the parable speaks about "the prudent yse of one's material goods in light of an immanent crisis." Surely being fired was an immanent crisis.
What is interesting is that some commentators praise the steward for having "fudged" his master's accounts. Interesting but questionable! Jesus seems to be praising the steward for canceling the debts owed to himself!!! That brings us to a realization that we truly do not know what the squander was all about.
Some commentators suggest that Jesus is encouraging his disciples and followers to consider forgiveness. Forgive the debts of those who may have offed or hurt you. "What?" you might be asking now and rightly so. But what helps clarify what Jesus was teaching is to know what preceded this parable in the Lucan gospel story -- the parable of the prodigal son. Luke's account of that parable concludes with the father's bargaining with his irate son who resented the special treatment being given to his profligate brother who had wasted his patrimony in dissolute living and now had returned home in need to their father. Forgive your brother the father tries to persuade the angry brother. Your brother has recognized his errors, his sins and has returned to us.
Isn't this why the master praises his steward: honest debts to him were outstanding and the steward canceled his own commissions so that the master, the boss, would at least have what was owed to him? And the steward, seemingly, had a turn of heart that produced a win-win-win situation: the master, his debtors and, most of all, the steward.
This adds some understanding to Jesus' words, "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light."
Roller coaster ride ended. Spiritual economics eye-opener!
